The soul of planning in Los Angeles will be up for vote in the citywide election that will occur on the same day as the U.S. presidential election.
Josh Stephens provides a thorough examination of the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, the controversial Los Angeles ballot initiative scheduled for citywide vote in November 2016. According to Stephens, the initiative "would upend Los Angeles’ approach to both project approvals and long-range planning."
"Among other provisions, the initiative would effectively place a two-year moratorium on all development that does not conform to adopted plans. It calls for the city to update its Community Plans — of which there are 37 — and forbids the City Council from granting plan amendments, which supporters of the initiative derisively refer to as 'spot zoning,' to nonconforming projects," adds Stephens.
The article includes a lot more specifics about the specific measures proposed by the initiative, as well as sharing opinions and insight about the ballot initiative from civic leaders on both sides of the issue.
Included among the many interviews Stephens conducted for the article is leadership from the Coalition to Preserve L.A. (CPLA), the group behind the initiative. Here, Stephens sums up the agenda of the initiative:
CPLA hope for the initiative to bring predictability to the city’s development process and even help combat the city’s notorious shortage of affordable and workforce housing. They say that the current system invites developers to pressure the city to approve larger and more luxurious — and therefore more profitable — projects. If developers know that a parcel is zoned only for a certain type of property, developers will avoid the lengthy negotiation process in favor of simply adhering to statute. (The initiative would not affect ministerial approvals such as variances.)
Stephens casts a wide net in setting the stage for a political debate about planning that is perhaps without precedent in Los Angeles, and without peer around the country right now. This will be an issue to watch for planners all over the country next November, perhaps right behind the presidential election itself. Consider this a referendum on the traditional mechanisms of planning, as well as a battle for the future of the practice.
FULL STORY: Ballot Initiative Takes Aim at Planning in Los Angeles

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

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.

Cuomo Is the Candidate of Both NIMBYs and Developers. What Gives?
In the New York City mayoral race, odd bedfellows align to preserve the housing status quo.

The Subversive Car-Free Guide to Trump's Great American Road Trip
Car-free ways to access Chicagoland’s best tourist attractions.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion
The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

Charlottesville Temporarily Has No Zoning Code
A judge ordered the Virginia city to throw out its newly revised zoning code, leaving permitting for new development in legal limbo.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont