Pershing Square

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.

L.A.'s Pershing Square Headed for Redesign
The first phases of a plan to remake the downtown Los Angeles plaza into a more inviting, accessible public space are going to kick off soon.

L.A.'s New Pershing Square Will Be 'Radically Flat'
After stakeholder engagement and an international design competition, Agence Ter's plan for "radical flatness" has been selected to replace downtown L.A.'s current Pershing Square. The preferred alternative is, above all, simple.

Los Angeles to Redesign Its 'Worst Public Space'
Josh Stephens reports on the Pershing Square Renew Design Challenge, an effort to redo one of the "world's worst squares and plazas." The new Pershing Square may hearken back to the years before its misguided 1992 redesign.

Los Angeles Searches for Improvements to the Much-Maligned Pershing Square
A series of public outreach events are being held in Pershing Square to determine how to make the park more engaging. Live music and fewer physical barriers to entry are among the ideas suggested.
Los Angeles' Historic Pershing Square to Receive Family-Friendly Makeover
Los Angeles' Pershing Square, a five-acre park initially opened in 1866, will undergo major transformations to accommodate the increase of families with children living in Downtown Los Angeles.
Can L.A. Recapture the "Green Heart" of Downtown?
An editorial in the Los Angeles Downtown News commends burgeoning efforts to rethink the city's historic Pershing Square, and offers some ideas for principles to help guide the process.
What Can Be Done to Revive L.A.'s Forgotten First Park
Pershing Square occupies a special place in the physical and historical landscape of Los Angeles. But the city's first park has been the victim of poor redesigns and a "massive failure of civic vision." Can anything be done to fix it?
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.
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Brookings
City of White Salmon
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
M-NCPPC Prince George's County Planning Department
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service