The Planning Report

Grade Crossing Policy Sparks Debate in Los Angeles

An op-ed by Los Angeles County Supervisor criticizes the Grade Crossing Policy employed by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in the recent approval of a light rail extension.
12 February 2010 - 6:00am
The Planning Report

Cong. Blumenauer Updates Federal Cap-and-Trade, Transportation Bill Status

With Congress mired in the health care debate, legislation critical to rebuilding communities, such as ACES and the reauthorization of the Surface Transportation Bill, languish. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) details the political climate in D.C.
10 February 2010 - 2:00pm
The Planning Report

Budget Challenges Threaten So Cal Transit Operations

The CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority details the feast or famine of transportation planning in Southern California in 2010: budgets are being slashed while a new sales tax and federal stimulus go online.
10 February 2010 - 1:00pm
The Planning Report

Alternative Vehicles Evolve, Infrastructure Still Lags

A group of industry and policy leaders discuss the current state of the technology and infrastructure that will drive change for the auto industry.
8 November 2009 - 11:00am
The Planning Report

Demystifing the Development Process

The L.A. City Planning Commission president and architect, Bill Roschen, talks about how the commission is implementing clear and consistent policies toward their goal of "Doing Real Planning" in Los Angeles.
6 October 2009 - 5:00am
The Planning Report

Preservationists Fighting for Century Plaza Hotel

The Los Angeles Conservancy has been building a coalition to preserve the Century Plaza Hotel after developers announced plans to replace the hotel with new mixed use development.
25 August 2009 - 7:00am
The Planning Report

City Styrofoam Bans Send Food Packaging Industry Scrambling

More than 30 cities and counties in California have passed some form of a ban on the use of polystyrene containers, and a new state law under consideration, AB 1358, would ban the use of polystyrene foam and non-recyclable food containers statewide.
29 June 2009 - 5:00am
The Planning Report

Community Colleges Set Green Workforce Training Mission

Already a national leader in green building and looking to expand its leadership, the Los Angeles Community College District is launching several collaborative efforts to train a new, green workforce.
28 June 2009 - 11:00am
The Planning Report

Reductions in Vehicle Miles Traveled a Slow, Difficult Process

Two representatives of a committee charged with implementing reductions in VMT to meet California's SB 375 goals discuss the challenges.
7 June 2009 - 1:00pm
The Planning Report

Finding the Silver Lining in California's Drought

Water Lawyer Michael George details the causes and effects of the current California drought, and sees hope that pinched water supplies may drive innovation and collaboration in building sustainable water systems in the West.
4 June 2009 - 7:00am
The Planning Report

California Budget Crisis Derails Open Space Acquisition

With a budget proposal that threatens to close 80 percent of California state parks on the table, Joe Edmiston, executive director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, explains how the state's budget crisis left the SMMC "dead in the water."
3 June 2009 - 9:00am
The Planning Report

Cities Search for Neighborhood Stabilization Tools

Cities struck by the foreclosure crisis are implementing a number of measures to help prevent foreclosures and stabilize neighborhoods already racked by vacancies.
5 May 2009 - 12:00pm
The Planning Report

Will Congress Follow California's Lead on Climate?

A recent panel at the VerdeXchange Conference in Los Angeles featuring discussion by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) and former Speaker of the California Assembly Robert Hertzberg on the state's role in influencing federal climate change legislation.
6 April 2009 - 5:00am
The Planning Report

Time for Real Estate to 'Get Real'

Ventura, CA, City Manager Rick Cole Op-ed argues for a comprehensive paradigm shift in the real estate and development industries.
5 April 2009 - 5:00am
The Planning Report

Can Trade Reform Beget Economic Recovery, Environmental Sustainability?

Apropos to the debates dominating the G20 conference in London, former U.S. Trade Rep and Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor argues for trade as the centerpiece of economic and environmental sustainability.
4 April 2009 - 5:00am
The Planning Report

Retiring Environmental Hero Shaped Water Policy

An exit interview with Tom Graff, who joined Environmental Defense Fund in 1971, when the environmental movement was just getting started.
3 April 2009 - 11:00am
The Planning Report

Serendipity for Downtown L.A.?

At a recent event in Los Angeles, Cecilia Estolano, CEO of the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles, presented her vision for the Downtown of the future in one of the country's most notoriously diffuse urban centers.
7 March 2009 - 9:00am
The Planning Report

Inland Empire Seeks Solutions to Foreclosure Crisis

Ron Loveridge, the mayor of the Inland Empire's largest city, Riverside, details how regional and local leaders are working to recover from the effects of the foreclosure crisis.
7 February 2009 - 1:00pm
The Planning Report

L.A Billboard Policy 'Worst in Nation'

Kevin Fry, president of Scenic America, explains the threat to the urban fabric posed by lax billboard policies. He also explains how cities can avoid L.A.'s problems enforcing outdoor advertising codes.
2 December 2008 - 12:00pm
The Planning Report

RAND Corp. Offers SoCal Short Term Congestion Fixes

Author Paul Sorensen details the findings of a recent RAND study recommending short term (i.e., within five years) fixes for rampant congestion in Southern California.
1 December 2008 - 8:00am
The Planning Report
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