Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time

by Jeff Speck

What happened over the next decade was as shocking in reality as it was predictable in theory. Old Pasadena staged a brilliant revival, while Westwood Village entered a steady economic decline that continues to this day. Now residents of Westwood drive to Old Pasadena to shop. Westwood’s curbs are crumbling, while the sidewalks of Old Pasadena boast new tree grates, fancy lighting, and street furniture. Not only does each parking meter in Pasadena generate an average of $1,712 in annual revenue for the city, but sales tax receipts are way up. Indeed, the city’s sales-tax revenue tripled in the first six years after the meters were installed.56 While it is always easy to park in Old Pasadena, the average shopper in Westwood Village circles for 8.3 minutes before either finding a spot or giving up. Shoup delights in telling us how Westwood cruisers cumulatively log a total of 426 vehicle hours per day, covering more distance than a trip across the United States. Over a year, this adds up to thirty-eight trips around the globe.57