Los Angeles has hired a team of consultants to study ways to make the LA River a focus of urban revival instead of a flood control system. A series of public meetings may be a prelude to massive public works projects.
"Is it the city's most prominent gutter or a river waiting to be reborn?.. As other cities have made rivers the centerpiece of urban revival, the L.A. River has continued to serve largely as a flood control system.
But increasingly, Los Angeles officials believe that, with some smart engineering, the river can serve as an anchor for parks and wildlife habitat while still protecting the region from floods.
...The city has hired a prominent engineering firm as a primary consultant â€" Tetra Tech Inc. of Pasadena â€" and a few ideas have already trickled out. These include terracing the concrete-lined sides of the river into stairsteps that could be planted with trees and used as picnic spots."
FULL STORY: Planning for a Greener L.A. River

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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