Venice

Green Hydrogen, Plus Storage, Key to Los Angeles' Plan for Carbon-Free Electricity

The Los Angeles municipal utility will convert a Utah coal power plant to run on natural gas in 2025. According to a proposal unveiled Dec. 10, the plant will incrementally be converted to run entirely on hydrogen, a zero-emission fuel, by 2045.

December 22, 2019 - Utility Dive

Metro Cable

On Public Transit, Some of the World’s Best Sightseeing

From Los Angeles to Hong Kong to Sydney, the best—and the cheapest—views are on ferries, buses, trains, and gondolas.

August 23, 2019 - The New York Times

Parked Van

The 'Vanlord' Providing Shelter to L.A.'s Homeless

A creative rental industry has emerged in Los Angeles as the affordable housing crisis grows.

July 16, 2019 - Santa Monica Daily Press

E-Scooters

Making the Case for Small, Shared, Electric Transport Modes

Tony Dutzik, senior policy analyst with the Frontier Group, presents three environmental reasons to support shared bikes and scooters, and why cities that have adopted climate plans should accommodate these small, clean, shared vehicles.

July 4, 2018 - Frontier Group

Abbot Kinney, Venice

Coffee With Your Gentrification?

The Los Angeles Times published a pair of incendiary articles this week in which coffee plays an integral role in the conversation about gentrification.

July 20, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

Venice Canals

Venice, California Has Fewer Housing Units Than in 2000

Venice, the famously picturesque neighborhood in Los Angeles, has become a poster child for wealthy urban enclave that has closed its doors to development and new residents—despite a strong local economy.

July 18, 2017 - Fox Business

Santa Monica Bikes

Santa Monica Debuts GPS-Enabled Bikeshare

Serving beach-side Santa Monica and nearby Venice, Breeze Bikeshare equips its bikes with GPS tracking. The program claims to be more advanced than an L.A. Metro system set to debut in early 2016.

November 14, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Venice Canals

Can Los Angeles Regulate Airbnb?

Several Los Angeles neighborhoods, Venice in particular, have become hotbeds of short-term rental activity. Upset by a stream of raucous visitors, residents wonder whether the city can—or will—enforce regulations on platforms like Airbnb.

October 16, 2015 - The Los Angeles Times

Residents Sue Over the 'Lawless Skid Row' of Venice Beach

Venice Beach, one of the most popular tourist destinations and recognizable public spaces in Los Angeles, has long been the site of regulation battles. Now a neighborhood group is suing the city over what it perceives as rampant lawlessness.

February 4, 2015 - CBS Los Angeles

Cyber Monday: A Placemaker's Case for Character-Rich Retail

As the shopping season begins, can the satisfaction associated with little shops cause us to be resilient and spend a little less? Maybe we should ease up on our zoning restrictions, and at least make it possible.

December 1, 2014 - PlaceShakers

Tourism's Negative Effects in Italian Art Cities

With about 353 tourists per resident in the historic city center of Venice, many residents are fleeing the crowds and moving onto the mainland, making the city a "monument-attraction," rather than a viable living space.

August 16, 2014 - Global Site Plans

L.A. Boulevard's Star Turn Has Neighbors Feeling Upstaged

As Abbot Kinney Boulevard becomes a mecca for the famous, the affluent, and international tourists, locals fear losing their place along "the Coolest Block in America".

October 28, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Tourists on walkways over flood waters in Venice

Record Floods Submerge Venice

New York isn't the only famous city suffering from the effects of record high water levels. Seventy percent of Venice is submerged. The Daily Mail has stunning images of tourists swimming in St. Mark's Square and wading through waist-high water.

November 12, 2012 - Daily Mail

The Winners and Losers at this Year's Architecture Biennale

Steve Rose surveys the scene at this year's Architecture Biennale in Venice, where he observes that the mood has shifted: "away from starchitecture towards something quieter, more collaborative and utopian."

August 31, 2012 - The Guardian

What's Left for Venice in Its Golden Years?

Josh Stephens muses on the modern state of an erstwhile global capital that has kept its aesthetic charms, but lost its anima.

May 16, 2012 - Next American City

Making Venice Work

The city of Venice, Italy, is a complex, historic, watery, tourist-filled place. This video explains how the city works.

April 8, 2011 - Open Culture

Tourist-Centric Venice Loses Population

As floods increase and the tourist-focus of the city pervades, Venice, Italy is losing much of its charm -- and its native population.

March 3, 2011 - Der Spiegel

The Rise And Fall of Cities

Victor David Hanson uses a broad historical perspective to examine the causes of the rise and fall of former world cities. He argues that the computer driven, global age will accelerate the process of growth and decline.

December 11, 2010 - City Journal

Land Use Success and Failure in Two Florida Towns

This post from NRDC's Kaid benfield compares the two Florida cities of Lehigh Acres and Venice, where land use decisions created one city doomed to fail and another that's on a fast rise.

March 25, 2010 - NRDC Switchboard

Proposed Port Threatens Flood-Prone Venice

Plans to construct a new cargo port near Venice has some conservationists up in arms. They say the plans would exacerbate rising water levels and further endanger the flood-prone ancient city.

September 13, 2009 - The Guardian

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.

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.