Los Angeles

L.A.'s Expo Line Hasn't Reduced Congestion—But it Has Done a Whole Lot More
A lot of promises get made in the hopes of building political support in transit options like light rail. Perhaps, however, officials in Los Angeles should stop promising that transit will alleviate congestion.

'Neighborhood Integrity Initiative' Would Put Plan Amendments to a Vote in L.A.
A group of activists calling themselves the Coalition to Preserve L.A. has announced initiations to seek a ballot initiative that would enact a moratorium on projects requiring changes to the city's General Plan.

Op-Ed: Over-Regulation Makes Public Spaces Exclusionary
A pointed editorial decries the over-regulation that has followed the renaissance of public spaces in Los Angeles.

Santa Monica Debuts GPS-Enabled Bikeshare
Serving beach-side Santa Monica and nearby Venice, Breeze Bikeshare equips its bikes with GPS tracking. The program claims to be more advanced than an L.A. Metro system set to debut in early 2016.

Five Ways to Measure the Need for City Parks
While standardized metrics for determining the number of and place for city parks cannot replace more fine grain analysis, they can be useful tools. Park planner Clement Lau writes about five park-need metrics, including a couple of the newest.
Los Angeles City Council Wants a 'Do-Over' on Mobility Plan 2035
Years of planning and strong political support aren't enough when the city council doesn't follow the letter of the law. Now opponents of L.A.'s Mobility Plan 2035 smell blood in the water.
Vision Zero Hero: L.A. to Hire an Artist for Traffic Safety Work
Applications are due on November 6 for a novel position in the world of traffic safety: artist in residence at the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

Los Angeles' Metro Launches New Phase in Effort to Curb Sexual Harassment
After first launching its program in the Spring, law enforcement and Metro are reminding riders to report instances of sexual harassment on trains and buses

Why Some BIDs Succeed Where Others Fail
An in-depth study of business improvement districts (BIDs) in two Los Angeles neighborhoods examines the factors behind their success or failure.

Questioning the Wisdom of Light Rail in the Sun Belt States
As Houston, Dallas and other sun belt cities build out their light-rail systems, some are asking if the investment is worth it.

Can Los Angeles Regulate Airbnb?
Several Los Angeles neighborhoods, Venice in particular, have become hotbeds of short-term rental activity. Upset by a stream of raucous visitors, residents wonder whether the city can—or will—enforce regulations on platforms like Airbnb.
L.A. Metro Tackling Transit's Connection With Gentrification
New leadership at Los Angeles County's Metro says its planning efforts should consider much more than transit routes and service—including the potential for gentrification in the neighborhoods where it's investing.

Retrofitting Vulnerable Buildings Becomes Mandatory in Earthquake Prone LA..
Decades in the making, the Los Angeles City Council has approved regulations requiring the retrofit of vulnerable wood and concrete buildings.

More Bicycle Infrastructure Equals More Riders
Analysis of Census data shows that, while still small in number, more Americans are taking to two-wheels as part of their daily commute.
Report Grades California's Rail Stations on Neighborhood Service
A report by Next 10 takes the form of a scorecard for six light and heavy rail networks. Rail that serves existing urbanized areas scored the highest.
Will Public Art Revive the 'Champs-Élysées of Los Angeles'?
Once called the "Champs-Élysées of Los Angeles," MacArthur Park later became known for crime and prostitution. While it has yet to experience a revival like other L.A. parks, an unusual public art project has generated renewed interest in the park.

Does Consolidating Bus Stops Speed Up Buses?
The practice of consolidating bus stops—or stop thinning—is a controversial method to speed up buses. Los Angeles Metro is considering consolidation as part of its ongoing Strategic Bus Network Plan.

Still Gritty: Crime Wave in Downtown Los Angeles
As people and jobs stream into the district, downtown's long-simmering problems butt up against vigorous urban renewal. Crime is up, but so are property values.

Book Review: 'The Rise and Fall of Urban Economies: Lessons From S.F. and L.A.'
Reviewer Jon Christensen suggests that an alternative title to this book on urban economic development by four UCLA researchers could be the much simpler, and probably more attention-grabbing, "How San Francisco Beat L.A. — for Now Anyway."

Chinese Bullet Train to Come to American Southwest
America's third planned high-speed rail line received good news on Sept. 17, by entering an agreement with China Railway Group to receive $100 million to start building the 230-mile line from Victorville, Calif. to Las Vegas.
Pagination
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.
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