The Ralph and Goldy Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

This report, prepared for the Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC), a non-profit community-based organization, outlines the current need for a Community Plan Implementation Overlay (CPIO) in Thai Town and highlights the needs and benefits a specific plan can bring. Thai Town, a six-block neighborhood nestled in East Hollywood, and its residents understand what is necessary to implement their vision into reality. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach in the form of data gathering at outreach events and finding data via the US Census and other publicly accessible data, this study lays the groundwork for establishing key themes that the CPIO should emphasize based on community engagement data. Implementing a CPIO successfully will require close collaboration among multiple stakeholders including Thai CDC, Council District 13, and most importantly the residents of CD13, who must leverage each other’s strengths to develop planning guidelines that both uplift the community and reflect its vision for the future. A CPIO would help bring forth the community vision for the neighborhood that is needed to be a lively and artistic modern cultural destination and continue fostering community economic development. My report provides a community assessment and benefit analysis of a proposed CPIO in Thai Town. The findings aim to inform organizing efforts, planning strategies, and policy decisions for the CPIO and can be used for the broader Thai Town Enhancement Plan.