Already a national leader in green building and looking to expand its leadership, the Los Angeles Community College District is launching several collaborative efforts to train a new, green workforce.
The article features an interview with Los Angeles Community College District Vice Chancellor for Economic and Workforce Development Marvin Martinez:
"[the city of Los Angeles] received their portion of the stimulus dollars for workforce development-about $22 million-which they plan to release through a number of RFPs. In most of those RFPs, community colleges will be a mandatory partner so that we can work with the city's workforce centers and other organizations. We will partner with them to prepare the workforce. A lot of those dollars are being dedicated to the green sector."
"I am pleased that in the federal stimulus legislation colleges are seen as a mandatory partner-education and training is a requirement. Under the old Workforce Investment Act it was a "work first" policy, meaning that the goal is always to place students, place anyone who is unemployed, in a job. The problem with that approach today is, number one, there are not as many jobs. There are not a lot of jobs for people to go into. Secondly, there is a need for training. A lot of jobs require that you have a certain knowledge base and technical skills."
Read the full story: LACCD Launching New Sustainability Workforce Institute
The nation's 10 'stickiest' downtowns
How often do residents visit your downtown?
After the servers go dark
The rise and fall of communities with decommissioned nuclear facilities hold critical lessons for those considering hosting data centers.
Small 'maker' businesses are good for downtowns — and data proves it
Small-scale manufacturers tend to be more engaged in the local supply chain, contributing to economic revitalization.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Malls are becoming the midtowns of the future
Mall and office park redevelopments are a generational opportunity to create new nodes of urbanity.
NYC breaks ground on anti-flooding infrastructure project
New York City's new system will reduce stormwater flows to local sewers by 90%.
One Kentucky town’s secret to affordable housing
The Smoketown Community Land Trust has already built seven affordable homes for community members.
Houston gains petal-shaped cooling infrastructure to make streets more ‘delightful’
The city has installed the pavilions along 15 blocks in Houston.
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
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority