Los Angeles
Traversing LA One Bus At A Time
A Wall St. Journal reporter takes a five-day sightseeing trip to Los Angeles, sans rental car. Getting the Getty Villa and Watts Towers were two of the more challenging forays.
Creating Neighborhood Capital from Strip Malls
Strip malls are in virtually every American city, but they're rarely an important part of those cities. Ava Bromberg says they can be. Her idea is to turn strip malls into community-owned hubs that generate capital within their neighborhood and keep it there.
L.A. Supergraphics Ban Upheld
A federal judge has allowed a citywide ban on new digital billboards and building-sized supergraphics to continue.
Drought Policy and Flooding Streets in LA
While residents ration water for lawn-watering, Los Angeles has experienced double the breaks in water mains as in previous years. The breaks have destroyed streets and flooded businesses, leaving many looking for answers.
Metrolink Deaths Could Be Avoided, Says LA Times
244 people have died in Metrolink accidents over the last 15 years. A study by the Los Angeles Times says that that number could be greatly diminished by improving a handful of dangerous intersections.
Ads Cleaned Into Streets: 'Reverse Grafitti'?
Planetizen's Nate Berg reports on advertisers in Los Angeles using steam cleaners to put corporate logos into the grimy sidewalk. Advertisers claim, "If anything, we've improved public property. We've cleaned up streets that were normally filthy."
What Today's Cities Will Look Like in the Future
Imagining cities of the future can bring about some pretty wild predictions. But when they're visions of existing cities, these futuristic predictions can be almost realistic.
The Geography of Pot in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Times has mapped the city's medical marijuana dispensaries, and found many that fall within a proposed buffer that would keep the outlets away from schools, parks and libraries.
LA's Wilshire Blvd. Bus-Only Lane Moves Forward
In an important step toward a bus-only lane on LA's busy Wilshire Blvd., the city council approved beginning an Environmental Impact Report for the project, to only minimal skepticism from the councilmember from the wealthier part of the area.
Ticket to Ride Now Needed in L.A.
Turnstiles are coming to the Los Angeles subway. Some say the move will help raise revenue for the city's transit authority, given its recent increases in ridership.
Donut Architecture
Randy's Donuts in Los Angeles is one of a dying breed of donut shops sporting enormous donut rings on their roofs, examples of a dying style called "mimic architecture".
Small Lot Homes Changing Face of L.A.
Christina Chan looks at the effect of L.A.'s Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance of 2005, which opened the doors for a new style of housing somewhere in between single-family homes and condos.
L.A. Officials Call For Speedier Subway Expansion
Scheduled for completion in 2036, a 12.5 mile extension of Los Angeles' subway is progressing too slowly for some officials. That includes the city's mayor, who is hoping to pick up the pace.
Off the TOD Path
Bill Fulton consults on a boulevard in Los Angeles, and concludes that sometimes the dense, mixed-use approach is too heavy-handed, particularly when transit is lacking.
Building Communities With Legos and Plastic Bottles
GOOD Magazine follows planner James Rojas as he engages a community in the act of planning in his own particular fashion, using everyday objects and building blocks.
Home on the Runway
More than 100 trailers and RVs sit in a parking lot at Los Angeles International Airport, creating an odd community of airline pilots and mechanics.
Developers Eye High-Density Opportunities in California's High Speed Rail Hubs
Southern California developers are gearing up to pounce on the areas surrounding proposed high speed rail hubs that will make up California's statewide high speed rail line.
Why Public Transit Doesn't Work In The U.S.
Gas taxes, parking charges, toll roads - these are the ingredients to making transit successful, according to experts who state that it's not enough to offer good transit - driving must become more expensive. Add to that high density land use.
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.
City of Mt Shasta
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
