An Interview With L.A.'s Outgoing Planning Director

For more than 12 years, Con Howe has directed the often controversial processes of the Los Angeles Department of Planning. During his tenure, he has worked on some of the city’s most recognizable projects, such as the Staples Center and Union Station, and completed the first comprehensive revision of the city’s General Plan in 20 years. In this excerpt of remarks he delivered to the Westsude Urban Forum, Mr. Howe reflects on the changes the city has undergone since the early 1990s.