Los Angeles is working to attract new businesses to build the city’s green economy. The Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has designated part of downtown as a new center for green industry. The CRA is converting 1 million square feet of previously industrial area into offices and buildings for research, development and manufacturing that is focused on environmental factors and sustainability.

An "infill" project takes abandoned or moderately used land in prime downtown areas for different kinds of developments. By building on previously developed land, the city saves natural resources and can create a greener area without expanding into habitats at the edge of the city.

The project, the Los Angeles Clean Technology Manufacturing Center, has been  designed to provide office space for the “innovators that will create the jobs of a new economy for the 21st century,” according to L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The center will house clean-technology companies and those trying to make business more sustainable.

The city will also offer economic incentives for companies interested in locating their businesses in the center. This effort is one of several aimed at creating a cleaner Los Angeles and “a model for sustainable industrial development in North America.”