Construction on the Downtown Los Angeles Streetcar could begin as soon as 2018.
The environmental impact study for the Downtown Los Angeles Streetcar, as well as a preferred route, received unanimous approval from the Los Angeles City Council.
The 3.8-mile route includes stops to popular sites like historic Broadway, Grand Central Market, and Grand Park—connecting the Civic Center with the Fashion District in South Park.
Streetcars were once a dominant mode of transportation in Los Angeles; this revival of the historic transit system has been making its way to fruition since 2011. Construction is slated to begin in 2018 and be completed in 2020.
Estimated to cost $282 million, the project will receive $200 million in funding from Measure M—the sales tax approved by county voters this month—as well as funding from the previous sales tax, Measure R. The city also plans to apply for federal grants and seek public-private partnerships to manage the streetcar during construction and once it is built.
FULL STORY: Proposed Streetcar Project for Downtown L.A. Clears Major Hurdle
Streetcar Moving Along in Downtown Los Angeles
The Los Angeles City Council voted to allow the Los Angeles Streetcar project to begin preliminary engineering.
Los Angeles Finalizing Three Long-Awaited Community Plan Updates
Los Angeles is poised to approve a trio of long-planned zoning code updates—for the neighborhoods of Boyle Heights, Downtown, and Hollywood—as the first test cases for a new citywide zoning code update known as re:code LA.
L.A. Officials to Look at Possibility of Car-Free Downtown Broadway
Los Angeles may follow in San Francisco’s footsteps by banning cars along a stretch of a downtown thoroughfare.
Chicago Red Line Extension Could Transform the South Side
The city’s transit agency is undertaking its biggest expansion ever to finally bring rail to the South Side.
Planetizen’s Top Planning Books of 2023
The world is changing, and planning with it.
Why College Campuses Make Ideal Models for Cities
College campuses serve as ideal models for cities, with their integrated infrastructure, vibrant communities, sustainability initiatives, and innovation hubs inspiring urban planning and development for a brighter future.
Study: Homeless People Face Higher Mortality Risk
Unhoused adults are more than three times as likely to die in any given year as their housed counterparts, research shows.
Study: Equity in Car Share Programs Requires Low Cost, Broad Coverage
Data from a Los Angeles car share program showed its impact on underserved communities was ‘limited by its small footprint.’
The Largest U.S. City Lacking Mass Transit
Arlington, Texas has the dubious distinction of being the largest city in the nation with no fixed-route public transit system.
University of New Mexico - School of Architecture & Planning
Placer County
San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Arizona State University, Ten Across
Park City Municipal Corporation
National Capital Planning Commission
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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.
