I live in Pico Rivera City
Pico Rivera City is located in southeastern parts of Los Angeles County in California State. It is situated roughly eleven square miles from downtown Los Angeles. The population of Pico Rivera has grown drastically over time and occupies approximately nine square miles (California, & California. 1989). The city is situated on a rich alluvial plain between San Gabriel River and Rio Hondo. The city has an attractive terrain. Pico Rivera is both residential and industrial. Initially, Pico Rivera had a Ford plant for several years. The city lies below the Whittier Narrows and this makes it the “Gateway City.”
Zoning:
The zone I live in is as established by the Pico Rivera zoning is referred to as the “R-E single-family residential estate zone.” The intended use of this zone is to primarily designate, classify and differentiate certain areas of residence in the city that can facilitate single-family homes. The development and use of these homes is on large acreage land parcels in conjunction with particularly the private use. In addition to that, it can be used for limited agricultural maintenance and activities related to animal husbandry. The classification of land use of the R-E zone is partially to assist in the residential land use implementation, housing and elements of the environment of the general plan. The classification of the R-E zone is designed to be used on selective regions of the community where the character and atmosphere of the rural area is possible to maintain in an urban setting.
Zone R-E application must be defined clearly with the purpose and scope of land qualification for a rural function and must be strictly protected from any land use encroachment and development that are not of the rural nature (Peterson, 2018). Any land use that does not meet the above provisions are expressly prohibited in zone R-E.
Below is a snapshot of zone R-E map:
Access to amenities:
The distance between my house and the basic amenities such as shopping mall, hotels, health center and other amenities is 620 meters. The closest commercial street is roughly 620 meter from my house. Numeric distance might seem shot but when you walk, it is not. It is even worse when it is; late in the evening, early in the morning, or raining Diaz, R. David (2005).
Influence of land use on walkability:
Provides that R-E zone is only permitted to accommodate single-family houses and no commercial operations and building are allowed it in the zone, the closest businesses are 620 meters from where I stay. This is a long distance to walk when you are in urgent need of something like medicine or commercial service such as welding for a door problem at night. Amenities are within a walking distance but it will take time and energy to get to the vital amenities in the region (California, & California. 1989). Zoning increased the distance between homes and the closest amenities in the region. The regulations provide that zone R-E must constitute only of single-family houses. Commercial building and any related commercial operations had to be located outside zone R-E. This made the distance between commercial centers and residential homes in zone R-E longer. The strict regulations governing land use in zones is to maintain peace, comfort and enhance security (Peterson, 2018). Commercial centers are always noisy and thus, deny residents peace in their homes. Secluding residential zones from commercial zones also enhances the region’s security.
Land use change:
The zoning system at hand in Pico Rivera has made life better but not easier. It has made life better in that residential homes are kept away from noisy commercial centers but it has made life hard in that one has to drive or ride to get to the shopping center or other commercial buildings faster. I would change the zoning in that I will include a few businesses such as shops and clinics within the residential zones (Diaz, R. David (2005). They do not pollute the air, and they do not make noise yet they make life easier by availing necessary requirements such as small shopping and medicines such as painkillers.
References
:California., & California. (1989). Land use and local revenue-sharing: Playing the zero-sum game : summary report from the joint interim hearing. Sacramento, CA: Joint Publications.
Diaz, R. David (2005) Barrio Urbanism: Chicanos, Planning, and American Cities, Psychology Press, 2005
Peterson, K. (2018). Backdoor revolution: The definitive guide to ADU development.
