The city of L.A.’s first city forest officer, Rachel Malarich, opines on her new role in facilitating cooperation between the city’s departments to achieve a more equitable urban canopy.
At the 2019 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen, Mayor Eric Garcetti—a strong proponent of Trees as Infrastructure—was elected Chair of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, succeeding the Mayor of Paris in the role. VXNews, in keeping with the mayor’s city and global agenda, interviewed the vity of L.A.’s first city forest officer, Rachel Malarich, who is tasked with overseeing the city’s urban forest management and guiding the city to goal on its plan for planting 90,000 trees by 2021.
Malarich opines on her role in facilitating cooperation between the City’s departments to achieve a more equitable urban canopy that benefits the communities that 'need it most.':
"There’s the fire department that does brush clearance. There’s Streets LA that takes care of our street trees. Recs and Parks takes care of park trees. But, as Mayor Garcetti says, trees are living infrastructure and, from my perspective, need to be maintained in a more coordinated way."
Read the full interview at VerdeXchange News.
FULL STORY: LA's First City Forest Officer Rachel Malarich Tasked With Treating Trees As Living Infrastructure
L.A.'s Strategy for 'Safe, Mobile, and Sustainable' Streets
Streets LA General Manager Adel Hagekhalil lays out his priorities and plans for transforming Los Angeles into a system of world-class streets.
LA’s Tree Emergency Goes Beyond Vandalism
After a vandal destroyed dozens of downtown LA trees, Mayor Karen Bass vowed to replace them. Days later, she slashed the city’s tree budget.
How Madison’s Tree Planting Efforts Are Growing a Healthier Community
Madison’s annual tree planting initiative is enhancing environmental resilience, public health, and community livability by adding 1,400 carefully selected trees citywide, with strong community and institutional support for urban forestry.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars
Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.
As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)