Five Big Ideas About the Future of Transportation and Land Use in Los Angeles

Matthew Segal writes an article that provides insight into the agenda and goals of Los Angeles Planning Director Vince Bertoni, while also explaining the functions and duties of the Department of City Planning for the second-most populous city in the United States.  

In Bertoni's own words, "L.A. is fundamentally rethinking what kind of city it’s going to be," and the article shares Bertoni's thoughts on five major themes, as they reflect the changes coming to Los Angeles.

The themes are described as follows:

1. Rail is spurring development
2. Driverless cars are already changing the way we build
3. Driverless cars will be reshaping out streets, too
4. Why this isn't a Manhattan project
5. Affordable housing means more development

The "Manhattan project" subheading is not a direct reference to the World War II research and development project that beget the nuclear bomb. Rather, there Bertoni discusses density and the city's stock of single-family detached homes. "A great challenge is going to be how to maintain the integrity of residential neighborhoods that largely consist of single-family detached homes and still allow for additional density in certain places," says Bertoni in the interview.