Livable Communities That We Love

There are many ways to define what makes communities most livable. Some care that it is easy to get around on foot, bike or public transportation. Many prioritize access to fresh, local and organic food whether from a community garden or nearby farmers market. While others prefer amenities, diversity of neighbors, or affordability. Here are three features that make up livable communities that we love.

Smart City, Smart Home

Key elements that make a home or city “smart” are sensors, cameras, analytics, powerful networks, automation, and responsive to resident issues and desires. At one of our luxury residential properties in Koreatown, The KODO, we have deployed an expansive hospitality platform available on a tablet that comes with each unit. The cloud-based platform integrates an end-to-end hospitality experience for guests and staff. The KODO’s residents have access to a custom mobile app and digital key, while staff will have access to the guest experience management system to manage requests and general communication.  The features of the customized platform offer operational efficiency, incremental revenue streams, and content integrations that stay one step ahead of tech-savvy residents’ expectations. Additionally, this in-room tech makes it easy for residents to connect with local businesses and offers amenities that take advantage of the prime location in Koreatown, including grocery delivery, reservations to local hot spots, third-party content apps such as iHeartRadio and Wall Street Journal, and more.

Nature in the City

Los Angeles is a City that boasts more than 250 natural parks (258 to be exact), where locals and visitors can take a break from the concrete jungle and spend time in nature. It is well-known that natural environments improve local livability, while also improving emissions and mitigating the effects of climate change. We are able to mimic these adaptations on a smaller scale by creating onsite and nearby community gardens. Conceptually, we are working on including a rooftop garden project where locals and even local restaurants can partake in locally-grown, organic, and same-day harvest produce. We can actually use otherwise dead space for food production. Further, there is even the potential to reuse rain and stormwater for irrigation. People want to live in communities where pollution and rainwater runoff is checked.

Creating a Sense of Belonging

Making a community livable goes beyond infrastructure. Other actions usually involve preserving, protecting and enhancing what appeals to residents. Multiple hangout locations are essential, including rooftop for views and connection to elements like sun and wind, as well as interior spaces with well-connected, free WiFi, areas for eating and connection to interior elements, like a fireplace and/or waterfall. Seating in all communal areas needs to seat more than a dozen and should be aligned to encourage conversation and interaction. Management-inspired community gatherings are also a win, like our monthly resident and guest cocktails and special holiday events. We have found that people are open and interested in getting to know each other when the venue they are in is set up for it and when the opportunities are easily presented.