The historically Latino working class neighborhood is a frequent touchstone in debates over gentrification in Los Angeles. That history goes back decades and colors residents' perceptions.

Alfredo Huante unpacks Boyle Heights' long and fraught relationship with L.A. city planning, a story that goes back to the 1960s. The memory of invasive urban renewal, he writes, lingers on despite the fact that Boyle Heights escaped the fate of neighboring "blighted" areas with largely Latino populations.
Huante discusses the rise of community planning in L.A. following the Watts Riots, an early effort to address racial disparities in land use decision making. "Although citizen participation in neighborhood planning was readily encouraged in predominantly white, non-blighted neighborhoods, community plans functioned as the first efforts to solicit and collect barrio residents' input in city planning processes."
Despite those moves, a shift of focus to downtown development under Mayor Tom Bradley again sidelined community planning in Boyle Heights, setting the stage for today's acrimonious debates over development and neighborhood heritage.
Through the late 20th century and into the 21st, Haunte writes, "overarching policies of exclusionary land uses prevailed even if political inclusion improved. With downtown redevelopment jumping the L.A. River into Boyle Heights, ongoing discussions and framing over anti-displacement movements are better understood within this history of dispossession."
FULL STORY: Is Boyle Heights “Worth Saving”?

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25,% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

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.

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.

Santa Barbara Could Build Housing on County Land
County supervisors moved forward a proposal to build workforce housing on two county-owned parcels.

San Mateo Formally Opposes Freeway Project
The city council will send a letter to Caltrans urging the agency to reconsider a plan to expand the 101 through the city of San Mateo.

A Bronx Community Fights to Have its Voice Heard
After organizing and giving input for decades, the community around the Kingsbridge Armory might actually see it redeveloped — and they want to continue to have a say in how it goes.
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