Los Angeles
How LA Can Turn Crisis Into Opportunity
The closure of a key freeway segment could be a chance to improve and promote public transit.
Los Angeles Is Quietly Losing Bike Lanes
While adding new bike lanes can be a long and contentious process, removing them in favor of parking requires no public process.
Public Restroom Pilot Launched at Three LA Train Stations
The city’s transit stations are notoriously devoid of restrooms, shade, and other amenities while riders face long waits.
Study: How Urban Redlining Impacts Bird Populations
A legacy of historic housing discrimination and disinvestment is having lasting effects on more than just human lives in cities.
Los Angeles Diocese Says ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’
A new California state bill lets churches and other faith-based institutions bypass environmental reviews for proposed affordable housing on their properties.
Report: New Housing Permits in Los Angeles Decline in 2023
Compared to last year, the city has approved 5.3 percent fewer residential units.
Flood Resilience Through Green Infrastructure
Cities like New York and Los Angeles are moving to build green infrastructure as the need for spongier urban spaces becomes more apparent.
L.A. Councilmember Proposes Social Housing Model
Inspired by the success of Vienna, Austria, Los Angeles leaders are considering public housing as a faster, more effective way to curb the city’s homelessness crisis.
Advancing Park Equity Through Needs Assessments
City Parks Alliance, in partnership with Prevention Institute, recently hosted a webinar about park equity and collaboration, focusing on the Los Angeles Countywide Parks Needs Assessment.
Advancing Shade Equity in LA’s Koreatown
Koreatown is one of Los Angeles's densest and most park-poor communities. A privately funded tree planting initiative will bring some much needed greenery and shade to the area.
LA Rail Project Testing Electric Excavator
The battery-powered excavator could replace diesel-powered machinery to reduce construction emissions and noise.
Proposal Would Transform L.A.’s ‘Freeway to Nowhere’ Into Park, Housing
A never-completed freeway segment could see new life as a mixed-use development with housing, commercial space, and one of the county’s largest parks.
New Los Angeles Rent Relief Program Targets Pandemic Debt
The program prioritizes the lowest-income tenants who accrued debt during the early part of the pandemic.
How L.A. Failed to Stop Landlords From Turning Low-Cost Housing Into Tourist Hotels
Fifteen years ago, Los Angeles passed a law to preserve residential hotels as housing of last resort. Now, amid the homelessness crisis, Capital & Main and ProPublica found some hotels may be violating that law by offering rooms to tourists.
Easing Regulations for Adaptive Reuse
Cities with ordinances aimed at making commercial-to-residential conversions easier are reaping the benefits.
Downtown Los Angeles Park Wins National Award
Vista Hermosa Natural Park, designed by the landscape architecture firm Studio-MLA, has won the ASLA 2023 Landmark Award. Completed in 2008, Vista Hermosa was the first public park built in downtown L.A. in over 100 years.
First Look: Silver Lake Reservoir Master Plan Adopted in L.A.
The Los Angeles City Council approved environmental review documents for the long-awaited Silver Lake Reservoir Master Plan, clearing the way to remake a defunct reservoir into active green and park space.
Community Engagement at L.A. County Parks
The L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation is hosting over 60 public meetings in September to connect with the public and gather input to inform decision-making and resource allocation.
New Active Transportation Plan for Los Angeles County Announced
The new Active Transportation Strategic Plan (ATSP), announced recently by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, will be both aspirational and expensive.
Pershing Square, Downtown L.A.’s ‘Forgotten Park,’ Begins Long Awaited Revamp
A makeover that began in 2015 is finally underway in 2023, but the process of reconstructing Pershing Square is expected to proceed incrementally.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
