Los Angeles

The Legacy of L.A.'s Former Planning Director

Gail Goldberg recently left the helm of the City of Los Angeles' City Planning Department. AIA Los Angeles takes a look back at her four-year tenure and the positive impacts she made.

August 29, 2010 - AIA Los Angeles

The Tangibility and Viability of L.A.'s 30/10 Plan

The Brookings Institution's Robert Puentes reports back on a recent discussion about Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's 30/10 plan -- the idea to cram 30 years worth of transit investments into 10.

August 28, 2010 - The New Republic

With $46 Million Price Tag, MTA Turnstiles Remain Unlocked

As Los Angeles MTA's plan to fully implement its TAP card program stalls, so does the plan to lock the turnstiles that the agency had installed to deter riders from not paying.

August 27, 2010 - LA Daily News

L.A. To Test Variable Parking Prices

Los Angeles is planning to undertake a year-long experiment in demand-based pricing on parking in its downtown. The dynamic parking system will be put in place next summer.

August 24, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

L.A. Reforms Postwar Zoning Codes

The City of Los Angeles Planning Commission has reintroduced sweeping reform of the zoning codes in an effort to streamline planning processes. "This marks the first overhaul of codes since their last revision in 1946," said City Planner Alan Bell.

August 19, 2010 - Architects Newspaper

The Case Against The Centralized City

Kerwin Datu suggests that transit in cities of the future should no longer be organized around a distinct center. "Rather than think of a city as a centre surrounded by suburbs, think of it as a patchwork of specialised districts woven together."

August 19, 2010 - The Global Urbanist

Campaign Fundraising Holds City Hostage

I wasn't even in Los Angeles yesterday, and for once I'm glad. Everything from my Facebook feed to the morning headlines told me that traffic on the Westside yesterday afternoon was so awful that only a parade of obscenities accompanied by words like "cluster" and "show" would have sufficed to describe it. Hardened locals were driven nearly to tears behind the wheels of their unmoving cars.  The president was in town.

August 17, 2010 - Josh Stephens

The Congestion of Good Intentions in L.A.

The addition of a 10-mile carpool lane to one of Los Angeles' busiest freeways is creating a huge stress on the region's transportation system.

August 17, 2010 - The New York Times

Downturn Helps Downtown L.A. Avoid Gentrification

The crash of the economy happened at the right time for gentrifying downtown Los Angeles, according to this piece from the Los Angeles Times.

August 9, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

L.A.: 'Most Politicized' Planning In The World

An all-star panel of architects, developers and journalists convened to offer advice to L.A.'s new planning director.

August 6, 2010 - California Planning & Development Report

Inception Portrays Architecture As Fantasy

With the exception of Charles Bronson’s architect-turned-vigilante in Death Wish, "to be an architect in a Hollywood film is to inform the audience of certain characteristics: sensitivity, vulnerability and an innate romanticism."

August 6, 2010 - Buildng Design

Michael LoGrande Appointed As Los Angeles' New Planning Director

Chief Zoning Administrator Michael LoGrande has been promoted to director just a few short weeks after his predecessor, Gail Goldberg announced her resignation.

August 5, 2010 - The Architect's Newspaper

How Hollywood Denigrates Characters Who Don't Drive

Tom Vanderbilt explains adroitly "how not having a car became Hollywood shorthand for loser." Why does the film industry have such contempt for the carless?

August 2, 2010 - Slate

Performance Parking

In this radio interview, KQED-FM reporter Kitty Felde interviews UCLA professor and parking guru Don Shoup on what he now calls "performance parking", a form of smart parking that includes congestion pricing used in D.C., SF, and soon LA.

July 28, 2010 - KQED: California Report

L.A.'s New Planning Director

It's been nearly three weeks since Los Angeles Planning Director Gail Goldberg resigned. Now, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has nominated a new director: Michael LoGrande.

July 27, 2010 - California Planning and Development Report

The Suburban Cycle of Life

Adam Meyer describes his parents' and grandparents' experiences growing up in the San Gabriel valley of east Los Angeles and charts the changes that have taken place since they first moved there in the 1950s.

July 25, 2010 - New Geography

Bus Advocates Argue Rail Focused Planning Reduces Overall Transit Ridership in L.A.

Dan Weikel of the L.A. Times suggests that the focus on rail transit at the expense of buses has pushed general transit ridership down in general.

July 24, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

How Accurate Are California's HSR Ridership Figures?

When she read over the ridership estimates behind California's HSR plans, Elizabeth Alexis was expecting to have "obscure arguments over the standard deviations," but instead found glaringly obvious "math" mistakes.

July 23, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

LA and New York in 2030

Newsweek picks the brains of architects to offer these visions of what the cities of New York and Los Angeles will look like in 2030.

July 22, 2010 - Newsweek

Could China Fund L.A. Transit?

With the notion of a national infrastructure bank dead for now and Wall Street reluctant to invest in infrastructure projects, Joel Epstein argues that Chinese investment in L.A.'s 30/10 Transportation and Jobs Initiative is worth considering.

July 22, 2010 - Huffington Post

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.