Los Angeles
Tech-Buses Driving South into Los Angeles
In a new coming-of-age sign for the technology industry in Los Angeles, the San Francisco based start-up RidePal unveiled its first private shuttle bus partnership in LA this week.
Los Angeles Embraces Urban Agriculture
A motion passed earlier this month calls for landowners to receive tax breaks for leasing vacant property for agriculture and farming.

Eight Ways Planners Can Rest and Rejuvenate
Few people escape on-the-job stress, but LA County Planner Clement Lau has some tips for his cohorts designed to help them recover from the pressures of work.

The New Transit User Fee: Real Estate Rent
Driven by a need to meet growing costs amid unstable federal subsidies, metropolitan transit agencies are eying their properties, particularly parking lots, as money makers from new residential and commercial development.
Another Call for the Legalization of Los Angeles Street Vendors
Mark Vallianatos outlines the legal history and vehemently supports Los Angeles' estimated 10,000 street vendors selling everything from fruits to frozen treats.
Star Apartments Offer Starchitect Treatment for L.A.'s Skid Row Homeless
The new 100-unit, $40-million Star Apartments opened in Skid Row earlier this week is part of Los Angeles County’s Housing for Health initiative to house 10,000 of the most vulnerable homeless people.
California Refineries Prepare to Receive Cheaper Crude-by-Rail
The surge in oil production has not benefited California, but that's about to change. Shale oil from North Dakota and other states costs $15 less than imported oil. After transportation costs, California refineries would save $3 per barrel.
Los Angeles Breathing Easier Due to Reductions in Airborne Toxins
The improvement in air quality comes from reductions in toxic emissions from autos, trucks, and ships. Enjoying the cleaner air were tens of thousands of Angelenos riding on miles of streets closed to auto traffic for the 10th CicLAvia event.

Report: Transit Oriented Development Leads the Market in Major Metros
A report released last week by Cushman & Wakefield has won a lot of attention from media outlets covering large-scale development market trends. Among the report's findings: growing cities need to better support transit-oriented development.
LADOT Releases 'Great Streets for Los Angeles' Strategic Plan, Sets Vision Zero Goal
Following a year when 80 pedestrians were killed by cars in the city, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation has proposed a new strategic plan that sets Vision Zero goals for pedestrian fatalities and reflects new priorities for the city.
Flat Tops No Longer Required for Los Angeles Skyscrapers
Emily Alpert Reyes reports that Los Angeles has overturned a long-standing requirement for its skyscrapers to have flat roofs to accommodate the fire department's helicopters in the event of an emergency.
A Call to Protect Cultural Institutions from Urban Renewal
While considering plans for a large urban renewal project in Hollywood, Los Angeles struggles to avoid throwing out the baby with the bathwater—that is, saving a place for small cultural institutions when redeveloping neighborhoods.
Critic's Review: Los Angeles Union Station Master Plan
Christopher Hawthorne details the finalized master plan for Los Angeles' remodel of its historic Union Station, saying the master plan positions the station to be a hub of activity in a remade city.
Friday Funny: Missed Opportunities—The Getty Villa Volcano
From the never built files (except this time for good reason): A proposal not endorsed during a 19070s expansion plan for the Getty Villa in the Pacific Palisades was a recreation of Mount Vesuvius.

CicLAvia: Reclaiming Streets in the Car Capital of America
The second in a series profiling grassroots activism to increase biking among the diverse populations of Los Angeles County. In this installment, Planetizen spoke with Robert Gard, director of communications for CicLAvia.

On the Los Angeles Urbanism Boom
Urban planner and researcher, C.J. Gabbe, shares insights from his past two years living in Los Angeles, including surprising innovations in planning and development.
'Droughtshaming' and the Death of Fun
Laura Bliss provides a summary of the controversy surrounding plans to bring the "Slide the City" event to Temple Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles.
Los Angeles' Historic Pershing Square to Receive Family-Friendly Makeover
Los Angeles' Pershing Square, a five-acre park initially opened in 1866, will undergo major transformations to accommodate the increase of families with children living in Downtown Los Angeles.
How LEDs Re-Illuminate the Urban Night Sky
Forbes Magazine reflects on the importance and impacts of light-emitting diode (LED) lights as more cities replace their traditional streetlamps with LEDs.

Women on a Mission: The Ovarian Psycos Ride for the Health of their Communities
The first in a series profiling grassroots activism to increase biking among the diverse populations of Los Angeles County. In this installment, we spoke with Karen Díaz, a core member of the Ovarian Psycos bicycle brigade.
Pagination
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