Los Angeles Takes Steps to Grow Out Its Urban Forest

Los Angeles is rolling out a street tree inventory to complement other sustainability measures included in its own Green New Deal. The focus is on underserved neighborhoods.

1 minute read

November 12, 2019, 1:00 PM PST

By Philip Rojc @PhilipRojc


treepeople_la_093

Bit Boy / Flickr

Extending the urban forest is one element of L.A.'s Green New Deal, which calls for 90,000 new trees by 2021. A new inventory of street trees "will allow Los Angeles' Bureau of Street Services to collect better data and identify trends while determining the best practices for tree planting," Katie Pyzyk writes. 

The inventory follows the debut of Cool Streets LA, "a program designed to reduce temperatures within communities and to diminish a metro area's urban heat island effect. Planting more trees is one of the main cooling measures, along with installing cool pavements and adding more cool roofs."

Like other aspects of L.A.'s Green New Deal, the planting effort prioritizes low-income neighborhoods like South L.A., which tend to have fewer trees and green spaces as well as more polluting facilities. 

L.A.'s Green New Deal accelerates municipal climate targets, including "converting the city's vehicle fleet to zero emissions by 2028, ensuring all new buildings are emissions-free by 2030 and ensuring 57% of new housing units are built within 1,500 feet of transit by 2025."

Tuesday, November 5, 2019 in Smart Cities Dive

Red on white 'Room for Rent, Inquire Inside' sign

In Most U.S. Cities, Archaic Laws Limit Roommate Living

Critics argue laws preventing unrelated adults from living in the same home fail to understand the modern American household.

May 24, 2023 - The Atlantic

Vancouver Chuck Wolfe

Ten Signs of a Resurgent Downtown

In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe continues his exploration of a holistic and practical approach to post-pandemic urban center recovery, anchored in local context and community-driven initiatives that promote livability, safety, and sustainability.

May 24, 2023 - GeekWire

New York MTA subway station

Off-Peak is the New On-Peak

Public transit systems in major U.S. cities are starting to focus on non-rush hour travelers as pre-pandemic commuting patterns shift and transportation needs change.

May 19, 2023 - Curbed

Nighttime view of Tacoma, Washington skyline

Tacoma Coalition Calls for ‘Tenants’ Bill of Rights’

The group wants to put more power in the hands of tenants, but the city has its own, competing proposal for addressing the housing crisis.

May 26 - The Urbanist

Wind turbines sillhouetted against a sunset sky along roadway in New Mexico

New Power Transmission Line Approved in the Southwest

The proposed transmission line will transfer wind-produced power from New Mexico to cities in Arizona and California.

May 26 - U.S. News And World Report

Aerial view of 238 freeway in Oakland, California cutting through neighborhood with small houses

The Limitations of ‘Reconnecting Communities’

The Biden administration has pledged to correct the damage imposed on communities by highways and infrastructure, but many projects are only committing to minor improvements, not transformative changes.

May 26 - The New York Times

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.