The L.A. Department of City Planning is experiencing radical changes in leadership, planning process, and organizational structure. The leaders--past, present, and, future--of planning in L.A. gathered in August to discuss a vision for the future.
The article features a transcription of excerpts from the event, including remarks from newly confirmed Director of City Planning Michael LoGrande, L.A. Times Architecture Critic Christopher Hawthorne, and past Planning Department executives Jane Blumenfeld and Emily Gabel Luddy. Some quotes from the article:
"In our way right now is next year's budget. It really is devastating to see our department turn into a case-processing department." -Michael LoGrande
"There are 17 transit lines within 1,000 feet of this project. But, and this is my question to both the commission and the new planning director, at the moment there are no teeth in this plan's project approval to guarantee that this project will connect directly to the Metro stop in Westwood, which will happen someday. To me, that is a fundamental rule that needs to be made for urban design as well as everything else." -Emily Gabel Luddy
"Revised community plans, when completed, will make the quality of developments in neighborhoods far better and predictable and, very importantly with respect to building a constituency, developers and others who influence the mayor and council will not need to file cases at all." -Jane Blumenfeld
Thanks to James Brasuell
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