Planning

Ken Bernstein, Principal Planner for the City of L.A., explores how the expansion of transit in Los Angeles is changing how the department approaches its plans and the planning process.

"No one other than we as planners has the responsibility for decisions today that will profoundly affect others," says Attorney/Planner Dwight H. Merriam.

Good planning is attracting young hipsters to cities throughout the world, writes Christopher F. Schuetze.

Public participation is an important part of the urban planning process, says Michael Hooper, as "it improves project outcomes and the likelihood of project success." But lately, some prominent people are saying that it hinders the planning process.

The city of Austin has released a new 197 page planning document to manage its population growth and inform planning decisions for the next three decades.

Despite 40 percent fewer employees, the department recently announced a reform plan to expedite the development approval process by bringing the city's Planning Department and the Department of Building and Safety under one roof.

To save $1 million a year, the mayor is folding the Planning Department into the department in charge of processing building permits.

Is urban planning losing its relevance as a profession? Some say yes. In this essay from Places, Thomas Campanella suggests that the roots of this fall from grace lie in the era of Jane Jacobs.

The name has changed, butt he reform game stays the same. Chief Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner has promised a more transparent project approval process. A team of consultants is just beginning to pitch their ideas.

Anton Roux and John Stanley of ON LINE opinion outline the future for Australian cities.

The fractured state of planning at various levels of government in the U.S. is limiting the potential of good ideas, according to this critique from Next American City.

Because of their broad appeal, diverse uses, and heavy programming, parks may do more for cities than the performing arts centers of the 1980s and the sports venues of the 1990s have accomplished, says JoAnn Greco.

In classic hill towns, people showed innovation and dynamic placemaking--lessons learned for urbanism in the new century, says Chuck Wolfe.

The proposed design for a New Orleans medical complex is being directed from state offices, and is out of place from local planning principles, according to findings.

The Great City blog argues that Washington State's 18th Amendment "violates the United States Civil Rights Act of 1964, perpetuating discrimination in the state's transportation system."

The L.A. Department of City Planning is experiencing radical changes in leadership, planning process, and organizational structure. The leaders--past, present, and, future--of planning in L.A. gathered in August to discuss a vision for the future.

Overcrowding and pollution in Cairo have inspired planners to push out into the desert, raising two brand-new cities out of the sand.

An interesting post appeared on the Public Servant Blog a few days ago. The list includes Amsterdam, Eugene, Oregon; Ponce Center City, Puerto Rico; and the city of Philadelphia among others.

Michael LoGrande, recently approved as the next Planning Director for the city of L.A., is a city hall insider with a reputation as an expeditor. Former interim Planning Director Mark Winogrond questions the process by which LoGrande was selected.