50 Years to the Wilshire Subway: The Political and Social Discourse Surrounding the Development of the Purple Line Extension
Abstract
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the densest corridors in Los Angeles County, yet it lacks a dedicated subway line. Currently, the Purple Line runs from downtown Los Angeles to the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue. The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been developing an extension of the line since the mid-aughts. However, the City of Beverly Hills and Beverly Hills Unified School District have impeded this process every step of the way. Using a claims analysis and historical data collection, this thesis studies the political and social discourse surrounding the Purple Line Extension. Ultimately, it determines that there has been a discursive shift in the way claims are made, and that regional environmentalism has begun to take precedence over localized anti-growth movements.