Eight times a year, CicLAvia temporarily closes streets to car traffic, transforming them into pop-up public spaces and parks. Free for all, CicLAvia connects communities to each other across an expansive city, creating a safe place to bike, walk, skate, roll, and dance through Los Angeles County. CicLAvia is the largest open streets program in the country.
City: Los Angeles, CA
Purpose: To catalyze vibrant public spaces, active transportation and good health through car-free streets.
Lead Stakeholders: Community, Government, Philanthropy, Business
Process: Drawing inspiration from ciclovias in Latin America, in 2010, a group of volunteers teamed up with the Mayor’s Office and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) to close specific routes to cars.
Now, CicLAvia is held eight Sundays a year from February to December. Each CicLAvia uses a new route to showcase different neighborhoods in LA. Routes are chosen by population density, transit connections, commercial corridors, and destinations, such as parks, plazas, or notable buildings.
Local businesses often offer deals and specials to take advantage of the increase in activity. At “hubs” throughout each route, there are typically food trucks, climbing walls, arts and crafts, and other activities.
Outcomes:
- Over 14 years and 52 CicLAvias, more than 1.8 million people have explored nearly 306 miles of open streets in LA County.
- CicLAvia improves air quality by reducing ultrafine particles in the air by over 20%.
- Local crime has been reduced by 40% on CicLAvia days.
- Five times more people use CicLAvia’s temporary park space during event days than are using all of the other parks in the city of LA combined.
View or download PDF of the CicLAvia case study.
