The city of L.A.’s first city forest officer, Rachel Malarich, opines on her new role in facilitating cooperation between the city’s departments to achieve a more equitable urban canopy.
At the 2019 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen, Mayor Eric Garcetti—a strong proponent of Trees as Infrastructure—was elected Chair of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, succeeding the Mayor of Paris in the role. VXNews, in keeping with the mayor’s city and global agenda, interviewed the vity of L.A.’s first city forest officer, Rachel Malarich, who is tasked with overseeing the city’s urban forest management and guiding the city to goal on its plan for planting 90,000 trees by 2021.
Malarich opines on her role in facilitating cooperation between the City’s departments to achieve a more equitable urban canopy that benefits the communities that 'need it most.':
"There’s the fire department that does brush clearance. There’s Streets LA that takes care of our street trees. Recs and Parks takes care of park trees. But, as Mayor Garcetti says, trees are living infrastructure and, from my perspective, need to be maintained in a more coordinated way."
Read the full interview at VerdeXchange News.
FULL STORY: LA's First City Forest Officer Rachel Malarich Tasked With Treating Trees As Living Infrastructure

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
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 Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research