How Do We Design for Disaster?

Co-presented by Zócalo Public Square and Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc., in partnership with Broad Foundation and KCRW, with support from L.A. Taco, California Humanities and City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs

It is said that L.A.’s new 6th Street Viaduct, also known as the 6th Street Bridge, is the safest place to be when the “big one” hits. Ten pairs of arches and a helical-shaped bike-and-pedestrian ramp replaced the original, failing 1932 structure. The bridge serves as a vital intersection, connecting neighborhoods, freeways, and terrains that define L.A.— Boyle Heights, the Arts District, the 5, and the Los Angeles River. Together with the park being built below it, the project seeks to overcome the siloed cityscape.

Can this icon of L.A. architecture build social resilience to match its engineering feats? Do communities have a voice in large-scale architecture and engineering projects that impact their neighborhoods? And how can Los Angeles sustain this “ribbon of light” as a shining example for connectivity, safety, and resilience across the city and state?

On the 6th Street Bridge, Michael Maltzan, the architect behind its second incarnation, will lead a guided tour that explores what designing for California’s future can look like, with special guests including Deborah Weintraub, L.A.’s former Chief Deputy City Engineer and Architect, Adriana Smith, L.A. City Emergency Manager, and key members of the community advisory committee, such as Margarita Amador, Secretary, Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council, and Miguel Vargas, Executive Director, Arts District Los Angeles BID.

The limited-capacity tour will conclude with a back-alley dance party for all in the shadow of the bridge, with beats by KCRW music director Alejandro Cohen and Dublab DJs Xandão and PayRay. Bringing together communities at both ends of the bridge and across the city, we invite attendees to connect with one another through music and movement and celebrate culture that withstands. Register to join.