Los Angeles

L.A.'s New Planning Director

It's been nearly three weeks since Los Angeles Planning Director Gail Goldberg resigned. Now, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has nominated a new director: Michael LoGrande.

July 27, 2010 - California Planning and Development Report

The Suburban Cycle of Life

Adam Meyer describes his parents' and grandparents' experiences growing up in the San Gabriel valley of east Los Angeles and charts the changes that have taken place since they first moved there in the 1950s.

July 25, 2010 - New Geography

Bus Advocates Argue Rail Focused Planning Reduces Overall Transit Ridership in L.A.

Dan Weikel of the L.A. Times suggests that the focus on rail transit at the expense of buses has pushed general transit ridership down in general.

July 24, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

How Accurate Are California's HSR Ridership Figures?

When she read over the ridership estimates behind California's HSR plans, Elizabeth Alexis was expecting to have "obscure arguments over the standard deviations," but instead found glaringly obvious "math" mistakes.

July 23, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

LA and New York in 2030

Newsweek picks the brains of architects to offer these visions of what the cities of New York and Los Angeles will look like in 2030.

July 22, 2010 - Newsweek

Could China Fund L.A. Transit?

With the notion of a national infrastructure bank dead for now and Wall Street reluctant to invest in infrastructure projects, Joel Epstein argues that Chinese investment in L.A.'s 30/10 Transportation and Jobs Initiative is worth considering.

July 22, 2010 - Huffington Post

LA Planning Department's First Public Participation Webinar

The City of Los Angeles Department of Planning and Department of Transportation held a first-ever public online participation webinar Thursday, July 20, 2010. The city used the opportunity to experiment with web conferencing technology, and will survey participants after the event to evaluate the success of the experiment. A webinar is a web conference, where participants can access a virtual meeting using a computer, and Internet connection. Participants access a website to see the presenter's computer screen, and also listen to the presenter through the computer's speakers, or using a telephone.

July 20, 2010 - Chris Steins

Reintegrating the Los Angeles River

The Los Angeles River has long been forgotten by many of the city's residents and officials. GOOD's Alissa Walker takes a look at some plans to reintegrate the river into the city.

July 19, 2010 - Good

Can A New L.A. Park Please Everyone?

Christopher Hawthorne says that new Civic Park in downtown Los Angeles, which breaks ground this morning, "shows the strain" of trying to reconcile differing visions, but it also has "a coherent aesthetic identity."

July 15, 2010 - The Los Angeles Times

The "Blunt Savvy" of Eli Broad

"For all of Eli Broad's consistent prominence on the public stage in recent years, the buildings he has helped develop make up a disparate, even contradictory group," writes Christopher Hawthorne as he describes the patron's philanthropic endeavors.

July 11, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

TOD Boom in L.A.

Light rail is expanding to Los Angeles' Westside, and with it is coming a wave of transit-oriented developments.

July 11, 2010 - The New York Times

A Watershed Decision for the LA River

In a move to cement its importance as an urban waterway, the EPA declared the Los Angeles River a 'traditionally navigable waterway.'

July 9, 2010 - The Los Angeles Times

Villaraigosa Must Back His New Planner With Comprehensive Reorganization

Mayor Villaraigosa must appoint a planning director who will overcome the sprawling bureaucracy that has hindered much of the LA's endeavors, says the Los Angeles Times.

July 7, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

California Should Alter Its HSR Plans to Save Money

Thomas Elias argues that California's HSR plans should be altered to reduce costs and avoid some urban municipalities against the plans. This would reduce the $25 billion funding gap and allow construction to move ahead.

July 2, 2010 - San Jose Mercury News

L.A.'s High Line West

A new linear park project near L.A.'s port seeks to ride the success of New York City's High Line park.

July 2, 2010 - The Architect's Newspaper

L.A. Planning Director Resigns

Los Angeles Planning Director Gail Goldberg has announced her resignation.

July 1, 2010 - The Architect's Newspaper

CalTrans Shells Out $17 Million to Rename Pasadena Freeway

The first freeway in California is being renamed back to its original designation, the 'Arroyo Seco Parkway.' Known more recently as simply 'the 110,' it was considered a "marvel of engineering," when construction began in 1938.

June 27, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Reshuffle at L.A. Planning Department

With fewer staff members to cover the workload, L.A. is redefining planners' roles, including a change that will make planners more community-focused and less centralized.

June 27, 2010 - The Planning Report

The Most Agressive Mayoral Transit Advocacy in America

Jarret Walker writes on Mayor Villaraigosa's 30/10 plan and why Los Angeles is a "smart long term bet" as a sustainable city.

June 17, 2010 - Human Transit

Los Angeles Finds a Communal Way to Enjoy The World Cup

Jeremy Rosenberg of Next American City examines how the people of Los Angeles get together to watch the world cup, in the absence of any primary public meeting space.

June 16, 2010 - Next American City

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.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

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.