Los Angeles was never designed to be a dense, East Coast or European-style city dominated by a strong central core.
Author Joel Kotkin examines the connection between planning and politics as he explains what he wants in a new mayor for Los Angeles. Kotkin calls for more efficiency and less vision:
"Nothing less will help preserve what the British call the 'middle landscape,' a place with ethnic diversity, shops at a walkable distance and farmers' markets, and secure enough that our 10-year-old can ride her scooter without getting flattened in traffic or razzed by gangsters.
...the city has become denser and more urbanized over the years. Yet an attachment to a small-town lifestyle has made something of a comeback throughout the city recently."
Thanks to Laura Kranz
FULL STORY: Forget the 'Vision.' Just Fix the Potholes.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA
The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.

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.

More Apartments Are Being Built in Less-Dense Areas
Rising housing costs in urban cores and a demand for rental housing is driving more multifamily development to exurbs and small metros.

Plastic Bag Bans Actually Worked
U.S. coastal areas with plastic bag bans or fees saw significant reductions in plastic bag pollution — but plastic waste as a whole is growing.

Improving Indoor Air Quality, One Block at a Time
A movement to switch to electric appliances at the neighborhood scale is taking off in California.
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