Brittany Montaño

Brittany is a second year graduate student in urban and regional planning at UCLA. Originally from Long Beach, she grew up around various industry-leading transportation entities, and saw their direct economic and environmental impact on her community. 

In recent years, Brittany has worked for organizations such as LISC LA, the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, LAANE, AARP, and STV. Brittany completed her undergraduate degree in History and Labor Studies at UCLA, where she focused on Latin America and the global labor movement. Currently, Brittany is interested in researching how economic and transportation initiatives aid in creating more livable communities.

Project Overview

Since the City of Los Angeles’ Al Fresco program inception, less than one-third of program participants have been in under-invested communities. My capstone project will explore the barriers that restaurant owners face in applying to the program. Such barriers may include safety, costs of labor, or being unaware of the programs. Therefore, my research will investigate the main constraints that disadvantaged communities face in applying for the LA Al Fresco program, and how the City of Los Angeles can better support restaurant owners to successfully participate in the program. 

Why is this topic, specifically, important to you?

I was interested in learning more about the Al Fresco Program since I personally saw the impact of COVID-19 on businesses and the ever-growing blight in Los Angeles. I was able to get connected with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s Al Fresco Program, and they wanted to explore more about the barriers restaurateurs faced when applying for the program. The project brings together transportation planning and economic development to uplift local communities and businesses, which I believe is a crucial intersection to explore. 

Who are the partners involved in this project and how will you be working with them?

Throughout this project, I will be working with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and the Al Fresco Program’s team to develop surveys and interviews for analysis.

How do you hope that this project will impact the field moving forward?

I hope to provide helpful insight and recommendations to the program to ensure equitable opportunities for all communities moving forward. I also want to highlight the program’s benefits and goals for local businesses across Los Angeles.