U.S. city transforms highway into leafy oasis

State Route 14 runs through the Mojave desert, passing scenery that Hollywood often uses to depict alien worlds. Yet on West Lancaster Boulevard, nine tree‑lined blocks now occupy what was once Highway 14. The stretch was redeveloped as a mixed‑use urban streetscape in Lancaster, California, in 2010.

Rebranded as the BLVD, it now hosts about 250 public and private enterprises, ranging from banks and tattoo shops to restaurants, museums, a performing‑arts centre and a public library, with City Hall a block to the south. The city invested $11.5 million (£8.5 million) to convert the former five‑lane thoroughfare into an inviting public realm, replacing the central three lanes with a series of tree‑lined ramblas – the Spanish word for “avenue” and “watercourse,” reflecting the dry stream‑beds that once served as streets in early settlements.

The redesign was planned and funded by the city's redevelopment agency. According to the city, within four years of completion the project generated more than $270 million in economic output, attracted $130 million of investment, created hundreds of jobs and spurred the construction or renovation of hundreds of housing units. Residents say the revitalisation has also produced intangible benefits, describing the city centre as a gathering space where they feel part of a community.

John Elford, now manager of the Lancaster public library, was a reference librarian when the construction began. He recalled that customers were angry about the disruption and many complained about the major city‑centre thoroughfare being torn apart. “Suddenly it was all done, and they had the grand opening,” Elford says. “Everybody loved it and the complaints stopped.”

Elford says the more attractive and walkable environment has encouraged people to leave their cars. He notes that patrons who had never visited the library now wander in, asking not for a specific title but for the location of the fiction or non‑fiction sections. Visitors are spending time browsing books or reading quietly, turning the library into a community space for all residents, he adds. In the past, encounters with unhoused patrons sometimes drove other visitors away, but Elford says people have begun to recognise their neighbours without formally introducing themselves. “They start to get to know that person without actually introducing themselves to them,” he says.

In 2013, property and business owners partnered with the city to establish the BLVD Association, a property‑based improvement district where businesses collaborate as caretakers and promoters, funded by city taxes. The association launched an ambassador programme in 2016, hiring representatives to roam the BLVD and assist visitors and businesses. Brian Morris Jr says he has encountered occasional issues with begging or break‑ins during his six months on the job, but these have not been sufficient to make the area feel unsafe or unlivable.

Nicole Stevens runs Pretty Little Poppy Marketplace, a venture that sells wares from local vendors. Having lived in Lancaster since 1993, she observes that the reimagining has brought small businesses and families together. “I’ve enjoyed being able to bring my boy down here,” she says. Alex Arreola, a cashier and marketer at the Sassy Bird restaurant, says the walkable environment has helped him forge friendships with residents and business owners. “A lot of cities don’t have this walkable spot,” he says. “It’s a big benefit, the best place in Lancaster right now.”

Lancaster opened a museum on the BLVD in 2012 to showcase exhibits and education about the history, art and culture of California’s Antelope Valley. Kim Calderwood, the museum’s art programme manager, grew up in California City, about 40 miles from Lancaster. She recalls that the Burns Pharmacy, still operating, was the only place on Lancaster Boulevard she visited with her family as a child.

Calderwood says she was excited by the area’s transformation, noting the increase in foliage and the emergence of businesses and restaurants aimed at a younger clientele. She says residents often discover the museum while strolling the BLVD, adding, “They’ll say: ‘I was wondering what this place was,’ … ‘I didn’t realise we had a museum here.’”

Nanette Rushing, owner of Nantiquez Vintage Flair, also runs a sort of museum. Her shop displays items for sale such as an Oscar de la Renta dress, rhinestone jewellery and a fringed buckskin mountain suit. Rushing says she staged estate sales and sold pieces she collected from stores that previously belonged to other people before she arrived on the BLVD ten years ago.