L.A. County's Parks Needs Assessment Plus (PNA+) received a 2023 achievement award from the National Association of Counties (NACo).

The National Association of Counties (NACo) has awarded the County of Los Angeles an Achievement Award in the Parks and Recreation category for its Parks Needs Assessment Plus (PNA+). Developed by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), the PNA+ is an update to the 2016 Parks Needs Assessment (PNA) and the county’s plan to achieve "30x30” which is the goal of conserving 30 percent of lands and coastal waters by the year 2030 to fight climate change and protect biodiversity. The PNA+ establishes a new paradigm for conservation that includes the acquisition and protection of natural lands as well as the proactive and strategic restoration of degraded lands, especially in communities where vulnerable populations and environmental burdens are concentrated.
To advance park equity and environmental justice, DPR maintains that a 30x30 plan for urban counties like L.A. County must better address the needs of vulnerable populations by prioritizing restoration efforts in underserved communities. In L.A. County, many of the most environmentally burdened communities are also the most park poor per the 2016 PNA and the most climate-vulnerable per the County Climate Vulnerability Assessment. In locations where environmental burdens are concentrated and impactful land uses are defunct, multiple benefits can be derived from restoration projects like new parks that address residual pollution and unhealthy conditions, restore natural systems, and provide enhanced recreational opportunities for communities that lack access to parks and open spaces.
Two key examples of restoration projects that DPR is implementing are the redevelopment of the 126-acre Earvin “Magic” Johnson Recreation Area which lies on the site of a former oil storage facility and the implementation of the Puente Hills Landfill Park Master Plan to transform 142 acres of a former landfill into the first new regional park in the county in over 35 years.
FULL STORY: 2023 NACo Achievement Award Winner: Los Angeles Countywide Parks Needs Assessment Plus (PNA+)

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

San Antonio Remains Affordable as City Grows
The city’s active efforts to keep housing costs down through housing reforms and coordinated efforts among city agencies and developers have kept it one of the most affordable in the nation despite its rapid population growth.

What Forest Service Cuts Mean for Cities
U.S. Forest Service employees work on projects that have impacts far beyond remote, rural wilderness areas.

North Texas Transit Leaders Tout Benefits of TOD for Growing Region
At a summit focused on transit-oriented development, policymakers discussed how North Texas’ expanded light rail system can serve as a tool for economic growth.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland