The already dense Westside of Los Angeles, from Westood to Santa Monica continues to densify at a dizzying rate. Residents prepare for a protracted battle to keep growth at bay. Has planning failed one of LA's most desirable communities?
"The Westside is in the midst of one of its biggest building spurts in decades, heightening concerns of residents and community leaders that the area has reached saturation and that its clogged roads cannot tolerate further intense development.
...The battles over development are really less an issue of growth vs. no growth," Smith added. 'They're an issue of: Have we engaged in meaningful local and regional planning? The answer to that is no. Every one of these fights we're seeing over specific projects is indicative of the breakdown in the broader planning process.'
For years, the Westside has suffered from this lack of planning as workers commute great distances to jobs in Century City, Westwood and Santa Monica. The San Diego Freeway is among the nation's busiest, many Westside surface streets suffer from daylong gridlock, and several key intersections warrant a grade of F, the worst possible."
FULL STORY: Westsiders Don't Shrink From Growth Fight
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.
Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie