An enterprising developer and experimental architect are pushing the boundaries between L.A.'s suburban style of single-family housing and its need for dense infill development on a site in the city's Echo Park neighborhood.
Carren Jao examines developer LocalConstruct and architect Barbara Bestor's plans to "turn a one-acre hillside parcel in Echo Park into a prime example of smart growth." Dubbed "Blackbirds," the scheme to build 18 small-lot homes around "an internal living street designed after the Dutch
Woonerf concept, where pedestrians and cyclists have priority," is seen by LocalConstruct co-founder Casey Lynch as, "a needed step in the evolution of LA typologies."
"I am curious as to why larger scale housing projects so often have a
lower level of finish and stultifying repetitiveness given their
prices," commented Bestor. "We are attempting to add quality and
individuality to each of these units as well as a structure engendering
community and neighborliness in the way they are grouped together."
FULL STORY: Stealth Density

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

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
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MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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