Which Way, L.A.?
Impact of the Rodney King Riot on the Built Environment
The 1992 Rodney King riot devastated much of Los Angeles. We look at efforts to rebuilt South LA, the transformation of Koreatown and how devastation led to inspiration.
By Warren Olney • • 59m ListenThis the third part of a week of programs on the violence, causes and aftermath of the Rodney King riots that devastated so much of Los Angeles 20 years ago. More than 50 people were killed, thousands were injured. Estimates of property damage were in excess of $1 billion. Today, we learn how some architects and designers responded to the "deep sense of evil" and "license for disobedience" they felt after the violence was over. We focus on efforts to reconstruct South LA, the dramatic transformation of Koreatown and how devastation led to inspiration. (For additional KCRW coverage of the 1992 riots, go to http://KCRW.com/LARiots.)
Banner image: Koreatown, from Olympic Boulevard, looking east towards downtown. Photo by Kenneth Han
In this episode
3 storiesSouth LA
South Los Angeles will be more connected -- quite literally — when the new Expo Line opens to much fanfare this coming weekend. Metro's newest line will go from Pico and Flower downtown, south to USC and then west all the way to Culver City.
Read the story30 minKoreatown
Koreatown was officially designated an LA neighborhood in 1978. It's five square miles just west of downtown, between Beverly and Olympic on the North and South and, roughly, between Wilton and Crenshaw on the east and west.
Read the story18 minInner City Arts and the Utopian Moment for Architects
The violence and rioting of 1992 were terrifying for the city. But for some people, they were also inspiring. KCRW's Frances Anderton visited Inner City Arts, a nonprofit arts school near Skid Row in downtown LA.
Read the story11 min
