Los Angeles

Long Beach to Los Angeles

L.A. Metro Will Spend $81.5 Million to Improve Blue Line to Long Beach

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) appears to be taking a break from its perpetual expansion projects to make some improvements to the heavily used but aging Blue Line.

July 2, 2017 - Curbed Los Angeles

Glen Canyon Dam

Climate Change Is Shrinking the Colorado River

Documenting the effects of climate change on the West's most vital source of water.

June 30, 2017 - The Conversation

Wilshire Grand

Los Angeles' New Tower and the Silly Rules That Govern Building Height

Los Angeles' new Wilshire Grand tower is tall and impressive. But, in reality, it's about 100 feet shorter and perhaps less impressive than the arbiters of skyscrapers say it is. Whatever the definition, it might be time to quit venerating height.

June 28, 2017 - California Planning & Development Report

Los Angeles Skyline

New Tallest Building West of the Mississippi Now Open

Friday was the first day the public could walk into Los Angeles' new iconic skyscraper. The Wilshire Grand is noteworthy for more than just its height.

June 24, 2017 - KPCC

Marvin Braude Bike Path

Los Angeles Councilmember Chooses the Side of Traffic Safety

Los Angeles Councilmember Mike Bonin sent a clear message to commuters upset about traffic calming projects in his district: "We don’t have to lose one more precious life."

June 23, 2017 - Los Angeles Council District 11

Port of Long Beach

Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports Put Zero Emissions Goal in Writing

Mayors Eric Garcetti and Robert Garcia pledge their ports will bring their carbon footprint down to zero by 2030.

June 21, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

Bike Lane

Road Diets and Bike Lanes in the Works in South Los Angeles

Urbanize.LA has the scoop on the first indications of plans in South L.A. to give more space in the road to bikers.

June 19, 2017 - Urbanize LA

Century City

L.A. Country Clubs Taking More Than Their Share and Paying Less

Malcom Gladwell takes on the racial and environmental problems related to the game of golf, particularly as it relates to L.A. property taxes and the Ship of Theseus.

June 16, 2017 - Revisionist History

Los Angeles Smog Skyline Zoom

Linkage Fees a Tough Sell for Affordable Housing

Advocates for linkage fees as a tool to enable the construction of additional have encountered stiff resistance in some of the country's most populated areas.

June 14, 2017 - The Los Angeles Times

California Coast

How L.A.'s Nighttime Park Programming Lowered Crime and Costs

Los Angeles County's Parks after Dark (PAD) program and the city of Los Angeles' Summer Night Lights (SNL) program are proving to save lives, lower crime, and reduce costs, writes L.A. County parks planner Clement Lau.

June 13, 2017 - UrbDeZine

Free School of Architecture Launches in Los Angeles

Peter Zellner's experimental, tuition-free architectural school is officially in session.

June 7, 2017 - Archinect

Los Angeles Downtown River

Climate Change Will Be Worse for Big Cities

Blame it on the urban heat island effect.

June 4, 2017 - KPCC

Skid Row

Homeless Numbers Continue to Rise in and Around Los Angeles

Rents continue to rise in Los Angeles and more people are living in their cars.

June 3, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

Metro Rapid Bus

Los Angeles Signal Priority System Should Be a Model for U.S. Transit Systems

Signal priority is a way to create faster, more regular bus service by adjusting length of stoplights for buses.

May 25, 2017 - Active Transportation Alliance

Elon Musk Gigafactory

A Scathing Critique of Elon Musk's Big Tunneling Idea

Not all ideas are worth attention. What does the fact that ideas like Elon Musk's The Boring Company get so much attention say about the quality of civic discourse, or the potential for planning to improve the built environment?

May 24, 2017 - The Baffler

Los Angeles STreet

L.A. Metro Announces Big Bus System Redo

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced plans last week to undertake a review of the agency's massive bus system. The redesign will hope to address declining ridership.

May 22, 2017 - The Source

Santa Monica Bay

Creating Dunes to Preserve the Santa Monica Beach Against Rising Seas

The Bay Foundation have built a two acre enclave, "re-wilding" the area with native plants mimicking what it may have looked like before human interference.

May 17, 2017 - KPCC

DTLA Mural

The Rise of Corporate Murals in LA

Downtown Los Angeles, styled DTLA by its new enthusiasts, has long been a site for street art and murals of dubious legality. Now, developers are paying artists to paint them.

May 16, 2017 - Los Angeles Downtown News

Subway Construction

Inside Downtown Los Angeles' Subway Tunneling Project

It's not the only subway under construction in Los Angeles, or event the most famous (it doesn't have the PR ring of the "Subway to the Sea"), but the Regional Connector will provide a critical link through the heart of the city's downtown.

May 15, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

Tunnel

Elon Musk Elaborates on His Plan for Tunnels Below Los Angeles

Considering it costs $1 billion per mile to dig L.A.'s subway tunnels, how does Elon Musk plan to build a series of car-carrying tunnels with out breaking the bank?

May 10, 2017 - Fast Company

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.