Christopher Hawthorne begins a series exploring the ways in which L.A. is utilizing its boulevards to try on "a post-suburban identity for the first time", with a look at Atlantic Boulevard, a major north-south spine.
Hawthorne sees the dramatic evolution of L.A.'s boulevards, as they accomodate multiple modes of transit and increasingly become places to live, as the epicenter of the city's efforts to re-embrace the public realm. In the first in a series of multimedia articles on the topic, he explores Atlantic Boulevard, a major north-south route from the San Gabriel Valley to Long Beach.
"The changes along Atlantic are emblematic of the way urban planners,
architects, shopkeepers and neighborhood activists are remaking the
boulevards of Southern California, reversing decades of neglect."
"The boulevard, in fact, is where the Los Angeles of the immediate
future is taking shape. No longer a mere corridor to move cars, it is
where L.A. is trying on a fully post-suburban identity for the first
time, building denser residential neighborhoods and adding new amenities
for cyclists and pedestrians."
"In the process, the city is beginning to shed its reputation as a
place where the automobile is king - or at least where its reign goes
unchallenged. Cities across the U.S. followed L.A.'s car-crazy lead in
the postwar era. This time around we might provide a more enlightened
example: how to retrofit a massive region for a future that is less
auto-centric."
FULL STORY: Atlantic on the move

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions