Los Angeles
So Cal Looks at Ways to Beat the Coming Heat
While the east coast suffers through a brutal early summer heat wave, researchers in Los Angeles have announced the findings of the most advanced regional climate modeling ever conducted, which shows that So Cal will feel the heat soon enough.
Planning in LA is On a Roll
Hot on the heels of the hard fought passage of a new community plan for Hollywood comes news that the City Council has approved five years of funding for L.A.'s planning department to revise the city's zoning code, for the first time since 1946.
The Failures and Feats of a Leading Landscape Architect
Recent recipient of the ASLA's Gold Medal, landscape architect Laurie Olin shares some interesting opinions on his distinguished career, landscape urbanism, and the state of public space.
Plan for Hollywood Densification Gets Final Approval
Yesterday, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a controversial new Community Plan for Hollywood, the first update since 1988, that allows increased density around transit stations, to the consternation of some neighborhood groups.
Can L.A. Protect its Vulnerable Populations from Transit-Induced Development?
With Los Angeles embarking on the "largest transit expansion in the United States," a new report looks at ways the city can preserve critical affordable housing in areas ripe for transit-oriented economic development.
Activists Seek Return of L.A.'s Lost Urban Agriculture
With a year-round temperate climate and a history of widespread urban agriculture, it's a shame that Los Angeles now finds itself ranked 43rd amongst America's 50 largest cities for their support of local food. Can L.A. turn back the clock?
Angelenos Find That Freedom From Cars Can Be Liberating
The high cost of driving in Los Angeles has led some residents to swap their cars for bikes, buses, and the subway. This change has inadvertently allowed them to find freedom in their lives and a better connection with the City of Angels.
America's Most Endangered Historic Places Identified
Today, the National Trust for Historic Preservation unveiled its annual list of the eleven most endangered places in America.
Renaissance for Plans for the Champs Elysees of L.A.?
Stalled for years by the recession, Sam Allen looks at the prospects for the revival of ambitious plans to remake L.A.'s Grand Avenue.
An Inside Look at Making L.A.'s Difficult Decisions in a Time of Austerity
LA Councilmember Paul Krekorian discusses reducing the city's budget deficit, the impacts his decisions will have on core services and civil servants, and the tolls that come with taking on a budget crisis during a period of fiscal austerity.
Should American Tax Dollars Stay in America?
Madeline Janis, former commissioner on the board of L.A.'s Community Redevelopment Agency, argues that American job creation should be a top priority when awarding transit contracts.
L.A. Moves to Harness to Its Bountiful Sunshine
Carren Jao reports on recent steps the City of Los Angeles is taking to expand is woefully under-built solar power capacity.
Public Art Proves Its Worth
Dan Rosenfeld looks at two recent projects in L.A. that incorporate public art components and finds that "investments in public art may provide the highest financial returns of any funds committed to an aspect of a transit project."
Did Your Traffic Improve Last Year?
According to a new study out this week by research group INRIX, urban traffic congestion in the U.S. plummeted last year by 30 percent over the previous year. Angie Schmitt summarizes the surprising findings, and investigates what the cause may be.
L.A. Gets a New Set of Wheels
In The New York Times, Adam Nagourney chronicles the rise of bicycle culture in a city defined for decades by its cars, but with a climate perfectly suited to non-motorized transportation.
The Contrasting Forces Behind Downtown L.A.'s Revitalization
With several sporting events of national notice taking place in downtown Los Angeles, last weekend provided a prime platform to showcase the resurgence of the area. However, big-ticket events are just one of the many forces re-energizing downtown.
Are Electric Cable Cars the Future of Trucking?
John Metcalfe explores a new kind of hybrid vehicle that could revolutionize trucking and cut down air contaminants in one of the most polluted regions in the country.
Quick Fixes for Transit Safety
Transit rider and Good reporter, Alissa Walker, describes some simple solutions for making transit safer.
Fashioning a New Los Angeles Along Its Boulevards
Christopher Hawthorne begins a series exploring the ways in which L.A. is utilizing its boulevards to try on "a post-suburban identity for the first time", with a look at Atlantic Boulevard, a major north-south spine.
Pagination
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello