Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti unveiled a program Thursday to remake dozens of city street by adding outdoor plazas, benches and other amenities.

The mayor announced the Great Streets Program, a plan to overhaul scruffy-looking and neglected thoroughfares across the city. Under the program, streets and sidewalks across Los Angeles would be both repaired and beautified.

“As your mayor, I believe that design matters,” Garcetti said.

“We’ve ignored the aesthetics of our city too long,” Garcetti added. “The way that neighborhoods look has a lot to do with its livability.”

Garcetti unveiled the program at a conference held by the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on real estate development and urban planning. The downtown conference was attended by a group that includes developers, architects, and lobbyists.

The working group will identity 40 possible streets to overhaul, and construction could start within 18 months, the Mayor’s Office said.

As a council member, Garcetti transformed a Silver Lake street into a small, open plaza now used by locals. The project reportedly cost $25,000.

ULI executive director Gail Goldberg agreed that “money is a hurdle” when it comes to improving Los Angeles’ thoroughfares. Goldberg, a former Los Angeles planning director under Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, praised the Great Streets program.

“We have fabulous neighborhoods, but we really need to improve our commercial corridors to make them viable pedestrian places,” Goldberg said. “I’m excited that the mayor recognizes that the streets are more than just places for cars.”