As indoor malls continue to struggle, more of them are being converted to housing and other uses.
A former mall parking structure in West Los Angeles has been transformed into a 201-unit luxury apartment building, reports Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times.
The former Westside Pavilion mall site will also house a UCLA biomedical research center. “The mall makeover is part of a decades-long trend of repurposing dead shopping centers, devastated by the pivot to online shopping.”
LA pioneered adaptive reuse, or the conversion of buildings from one use to another, with its 1999 ordinance that allowed the conversion of some downtown commercial buildings to housing. Now, “With downtown L.A.’s office rental market struggling with high vacancies and falling values, stakeholders are lobbying for city support to convert high-rises to housing.”
Read the full story: How a Macy’s parking structure became L.A. latest luxury apartment complex
New Jersey affordable housing requirements spur infill development across the state
A 50-year-old law continues to reshape development around housing goals.
LA approves $2B 'urban village' plan for former cold storage facilities
The project promises an interconnected neighborhood with a focus on public space.
Vacant downtown LA office building will be transformed into 512 affordable homes
The World Trade Center will create hundreds of new apartments with rents starting as low as $937.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago Avenue bridge construction delays enrages city leaders
The bridge has been closed since 2025. The city originally aimed to re-open it in December, and now expects to finish construction in 2027.
NYC bus network redesign speeds up Queens buses
Rush routes have seen a 4.6% speed increase after the redesign.
California High-Speed Rail Authority picks trainset manufacturer
The California High-Speed Rail Authority aims to start servicing passengers by 2033.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority