Susan Straight's new novel draws on her experiences of growing downtown LA and its surroundings to create an image of a neighborhood 'reeking of cheap liquor and hurt.'
She describes how the Golden Gopher, a small dive bar on 8th street turned hipster hangout is able to 'capture all the weirdness of the city.' Although the bar itself has since been fully re upholstered and its dingy past turned into a motif, the surrounding block remains occupied by low rent hotels and an unchanged cowboy bar named El Gaucho.
Hector Tobar compares Straight to Raymond Chandler and John Fante for her ability to accurately depict the soul of the city through hidden lives of the LA basin's residents. He suggests you "enter into that imaginary L.A., and afterward you too may notice a little more as you wander through the real one. Perhaps you'll pause at a doorway or two and wonder about the tales that lie within."
Read the full story: Where Hopes and Desperation Collide
The LA housing policies making developers turn away from the city
Despite LA’s housing shortage, developers say the city’s "mansion-tax" and pandemic-era policies make it an unappealing place to build housing.
New density bill would require 7 California cities to establish regional transit hubs
The bill would also require major cities in California to permit high-rise residential buildings.
LA needs $2 billion in Olympic Games transportation funding by Sept. 1, officials say
Congresspeople who serve the Los Angeles area met on Aug. 26 to urge the Trump administration to speed up funding.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
As El Niño approaches, Newsom vetos bill aimed at protecting California levees from flooding
Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state’s allocated $170 million was enough funding; State experts estimate it will cost $3.3 billion to repair the California Delta's levees.
Boston sues Trump administration over revoked infrastructure grant
The Trump administration withdrew the infrastructure grant because less than 1% of the money would go to electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
NYC to turn city-owned property into thousands of homes
The city has scheduled a public hearing regarding the development for October.
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 Thousand Oaks
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Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello