NY DOT head Janette Sadik-Kahn spoke in Los Angeles earlier this week to a adoring crowd, with advice on how to make room for bikes and pedestrians.
Christopher Hawthorne marvels at the power Sadik-Kahn is allowed to wield in New York, and wonders what a strong leader might accomplish at the L.A. DOT.
He writes, "In her most striking comment at Occidental [College, her alma mater], Sadik-Khan said that because her department controls more than 12,000 miles of city sidewalk, she thinks of herself as "the leading real estate developer in New York."
That notion has profound political as well as architectural implications for cities like Los Angeles, where we have for too long thought of our boulevards solely as conduits for car traffic."
Read the full story: Critic's Notebook: New York has the edge in learning to share the road
Questionable Progress in Los Angeles Traffic Safety
Despite enacting a Vision Zero policy in 2015, traffic fatalities continue to rise in Los Angeles
Let the Sadik-Khan to the City of __ Rumors Begin
This week, vacancies opened at the top of transportation departments in America's second and third largest cities. Meanwhile, one of the most influential and well respected transportation leaders may soon be out of a job. Let the courtship begin!
LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.
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
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
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.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
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