The Planning Report

Kevin Fry, president of Scenic America, explains the threat to the urban fabric posed by lax billboard policies. He also explains how cities can avoid L.A.'s problems enforcing outdoor advertising codes.

Author Paul Sorensen details the findings of a recent RAND study recommending short term (i.e., within five years) fixes for rampant congestion in Southern California.

Local and regional governments in Riverside County, California, have assembled a "Red Team" task force to mitigate the impacts of the foreclosure crisis in the fastest growing region in the state.

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors recently approved a package of green building ordinances that may be the most comprehensive and far reaching green building legislation at the local level in the country.

California State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) makes the case for a congestion pricing pilot program funded by the federal government.

Michael George of Golden State Water Company makes an impassioned plea for leadership from Sacramento as the state’s deepening water supply crisis gets lost in another budget battle.

Steven Bingler of Concordia Planning and Architecture discusses the process and thinking behind the Unified New Orleans Plan, which engaged large numbers of citizens to plan the recovery of their neighborhoods in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Robert Poole, director of transportation at the Reason Institute, delivers an open letter to Los Angeles-area elected officials in the hopes of persuading them to adopt a federally-supported pricing system for the region's freeway network.

In the same week that Congress passed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, Los Angeles announcemed the New Generation Fund, a $100 million program for affordable housing.

In what may be the silver lining of the current economic climate, high fuel costs and carbon restrained economies may spell the end for unsustainable planning and development patterns in California, according to Rick Cole, City Manager of Ventura.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) has been selected by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to lead a campaign to 'Renew and Rebuild America.'

Council Member David Yassky was one of congestion pricing's earliest and most vocal proponents, and he hasn't yet given up on the prospect of charging tolls to drive in Manhattan.

The agreement trades a massive open space donation and other terms for clearance to conduct exploratory drilling off the coast.

According to RPA Executive Director Robert Yaro, global competition requires that the United States focus on regions for future infrastructure investment.

Differences between the clean trucks programs at the ports of Long Beach and L.A. may bring months of litigation, derailing clean air efforts at the nation's largest port complex.

Los Angeles, Portland, and New York City provide interesting case studies into the ways that city governments are building a more sustainable life for their residents.

To the chagrin of some local developers and politicians, the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency and the city Planning Department have released a joint policy directive that limits the conversion of industrial land to residential uses.

California's population is not only immense, it's incredibly diverse. Building the infrastructure to serve the state's current residents has proven a difficult task -- one that won't get any easier.

Under the leadership of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the city of L.A., long infamous for its smog and traffic, has become a leader in many aspects of sustainable urban living.

Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti is proposing much-needed changes to the way L.A. facilitates neighborhood development.