Writing about nature in L.A. reflects the California dream and nightmare, and urban nature across the United States.
The author of this Believer (literary) Magazine article claims that the city's treatment of the Los Angeles River "has profoundly exacerbated nearly all of L.A.'s notorious troubles -- environmental chaos, social inequities, community fragmentation, water shortages, water imperialism, and erasure of civic memory." After describing nature in Los Angeles -- including hawks, dolphins, and coyotes -- she describes plans to resurrect the Los Angeles River: "You have to green the banks. You have to clean the water. And you have to dynamite out some of the concrete." The confluence of the Los Angeles River is "one of the best places to think about L.A., and L.A. historically has been one of the most powerful places to tell stories about America."
[Editor's note: The original article was published in two parts, which are linked to below.]
Read the full story: Thirteen Ways of Seeing Nature In L.A. -- Part One
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
This MA town is drowning in its own sewage — and residents like it that way
Susan Murcott, a waste water expert, said if Carlisle didn't address their leaking sewage, the problem could turn “deadly.”
Feds to more closely scrutinize proposed Amtrak facility’s environmental impact
The Federal Railroad Administration had initially said the facility qualified for a less extensive environmental review.
Boston is hard to build housing in: its chief of planning wants to keep it that way
Chief of Planning Kairos Shen said she would not make changes to Boston’s affordability requirements for new housing, which critics say have slowed down development.
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.
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
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello