L.A.'s Unofficial State Of The City Address

A respected businessman gives a no-holds barred review of urban development in Los Angeles.

1 minute read

May 29, 2001, 8:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


In mid-May, Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan gave his final State of the City speech--a glowing docudrama recounting his achievements. Unfortunately, what the speech left out was the continuing dysfunction of Los Angeles' city departments, the further in-fighting between neighborhoods and the growing sentiment that secession might actually happen. Coincidentally, Dan Garcia, an acommplished civic activist as well, gave his version of Mayoral leadership to a Westside Urban Forum group just days earlier. Garcia's review is much different than the Mayor's. And, unlike the Mayor, he offers some suggestions on how to respond to the City's challanges.

Thanks to Jon Lonner

Sunday, May 27, 2001 in The Planning Report

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

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.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6, 2026 - Grist

People walking in downtown St. Louis, walking past shops.

Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment

The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.

November 1, 2026 - Smart Cities Dive

An Amtrak train pulls into a station in chicago.

Officials claim feds 'rushed' Amtrak environmental review

Amtrak plans to move their Chicago maintenance facility from an industrial area to a residential one.

45 minutes ago - Block Club Chicago

A car drives through a puddle in NYC

NYC breaks ground on anti-flooding infrastructure project

New York City's new system will reduce stormwater flows to local sewers by 90%.

November 9 - Smart Cities Dive

Members of the Smoketown CLT gather for a photo

One Kentucky town’s secret to affordable housing

The Smoketown Community Land Trust has already built seven affordable homes for community members.

November 9 - Reasons to Be Cheerful

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.