L.A. County Planner Clement Lau issues his annual list of his favorite conferences for urban design professionals in the upcoming year.

UCLA Extension Land Use Law and Planning Conference (January 27; Los Angeles, CA)
New Partners for Smart Growth Conference (February 2-4; St. Louis, MO)
Active Living Research Conference (February 26-March 1; Clearwater Beach, FL)
AIA Convention (April 27-29; Orlando, FL)
National Outdoor Recreation Conference (May 1-4; Scottsdale, AZ)
CNU 25 (May 3-6; Seattle, WA)
APA National Planning Conference (May 6-9; New York City, NY)
Greater & Greener 2017: Parks Connecting Cities, Cultures, and Generations (July 29-August 2; Minneapolis & Saint Paul, MN)
APA California Planning Conference (September 23-26; Sacramento, CA)
ACSP Annual Conference (October 12-15; Denver, CO)
ASLA Annual Meeting and Expo (October 20-23; Los Angeles, CA)
ULI Fall Meeting (October 23-26; Los Angeles, CA)
For summaries of each of the conferences, please visit the source article.
FULL STORY: Looking Ahead to 2017: Events for Planners

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.

Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.

California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.

HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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