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Chris Torres and Eli Lipmen: Building LA's Olympic Legacy
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Can LA still build things that serve everyday people? Chris Torres and Eli Lipmen think so, and their Festival Trail project is putting that belief to the test.
Festival Trail is a bold 28-mile mobility and culture corridor connecting neighborhoods from Downtown through Inglewood. Chris, founder of Agency Artifact, brings urban design expertise, while Eli, Executive Director of Move LA, has a track record of passing transformative ballot measures worth $120 billion over 40 years.
Their timing isn't coincidental. With 15 million Olympic tickets sold and LA's commitment to a "transit-first Olympics," the city faces what Chris calls "seven Super Bowls happening simultaneously every day for six weeks." The infrastructure challenge is massive, but so is the opportunity.
What makes Festival Trail different is its opportunistic approach—following existing transportation corridors and activating projects already funded rather than starting from scratch. The plan includes 28 new resiliency hubs along the trail featuring large screens for Olympic viewing, food, music, and local culture. These become seeds for future development and community investment.
The conversation reveals LA's fundamental challenge: a diffuse power structure where no single lever creates change. Instead of waiting for top-down coordination, Festival Trail builds on coalitions and momentum. The project also confronts LA's inequity head-on. Rather than concentrate investment in wealthy neighborhoods, Festival Trail intentionally follows corridors serving traditionally underserved communities. The goal isn't just throwing a party for the Olympics, but creating generational uplift and economic opportunity.
Episode Outline
(02:02) The spark that created Festival Trail from Olympic planning work
(06:36) Why LA is the right place for these big infrastructure projects
(12:17) What Festival Trail looks like on the ground
(19:24) Who's actually in charge of moving 15 million Olympic ticket holders?
(25:17) Building coalitions without centralized power structures
(33:43) How Olympic investment typically fails communities
(39:44) Lessons from passing $120 billion in ballot measures
(42:19) The unintended consequences of Measure ULA on multifamily development
(54:33) Why American cities no longer pencil—and what to do about it
(1:04:52) Festival Trail milestones and how to get involved
Resources Mentioned
Zev's Los Angeles: From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power by Zev Yaroslavsky
The California Tomorrow Plan by Alfred Heller
Guest Info
Connect with Chris on LinkedIn
Learn more about Agency Artifact
More From Building LA
Follow Building LA on LinkedIn
Learn more about Lincoln Property Company
Follow Lincoln Property Company on LinkedIn
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast represent the views of the individual speakers, interviewers, or guests alone, and do not necessarily reflect the official positions, views, or opinions of Lincoln Property Company or any of its affiliates.
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