The Long Life of Urban Form: How the Past May Define the Future of L.A. Transit with Genevieve Giuliano

In an era of rapid technological change — from e-bikes to autonomous vehicles to delivery bots — as well as major policy efforts to transform Los Angeles to a transit metropolis, it is easy to think that the city of tomorrow will be something very different from the city of today. However, Genevieve Giuliano finds that four decades of data tell a different story: one of remarkable stability in the structure of the region and its travel patterns.

In this lecture, Professor Giuliano considers L.A.’s transit future. As Los Angeles navigates the “hallowed ground” of personal mobility and the evolving role of its historical centers, we face a critical crossroads. If downtowns are shifting from employment hubs to residential anchors, and face-to-face interaction remains the bedrock of the economy, what is the future for transit — radical experimentation or doubling down on high-capacity infrastructure?

GENEVIEVE GIULIANO is Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and holds the Margaret and John Ferraro Chair in Effective Local Government in the Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California. Her research spans relationships between land use and transportation, transportation policy analysis, travel behavior, and sustainable transportation. She has published over 200 papers and has received multiple distinguished scholarship awards.