L.A.'s downtown Business Improvement District calls on local business people, property owners, and residents to get stepping in L.A.'s Fashion District, to evaluate the area's walkability. The BID has $1.6 million to make improvements by 2008.
Dozens of locals came out to Downtown Los Angeles' bustling Fashion District to critique the walking environment and offer suggestions for making it more appealing to visitors. Notes from the walk audit will be compiled into a preliminary report, which will serve as a guide to improving the area's walkability. Grant money from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will expire if not used by 2008, pushing leaders at the community Business Improvement District to generate concrete plans soon.
"'We're not at Times Square yet, but we're close,' said Kent Smith, executive director of the area's BID. 'Our district is 90 blocks. It's daunting in terms of people trying to get around.'"
"That the Fashion District needs the improvements is not in doubt. Like many parts of Downtown, sidewalks in the district are narrow and cracked in some places. Street "furniture" is mismatched in spots, crowds the walking area or is in disrepair. Elsewhere, access ramps direct people toward the center of intersections, instead of into the crosswalks."
FULL STORY: Strolling With a Purpose

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

HSR Reaches Key Settlement in Northern California City
The state’s high-speed rail authority reached an agreement with Millbrae, a key city on the train’s proposed route to San Francisco.

Washington State Legislature Passes Parking Reform Bill
A bill that would limit parking requirements for new developments is headed to the governor’s desk.

Missouri Law Would Ban Protections for Housing Voucher Users
A state law seeks to overturn source-of-income discrimination bans passed by several Missouri cities.
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.
Ada County Highway District
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service