The 'Strong Core' Theory of Los Angeles

Samuel Krueger grew up in Portland, where he enjoyed "how the streets are very active with people and shops in the downtown." He's lived in Los Angeles since 1998 and now works as a drafter for the city's Department of Water and Power. "In any place, people who grew up there don't really think of it from an outside perspective, so they miss some of the obvious structures," he says.

Late last month Krueger made headlines for seeing one structure that Angelinos have been missing for years: their city, contrary to popular wisdom, has a "strong core center" after all. Krueger reached this conclusion by studying clusters of amenities within the metro area: everything form trendy hangouts to high culture spots. This approach led him to a core that stretches east from Santa Monica toward downtown via Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and Koreatown.