With 30 projects totaling nearly 3 million square feet of development in the pipeline, L.A.'s famously laid-back neighbor is in for an intense period of growth. Will new development enhance or alter the city's alluring character?
The coming arrival of the Expo light rail line, a growing tech sector known as Silicon Beach, and the adoption of a comprehensive master plan to direct future growth are conspiring to speed up change in this "famously slow-growth" beach city.
"One project would bring a 21-story hotel to Ocean Avenue, creating the tallest building in the city. Another hotel designed by famed hometown architect Frank Gehry would add a wavy white tower just steps from the sand. A third hotel complex calls for three towers totaling 170,000 square feet on the southern edge of downtown," explains Matt Stevens.
"This is a critical time," Councilman Kevin McKeown said. "If the wrong decisions are made, we live with the consequences for a generation or more."
FULL STORY: Santa Monica is bracing for a growth spurt

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

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

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

Congestion Pricing Drops Holland Tunnel Delays by 65 Percent
New York City’s contentious tolling program has yielded improved traffic and roughly $100 million in revenue for the MTA.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
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