Los Angeles
Cluster Homes Invade L.A.'s Hip Hillsides
Small-lot homes are popping up in the hillsides north of downtown L.A. While the new occupants, often young buyers who can't afford or aren't interested in traditional single-family homes and high-rise condos, are pleased, some neighbors are not.
L.A.'s Downtown Building Boom Comes Up Short
A rising chorus of architects, urban planners and developers are criticizing the suburban scale of development sweeping through downtown L.A. as a missed opportunity. They argue high-rises should be built instead of mid-rise apartment complexes.
Will Car-Sharing Apps Unclutter L.A.'s Roadways?
Thanks to mobile technology, Los Angelenos no longer have to choose between driving their own cars and paying expensive cab fares after a night out on the town.
New Study Establishes Baseline for Improving Angelenos' Health
Published on the last day of the Villaraigosa administration, the "Health Atlas for the City of Los Angeles" analyzed 100 different health outcomes citywide to inform the drafting of a new Health and Wellness Chapter for the City’s General Plan.
From Peak Car to Peak Parking?
Fewer cars on the road, less driving, why not fewer parking spots? Cities like D.C., L.A., Denver, Philadelphia are responding by reducing or eliminating parking minimums, while Portland, which had already eliminated them, are bringing them back.
Watch North America's Cities Grow Up
A Canadian real estate startup has created striking animated 3-D visualizations of the evolution of the skylines in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago.
L.A. Looks to NYC for Pedestrianization Inspiration
Inspired by Manhattan's pedestrianization of Times Square, L.A.'s city council recently approved $1.8 million in funding to reduce a major downtown thoroughfare's roadway by half to make room for "a massive increase of the pedestrian infrastructure."
Outgoing L.A. Mayor Leaves a City Transported
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has certainly fallen short with some of his ambitious agenda items (including his attempt to take over the city's school district). But when it comes to transportation, the mayor has had a dramatic, and lasting, effect.
Delayed L.A. Bike Share to Launch Next Year - at the Earliest
It was supposed to launch last year. Then it was going to start this spring. Now, Bike Nation, the supposed operator of L.A.'s citywide bike-share system, is saying the first of its 4,000 bikes won't appear on city streets until "sometime" next year.
Three Decades After His Death, Pioneering Architect Remains L.A.'s Hottest Designer
Lauren Beale looks at the work of pioneering architect Paul Revere Williams, the first African American fellow of the American Institute of Architects, whose luxury homes designed for some of L.A.'s most prestigious residents remain in high demand.
America's Transportation Transformation Plays Out in Los Angeles
In the American city most synonymous with the automobile, car ownership is declining and transit use is increasing. As the country's transportation model enters a decade of profound change, L.A. may provide the 'ultimate test' of the car’s future.
Hollywood's Twin Towers Get a Haircut, But Will State Objections Block Final Approval?
Two towers set to transform Hollywood's skyline will alter it just a bit less after developer Millennium agreed to lower their proposed heights by more than a dozen stories. The CA Department of Transportation is raising concerns about the project.
Should Cities Eliminate Free Parking for the Disabled?
Ongoing research from the University of California Transportation Center documents the detrimental effects that free street parking for the disabled has on city coffers and performance pricing systems. Is it time to reconsider such laws.
New Downtown L.A. Park Latest Victory in Mayor's Open Space Initiative
At .7 acres, downtown L.A.'s Spring Street Park isn't likely to invite comparison to the world's great urban parks. But for a city, and neighborhood, starved of quality open space, the new park is a significant achievement.
Los Angeles Kicks Off Effort to Retool 67-Year-Old Zoning Code
This week, outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa kicked off an ambitious five-year effort to revise L.A.'s outdated and unwieldy zoning code. The goal of the project is to create an accessible guide for transforming Los Angeles.
Does Proposed Merger Signal Planning's Surrender in Los Angeles?
Rick Cole, former City Manager for the City of Ventura CA, analyzes the upcoming merger of the Department of City Planning with the Department of Building and Safety in the City of Los Angeles.
Ada Louise Huxtable Remembered at Metropolitan Museum of Art Tribute
Architects and architecture critics from across the nation gathered in New York last week to remember the first lady of architecture criticism, Ada Louise Huxtable, who died in January.
Westside Fights Smart Growth: Can Any Development Navigate L.A.'s Traffic Nightmare?
On the Westside of L.A., where rush hour traffic slows to a crawl on the best days, a proposed transit-oriented development called the 'quintessential example' of smart growth by the Mayor's staff faces opposition to its size and attraction to autos.
L.A. Bike Share Missing in Action; Is New City Ordinance to Blame?
Amid the hoopla over the recent launch of bike-share systems in two of the three largest cities in the U.S., the supposed start of such a system in the nation's second largest city has come and gone without any explanation. What's behind the delay?
A Transportation Wish List for L.A.'s New Mayor
While outgoing Mayor Villaraigosa has made great strides in building L.A.'s public transit and bicycle culture, there's still room for improvement, argues Harris Silver. He suggests 6 ways to further reduce Angelenos reliance on the automobile.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
