Los Angeles

Park pond at sunset with Los Angeles skyline in background.

Delivering on the Promise of Parks

In LA County, even amid budget challenges, new parks are opening, targeted investments are being made in underserved communities, and long-term plans are guiding progress — demonstrating a sustained commitment to parks as essential infrastructure.

August 3, 2025 - National Recreation and Park Association Open Space Blog

View of residential street in Los Angeles with palm trees and hazy city in distance.

LA is Home to a Growing Native Hawaiian Diaspora

Los Angeles has become a cultural stronghold for Native Hawaiians on the mainland, offering a sense of community, continuity, and connection for those living far from the Islands.

July 31, 2025 - SFGate

Downtown Los Angeles viewed from Echo Park with lake with artesian fountain in foreground.

A Vision for the Future: LA County Releases Draft Sustainability Plan

Los Angeles County has released the draft 2025 OurCounty Sustainability Plan — shaped by community input — and is inviting public feedback through August 22 to help guide the County’s path toward a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient future.

July 29, 2025 - Los Angeles County Chief Sustainability Office

Aerial view of San Fernando, California.

Honoring Elders: California Tribe Breaks Ground on Affordable Housing

The Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians is launching its first senior housing project in Los Angeles County, creating 26 affordable units to serve Native elders and address longstanding housing inequities.

July 29, 2025 - Tribal Business News

Close-up of hand inserting Mobility Wallet card into green Los Angeles Metro ticketing machine.

LA’s ‘Mobility Wallet’ Helps Bridge Transportation Gaps

The city gave 1,000 residents a $150 monthly transportation stipend that covered transit, bike share, ride hailing, and car rentals.

July 28, 2025 - UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

Inside of empty Los Angeles Metro train.

Metro Data: LA Transit Ridership Fell Due to Immigration Raids

Metro ridership data reveal how the ICE raids sweeping Los Angeles are disrupting daily life and impacting how people move around the city.

July 24, 2025 - Streetsblog LA

A New Orleans streetscape lined with mature Southern Live Oak trees.

Art in the Shade: Confronting Climate and Equity Through Creativity

Through powerful, multisensory installations, Roots of Cool uses art to illuminate Los Angeles’ climate and shade inequities, inviting visitors to imagine a more just, tree-filled future.

July 21, 2025 - Los Angeles Times

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

July 14, 2025 - Los Angeles Public Press

Empty platform at Los Angeles Metro subway station.

LA Transit Ridership Plummets Amidst ICE Raids

LA Metro’s bus and rail lines are seeing up to 15 percent lower ridership in the wake of violent immigration arrests.

June 29, 2025 - Los Angeles Times

Agrilus auroguttatus image

Southern Californians Survey Trees for Destructive Oak Pest

Hundreds of volunteers across five counties participated in the first Goldspotted Oak Borer Blitz, surveying oak trees for signs of the invasive beetle and contributing valuable data to help protect Southern California’s native woodlands.

June 22, 2025 - UC ANR Green Blog

"Stage 4" soundstage wall seen through ornate metal gate at Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles, California.

Demise of Entertainment Industry Mirrors Demise of Housing in LA

Making movies has a lot in common with developing real estate: producers = developers; screenwriters = architects; directors = general contractors. The similarities are more than trivial. Both industries are now hurting in L.A.

June 12, 2025 - California Planning & Development Report

Sun rising over downtown Los Angeles with tall palm trees visible in foreground. Image is bright orange-red indicating extreme heat.

LA County Creating Action Plan to Tackle Extreme Heat

Los Angeles County is creating a Heat Action Plan to help communities stay safe during extreme heat, with steps like adding more shade, improving buildings, and supporting the neighborhoods most at risk.

June 9, 2025 - Los Angeles County Chief Sustainability Office

Nighttime view of downtown Los Angeles through arches of new 6th Street Viaduct.

Downtown Los Angeles Gears Up for Growth

A new report highlights Downtown L.A.’s ongoing revival through major housing projects, adaptive reuse, hospitality growth, and preparations for global events in the years ahead.

June 9, 2025 - Los Angeles Downtown News

Metro rail station in Mariachi Plaza with colorful glass pavilion in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California.

High Housing Costs Driving Down Transit Ridership in LA

When neighborhoods gentrify and displace lower-income residents, transit ridership suffers, new research shows.

May 30, 2025 - CALmatters

Aerial view of homes and businesses destroyed by Altadena wildfire.

Tenant Advocates: Rent Gouging Rampant After LA Wildfires

The Rent Brigade says it's found evidence of thousands of likely instances of rent gouging. In some cases, the landlords accused of exploiting the fires had made campaign donations to those responsible for enforcement.

May 29, 2025 - Shelterforce Magazine

View from hilltop residential neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles, California on a cloudy day.

LA Falling Behind on Housing Goals

Last year, the city permitted just 30 percent of the number of housing units needed to meet a growing need.

May 27, 2025 - LAist

Orange Los Angeles Metro bus passing on blurred street at night.

LA ‘Mobility Wallet’ Increased Quality of Life for Participants

The city distributed a monthly $150 transportation subsidy to 1,000 low-income Angelenos. It dramatically improved their lives.

May 25, 2025 - KTLA

Alpine Recreation Center sign in park in Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA.

More Than a Park: A Safe Haven for Generations in LA’s Chinatown

Alpine Recreation Center serves as a vital cultural and community hub in Los Angeles' Chinatown, offering a safe, welcoming space for generations of Chinese American residents to gather, connect, and thrive amidst rapid urban change.

May 19, 2025 - American Community Media

Yellow and silver light rain train in downtown Long Beach, California.

The World’s Longest Light Rail Line is in… Los Angeles?

In a city not known for its public transit, the 48.5-mile A Line is the longest of its kind on the planet.

May 15, 2025 - Secret Los Angeles

Close-up of smartphone with Zoox logo and screen with blurred image of Zoox autonomous vehicle in background.

Amazon-Owned Robotaxis to Begin Testing in LA

Los Angeles will become the sixth city where Zoox is testing its autonomous vehicle technology.

May 4, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.