51�Թ�

“Joyful association in the public domain is far better than watching television in our lifeless subdivisions,” Oldenburg proclaimed in a 2014 New York Times op-ed.

She stopped at a pet food store and shortly before 5 p.m. returned to her neighborhood and activated the remote control to open the gate to her subdivision.

None of the four projects now cleared for construction sit in the middle of subdivisions, though some are more out of scale with their surroundings than others.

“The future of Los Angeles is in the hills,” proclaimed a 1923 ad for a new subdivision that showed renderings of Spanish Revival-style homes looming over steep hillsides and bluffs.

“It’s been really, quite a planning achievement,” said Silver, noting a recent crackdown on subdivisions in fire-prone areas.