Downtown Los Angeles

View of Los Angeles skyline on sunny day with palm trees in foreground

Los Angeles Finalizing Three Long-Awaited Community Plan Updates

Los Angeles is poised to approve a trio of long-planned zoning code updates—for the neighborhoods of Boyle Heights, Downtown, and Hollywood—as the first test cases for a new citywide zoning code update known as re:code LA.

May 1, 2023 - Urbanize LA

Broadway Los Angeles

L.A. Officials to Look at Possibility of Car-Free Downtown Broadway

Los Angeles may follow in San Francisco’s footsteps by banning cars along a stretch of a downtown thoroughfare.

February 19, 2020 - Curbed Los Angeles

Pershing Square

L.A.'s Pershing Square Headed for Redesign

The first phases of a plan to remake the downtown Los Angeles plaza into a more inviting, accessible public space are going to kick off soon.

February 16, 2020 - Curbed Los Angeles

Los Angeles

Temporary Trailers Will House Homeless in Downtown L.A.

If approved, a City Council motion would mark a shift in how Los Angeles deals with a rising number of homeless residents.

January 23, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

6th Street Viaduct

A Bold Housing Vision for the L.A. River

An unsolicited proposal from the engineering firm reimagines a stretch along the L.A. River as a mixed-use mega-development, rich in housing and jobs.

October 28, 2017 - The Architect's Newspaper

Los Angeles

Los Angeles Union Station Plan Creates Multimodal Access to Downtown L.A.

When it comes to trains, trams, and buses, L.A.'s Union Station is "the most transit-accessible location in Southern California." Soon, it will finally connect to its own neighborhood.

September 29, 2017 - The Planning Report

California

New Community Plan Poises Downtown L.A. for Transformation

In addition to a contemporary vision for Downtown, the plan debuts a new approach to zoning that could help transform the entire city.

August 10, 2017 - The Planning Report

Protest Crowd

L.A. Metro CEO Challenges Trump on Infrastructure Funding

President Trump’s most recent transportation budget is projected to cut transportation spending by 13 percent, potentially undercutting many of Los Angeles' ambitious projects to continue the build-out of a full public transportation system.

July 3, 2017 - The Planning Report

DTLA Mural

The Rise of Corporate Murals in LA

Downtown Los Angeles, styled DTLA by its new enthusiasts, has long been a site for street art and murals of dubious legality. Now, developers are paying artists to paint them.

May 16, 2017 - Los Angeles Downtown News

Downtown Los Angeles

Map: The Towers Changing the L.A. Skyline

In Los Angeles, Curbed has declared 2016 "the year of the skyscraper."

March 2, 2017 - Curbed LA

L.A. Streetcar

Route Approved for Downtown Los Angeles Streetcar

Construction on the Downtown Los Angeles Streetcar could begin as soon as 2018.

December 6, 2016 - Studio City Patch

The gentrifying street-scape of the South Park neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles, California

Downtown L.A.'s Chinese Real Estate Cycle

Chinese developers are pouring money into high-rise housing projects in Los Angeles. But will these be pieds-a-terre for absent buyers? And how are developers dealing with the American regulatory environment?

September 29, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Arts District

Building a Thriving Economy in Downtown L.A.’s Historic Fashion District

As Downtown L.A. sees an impressive renaissance, learn how the Fashion District in L.A. spurred growth through piloting the first-ever "Business Improvement District" program.

June 24, 2016 - The Planning Report

Arts District

The Arts District and the 'Missed Opportunity' of Planning in L.A.

Downtown L.A.'s Arts District transformed from an industrial sector to a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood. Now, the community's attempts to protect their vision from haphazard development illuminate Los Angeles's broken planning process.

May 29, 2016 - The Planning Report

Pershing Square

L.A.'s New Pershing Square Will Be 'Radically Flat'

After stakeholder engagement and an international design competition, Agence Ter's plan for "radical flatness" has been selected to replace downtown L.A.'s current Pershing Square. The preferred alternative is, above all, simple.

May 21, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Pershing Square

Los Angeles to Redesign Its 'Worst Public Space'

Josh Stephens reports on the Pershing Square Renew Design Challenge, an effort to redo one of the "world's worst squares and plazas." The new Pershing Square may hearken back to the years before its misguided 1992 redesign.

December 22, 2015 - Next City

A Rare Interview With One of L.A.'s Most Controversial Developers: Geoff Palmer

Prolific and infamous developer Geoff Palmer rarely gives interviews. So it was an occasion when he appeared before an audience at the Lorenzo, his lavish student-housing complex, to recount the philosophy and practice of his controversial legacy.

November 6, 2015 - The Planning Report

LA Crime Scene

Still Gritty: Crime Wave in Downtown Los Angeles

As people and jobs stream into the district, downtown's long-simmering problems butt up against vigorous urban renewal. Crime is up, but so are property values.

September 23, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Streetcar Moving Along in Downtown Los Angeles

The Los Angeles City Council voted to allow the Los Angeles Streetcar project to begin preliminary engineering.

June 21, 2015 - Urbanize LA

New Designs for Los Angeles Convention Center Expansion Revealed

New renderings for Populous & HMC Architects winning proposal give a close-up look at the new-and-improved Los Angeles Convention Center.

June 20, 2015 - Urbanize LA

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.