A lot has changed on the ground in Los Angeles County's unincorporated areas since 1980, when the last General Plan directing land use in these communities was written.
Fortunately, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently approved General Plan Update 2035. The document comes after an intensive process of analysis to both clean up inconsistencies and create a vision for the area's future.
Richard Bruckner and Connie Chung from the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning spoke with The Planning Report to walk readers through the plan's primary objectives. They articulated intentions to preserve industrial use, to further environmental conservation, and to encourage transit-oriented development. From a process perspective, Bruckner and Chung noted the plan's reliance on research, including a partnership with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation to identify land important for job preservation.
Finally, Bruckner commented on the promise of California's new Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts for Los Angeles County, which often struggles to implement change within the constraints of its limited jurisdiction:
"I was very encouraged to learn that [EIFDs are] scalable across regions and even jurisdictions. One of the perplexing issues we face is that some of the islands we plan for are surrounded by two or three other jurisdictions. It’s a challenge to bring them all together. Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts may be just the tool not only to bring people together politically, but also to bring the economics of the area together around infrastructure investment.
Some of these areas sorely need infrastructure investment, particularly where the transit system is going. Sometimes our TOD strategy is unfortunately limited to half of the street, because the other half is in the City of LA or another bordering incorporated city. The future of some of these areas is partnering with the adjacent communities, and I appreciate that EIFDs could help do that."
FULL STORY: General Plan Update 2035: A Forward-Looking Roadmap for Unincorporated LA County

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