Jeremy Rosenberg's latest entry in his "Laws That Shaped LA" column looks at the impact of the Collier-Burns Act, a state law passed in 1947 that allowed the city to become "smothered with concrete and asphalt goliaths."
Intended to relieve growing urban traffic congestion, the Collier-Burns Act created the bureaucratic and funding mechanisms that sparked "a local, regional, and nationwide road-building frenzy that
began in the 1940s and '50s and hasn't yet come to a full and complete
stop," writes Rosenberg.
"Collier-Burns raised the fuel tax by 50%, vehicle registration fees
by 200%, and in a maneuver with an efficacy that should never go
underestimated, centralized bureaucratic power in one agency -- the
California Division of Highways (which later became Caltrans)."
"The Collier-Burns legacy? Within just five years after the Act's passing, the Golden State increased its freeway mileage by four and a half times. Prior to Collier-Burns, many Californians -- and Los Angelenos in
particular -- had worked towards developing a multi-modal highway system
with a relatively limited footprint inside cities, left the mega-roads
we know today for more spacious rural routes, and incorporated and
expanded public transit."
"Instead, catalyzed by the Collier-Burns-inspired highway funding
spigot, with the 1956 Federal-Aid Highway Act (more about this in a
future Laws That Shaped LA column), cities received a Godfather-style offer they couldn't refuse: money, and lots of it, to build freeways, lots of them."
FULL STORY: My Way Or The Highway: Why Mega-Roads Rule The City

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie