Los Angeles is overflowing with an abundance of nature. So why isn't the city more readily available to the public in the form of parks, asks D.J. Waldie.
"Eden is subdivided in Los Angeles, and paradise is thickly planted with signs that read "Immediate Armed Response." And the public land that isn't being privatized is callously insufficient. New York sets aside nearly 19% of its land area as recreational open space. L.A. residents have half that.
...This is the paradox of nature in this city and among the reasons that lush L.A. also is park poor. From the right perspective, the city's tens of thousands of suburban house lots merge into a green savanna. Even in neighborhoods you won't drive though, roses scent the air, oranges hang in clusters and ripe peaches drop uneaten."
Read the full story: Eden's need for green
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
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Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
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In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
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The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
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