Los Angeles

Los Angeles River

Reality Check: The Los Angeles River Can Still Flood

Sometimes it seems like it will never rain again in Los Angeles, but the river running through the city is still a significant flood risk.

October 21, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles River

Los Angeles County: It's Time to Update the Master Plan for the L.A. River

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted this week to begin the processing of updating the 20-year-old Los Angeles River Master Plan.

October 20, 2016 - Curbed LA

Google Maps

Google Maps' 'Interesting' New Feature

Google's new maps redesign calls out areas of interest, but is "interesting" just a euphemism for rich?

October 20, 2016 - City Observatory

Leonardo DiCaprio

Why the Disconnect on Climate Change and Urban Density?

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is also a committed climate change activist. His documentary on the topic airs Oct. 30 on the National Geographic channel. At the U.N., he asked leaders to take bold action. Yet, as an Angeleno, he opposes increased density.

October 17, 2016 - Curbed LA

Grass Grift

L. A. company Turf Terminators promised low impact lawns in exchange for city rebates, but delivered shoddy work and hot rocks.

October 13, 2016 - Bloomberg

Scramble Tokyo

Engineers Scramble for Pedestrian Safety in Los Angeles and Santa Monica

A "good news" story for pedestrians emerges from the streets of Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Traffic signals at heavily used pedestrian intersections have been reengineered to add a 'scramble phase' and the results are startling.

October 2, 2016 - NBC Los Angeles

Driveway Parking Garage

Today in the New Economy: Driveway-Sharing Apps

Two start-ups promise L.A. drivers on-demand parking and electric vehicle charging.

October 2, 2016 - KPCC

Los Angeles Homeless

Los Angeles Leader Steps Up On Homelessness Crisis

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, a veteran leader at the city, county, and state-level, addresses the funding gaps to address this urgent issue and shares some innovative models being deployed by the county.

October 1, 2016 - The Planning Report

Mural Los Angeles

Why New Affordable Housing Draws the Short Straw in Los Angeles

Cecilia Estolano, former Executive Director of Los Angeles’s Community Redevelopment Agency, diagnoses why the region has been unable to provide housing for working-class citizens.

September 29, 2016 - The Planning Report

The gentrifying street-scape of the South Park neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles, California

Downtown L.A.'s Chinese Real Estate Cycle

Chinese developers are pouring money into high-rise housing projects in Los Angeles. But will these be pieds-a-terre for absent buyers? And how are developers dealing with the American regulatory environment?

September 29, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Grand Central Market, Los Angeles

L.A.'s Grand Central Market at a Turning Point, Faces Gentrification

The historic Grand Central Market has ridden the ups and downs of Downtown Los Angeles better than most retail locations, but can it retain its heart in the face of gentrification.

September 21, 2016 - Los Angeles Magazine

Venice Beach

Los Angeles Adds New Developer Fee to Pay for Parks

The city of Los Angeles has been improving its parks resources for several years, and a new funding mechanism should help continue that trend.

September 11, 2016 - KPCC

Los Angeles Little Tokyo

4 Ideas for Overhauling the Los Angeles Department of City Planning

A tradition as old as the Planning Department itself: proposing reforms to the planning and development approvals process in the city of Los Angeles.

September 8, 2016 - Urbanize LA

Eastside Gold Line and Los Angeles skyline

L.A. Metro's Innovation Chief on the Appeal of P3s

The Office of Extraordinary Innovation at Los Angeles Metro is just over a year old. KPCC checks in.

September 7, 2016 - KPCC

The Stitch

Planetizen Week in Review: September 3, 2016

Books! Maps! Data! Renderings! What more could you want from one week?

September 3, 2016 - Planetizen

Los Angeles

Mapping L.A.'s Zoning Changes Finds Little Room for Upzoning

A new study makes a visual case against the narrative that spot zoning and a broken development approval process are running roughshod over the entire city.

September 2, 2016 - Urbanize LA

Banc of California Stadium

Los Angeles Wants to Use Housing Money to Boost MLS Soccer Stadium

Critics say the HUD program is meant to fund more direct anti-poverty measures, like affordable housing—not office, retail, and attractions.

September 1, 2016 - NextCity

Transit Oriented Development

Pasadena Eases Into Bikeshare, Complete Streets

Located northeast of downtown Los Angeles, Pasadena is a "destination city" of its own. A recent push to make its streets more bike-friendly coincides with the upcoming arrival of bikeshare.

August 31, 2016 - Pasadena Star-News

Voting

This November, Four Major Transportation Measures at Stake

If you live in Detroit, Atlanta, Seattle, or Los Angeles, you have more to look forward to in November than choosing Donald or Hillary. Major decisions concerning regional transportation are on the line.

August 31, 2016 - Governing

Stahl House Los Angeles

L.A. City Council Chooses Legal Limbo for Accessory Dwelling Units

Faced with the task of conforming its "granny flats" ordinance with state law, the Los Angeles City Council yielded.

August 29, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

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.

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.