From Boom to Bust – L.A.’s Public Housing Legacy
In mid-century Los Angeles, public housing was designed to house the many workers flooding to the city seeking jobs in the booming industrial economy. Taking advantage of the climate, the various developments used the popular garden apartment model and employed some of the area’s most prominent architects. A lack of maintenance and serial disinvestment led to decline, and now these civic resources are deteriorated and under threat. With a strong background in affordable housing development, alumna Leslie-Anne Palaroan talks with Willa Seidenberg about the challenges and opportunities of considering public housing historic and the nexus between affordable housing and heritage conservation.
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Leslie Palaroan currently works as a Senior Project Manager at Satellite Affordable Housing Associates working on over 200 units of affordable housing in the East Bay. Previously, Leslie worked for Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) to rehabilitate and preserve five former public housing developments under the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program – a total of 439 units for seniors and disabled San Franciscans. While working in Los Angeles, she developed 325 units of new construction affordable housing for seniors, veterans, families, those with special needs, and those who were formerly homeless at East LA Community Corporation. She earned dual degrees in Architecture and Geography at UC Berkeley and dual Masters degrees in Heritage Conservation and Planning from USC. She uses affordable housing as a means to achieve social justice. When she is not building housing, she avoids screen time by being in the great outdoors. |
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Our producer Willa Seidenberg recently interviewed Leslie. Not only is she a long-time professor of radio journalism for the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, but she is also earning her Master’s degree in Heritage Conservation. |
Podcast Breakdown
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- [08:52] East L.A. Community Corporation/Boyle Hotel
- [13:08] Public housing in Los Angeles
- [20:40] William Mead Homes
- [27:02] Synergy between heritage conservation and affordable housing
- [28:32] Satellite Affordable Housing Associates
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Want to know more about some of the ideas and places mentioned in this episode? Check out:
Thesis: Empowering Communities Through Historic Rehabilitation: Creating a Maintenance Plan for Public Housing Developments in Los Angeles by Leslie-Anne Palaroan
Curating the City: Garden Apartments
East Los Angeles Community Corporation (ELACC)
