Life After Sprawl In Los Angeles

Civic leaders and the University of Southern California roll out a new urban policy "action plan" for Southern California.

1 minute read

May 2, 2003, 8:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


Two years after publishing the path breaking "Sprawl Hits The Wall," the University of Southern California is today releasing an invaluable "idea bank" for Southern California in the form of two reports: "After Sprawl: Action Plans for Metropolitan Los Angeles" and “Action Plans for Metropolitan Los Angeles: Supplemental Reports.” These reports outline a series of action steps that respond to Southern California as a unique region and revolve around five different themes: growing smarter, growing safer, growing greener, growing together, and growing more civic-minded. They're the result of a two-year urban policy series led by former Speaker of the California State Assembly Antonio Villaraigosa, during his residency at USC as a Distinguished Research Fellow, and USC Center for Sustainable Cities Director Jennifer Wolch.

Thanks to Bill Fulton

Friday, May 2, 2003 in University Of Southern California

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

June 18, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Two people walking away from camera through pedestrian plaza in street in Richmond, Virginia with purple and white city bus moving in background.

Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA

The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.

June 17, 2025 - WRIC

Map of EV charging ports in rural U.S. communities.

The EV “Charging Divide” Plaguing Rural America

With “the deck stacked” against rural areas, will the great electric American road trip ever be a reality?

June 20 - The Daily Yonder

Google street view of Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn with pedestrians crossing a crosswalk and cyclist in the bike lane.

Judge Halts Brooklyn Bike Lane Removal

Lawyers must prove the city was not acting “arbitrarily, capriciously, and illegally” in ordering the hasty removal.

June 20 - StreetsBlog NYC

Close-up of cracked and damaged two-lane roadway with double yellow stripes on a bright sunny day.

Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?

With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” framework.

June 19 - Transportation for America