Los Angeles

Delayed L.A. Bike Share to Launch Next Year - at the Earliest

It was supposed to launch last year. Then it was going to start this spring. Now, Bike Nation, the supposed operator of L.A.'s citywide bike-share system, is saying the first of its 4,000 bikes won't appear on city streets until "sometime" next year.

June 28, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Three Decades After His Death, Pioneering Architect Remains L.A.'s Hottest Designer

Lauren Beale looks at the work of pioneering architect Paul Revere Williams, the first African American fellow of the American Institute of Architects, whose luxury homes designed for some of L.A.'s most prestigious residents remain in high demand.

June 24, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

America's Transportation Transformation Plays Out in Los Angeles

In the American city most synonymous with the automobile, car ownership is declining and transit use is increasing. As the country's transportation model enters a decade of profound change, L.A. may provide the 'ultimate test' of the car’s future.

June 21, 2013 - Bloomberg

Hollywood's Twin Towers Get a Haircut, But Will State Objections Block Final Approval?

Two towers set to transform Hollywood's skyline will alter it just a bit less after developer Millennium agreed to lower their proposed heights by more than a dozen stories. The CA Department of Transportation is raising concerns about the project.

June 20, 2013 - Curbed LA

Should Cities Eliminate Free Parking for the Disabled?

Ongoing research from the University of California Transportation Center documents the detrimental effects that free street parking for the disabled has on city coffers and performance pricing systems. Is it time to reconsider such laws.

June 19, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

New Downtown L.A. Park Latest Victory in Mayor's Open Space Initiative

At .7 acres, downtown L.A.'s Spring Street Park isn't likely to invite comparison to the world's great urban parks. But for a city, and neighborhood, starved of quality open space, the new park is a significant achievement.

June 19, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Kicks Off Effort to Retool 67-Year-Old Zoning Code

This week, outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa kicked off an ambitious five-year effort to revise L.A.'s outdated and unwieldy zoning code. The goal of the project is to create an accessible guide for transforming Los Angeles.

June 14, 2013 - Daily News Los Angeles

Does Proposed Merger Signal Planning's Surrender in Los Angeles?

Rick Cole, former City Manager for the City of Ventura CA, analyzes the upcoming merger of the Department of City Planning with the Department of Building and Safety in the City of Los Angeles.

June 13, 2013 - The Planning Report

Ada Louise Huxtable Remembered at Metropolitan Museum of Art Tribute

Architects and architecture critics from across the nation gathered in New York last week to remember the first lady of architecture criticism, Ada Louise Huxtable, who died in January.

June 13, 2013 - Architect

Westside Fights Smart Growth: Can Any Development Navigate L.A.'s Traffic Nightmare?

On the Westside of L.A., where rush hour traffic slows to a crawl on the best days, a proposed transit-oriented development called the 'quintessential example' of smart growth by the Mayor's staff faces opposition to its size and attraction to autos.

June 11, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

L.A. Bike Share Missing in Action; Is New City Ordinance to Blame?

Amid the hoopla over the recent launch of bike-share systems in two of the three largest cities in the U.S., the supposed start of such a system in the nation's second largest city has come and gone without any explanation. What's behind the delay?

June 10, 2013 - LA.Streetsblog

A Transportation Wish List for L.A.'s New Mayor

While outgoing Mayor Villaraigosa has made great strides in building L.A.'s public transit and bicycle culture, there's still room for improvement, argues Harris Silver. He suggests 6 ways to further reduce Angelenos reliance on the automobile.

June 9, 2013 - Huffington Post

Auto Parkit: A Parking Revolution Comes to Urban America

Christopher Alan, founder of Auto Parkit, the only automated parking company in the US competitive with traditional parking, spoke with The Planning Report about how his experience as a real estate developer in LA led to a parking opportunity.

June 6, 2013 - The Planning Report

L.A. Plays Catch-Up to Big City Brethren With Debut of Bus-Only Lanes

One of Los Angeles's most congested corridors may have gotten a bit more congested this week - for autos that is - as the first segment of an eventual 12.5 miles of bus only lanes opened along Wilshire Boulevard.

June 6, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Bypassing L.A.'s Fixation on Cars

In two new exhibits on Los Angeles's modern architectural history - part of the sprawling Pacific Standard Time Presents initiative - the city's infamous infatuation with the automobile is examined and then left behind in the rear-view mirror.

June 3, 2013 - LA Weekly

Removing the Obstacles to Infilling Los Angeles

City leaders from the Mayor on down recognize that infill development is necessary to create a more livable Los Angeles. So why does the public sector allow so many obstacles to stand in the way of small-scale development?

June 1, 2013 - The Architect's Newspaper

Is Frank Gehry Turning His Back on L.A. Architects?

Frank Gehry's "selfish" withdrawal from a planned exhibition on contemporary architecture in Los Angeles, part of a citywide reflection on the discipline's recent history, threatens to derail a debate the city "desperately needs", says Sam Lubell.

May 31, 2013 - The Architect's Newspaper

Pedicabs Pick Up Speed in Southern California

After decades of false starts and resistance, Southern California communities are building on their expanding cycling infrastructure by embracing pedicabs as part of their growing mix of transportation alternatives.

May 28, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

La City Hall Cycling

Will New Mayor Seize the Opportunity to Build a 'Truly Urban' L.A.?

The new mayor of Los Angeles is young, charismatic, and a champion of urbanism and smart growth. He should start using all these assets immediately to transform Los Angeles into the vibrant, transit-oriented city it can become, says Bill Fulton.

May 22, 2013 - California Planning & Development Report

High Above Hollywood, Buying Into the Glamour Without the Grittiness of the Boulevard

With new luxury high-rises sprouting in a densifying Hollywood, and many more on the way, those hawking penthouses priced between $1-$45 million play up the unique amenities and play down the messy reality of a changing neighborhood.

May 21, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

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