Los Angeles

Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles

Mike Davis on Life, Politics, and Mortality

The celebrated City of Quartz author speaks with the Los Angeles Times about activism, climate change, and his decision to stop cancer treatment.

July 28, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Street

Could L.A. Be a 15-Minute City?

Advocates argue that even famously car-centric Los Angeles can become a place where residents can easily access their daily needs without getting behind the wheel.

July 25, 2022 - LAist

View of 6th Street Bridge with Los Angeles skyline in background

L.A.’s 6th Street Bridge Bike Lane Disappoints

Bike and pedestrian infrastructure on the much-anticipated new bridge leaves much to be desired, according to advocates.

July 22, 2022 - Curbed

Los Angeles STreet

Can Los Angeles Join the Anti-Gas Station Movement?

A growing number of cities in California have prohibited the construction of new gas stations. Los Angeles could soon consider an ordinance to do the same—in a landmark move for the city some believe to be a symbol of car-dependent sprawl.

July 14, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

View of Los Angeles skyline against a bright orange sky with a palm tree at left

Mapping Heat Inequality

A new mapping tool underscores inequities in infrastructure that lead to higher rates of heat-related illnesses in low-income neighborhoods.

July 14, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

The Griffith Observatory is perched on a hill above Los Angeles, with the city's downtown shown int he distant background. Griffith Park's rolling hills and winding roads are shown in the foreground.

Los Angeles to Test Road Closure Through Scenic Griffith Park

After a driver killed a cyclist on Griffith Park Drive in April, the city of Los Angeles is studying safety upgrades on streets in its famous park. The L.A. Times says the changes are part of a growing movement.

July 12, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

A conceptual rendering of a large development including two high-rises and several smaller buildings.

Skyline-Shifting Development Approved in Los Angeles

The Downtown Los Angeles-adjacent neighborhood of Echo Park is set to get its first towers—including one new building reaching 49 stories.

July 8, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Central Los Angeles

California Approves Revised Los Angeles Housing Element

State officials officially approved the city’s housing plan, which was initially rejected for not doing enough to enhance housing equity.

June 30, 2022 - Urbanize LA

A Gold Line AnsaldoBreda P2550 train enters Mission Station in South Pasadena on February 25, 2012.

Land Banking to Prevent Transit-Oriented Displacement in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will implement a new land banking program to mitigate gentrification and displacement around future transit lines.

June 28, 2022 - Los Angeles Daily News

A cable-stayed bridge designed spans the water of the Los Angeles River, which is placid and dotted with rocks.

A New Master Plan for the Los Angeles River

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to approved a new master plan for the L.A. River—the “Reimagined River.”

June 22, 2022 - Ethnic Media Services

1984 Olympics

L.A. Seeking Funding for New Transit Projects Prior to the 2028 Summer Olympics

Los Angeles officials have been working for years to deliver a suite of transit projects in time for the 2028 Olympics. Planners now hope federal infrastructure funding could reinvigorate the effort.

June 20, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

A homeless encampment fills a sidewalk in front of a Sizzler restaurant advertising Thanksgiving dinner.

L.A.’s New Homelessness Plan: Ban Camping Near Schools, Daycares

The city of Los Angeles is scrambling to keep up with its growing homeless population, and increasingly leaning on punitive measures in response to the crisis.

June 1, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Light Rail Transit Rendering

L.A.'s San Fernando Valley $909 Million Closer to Light Rail

The last time rail transit crossed L.A.'s San Fernando Valley was in the early 1950s.

May 31, 2022 - Los Angeles Daily News

Smog hovers in the air in the background of this image of heavy car traffic on the 405 Freeway near ints intersection with the 710 Freeway in Southern California.

Southern California Freeway Expansion Plans Scrapped

After more than a decade of planning, Caltrans has officially dropped the I-710 Corridor Project, a plan to widen Interstate 710 for a long stretch of the freeway near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

May 30, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Driver Shortage Undercuts the Potential of L.A.’s Recent Bus System Redesign

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority implemented a complete overhaul of its bus system in three waves over the course of 2021. A shortage of drivers for the system has made it impossible to implement that vision.

May 17, 2022 - TransitCenter

A map of the North Hollywood-Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Line.

Controversial North Hollywood-Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Line Approved

A controversial project to connect the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys by bus rapid transit has final approval. Los Angeles, Glendale, Burbank, and Pasadena will have a new connecting transit line as soon as 2024.

May 2, 2022 - LAist

BlueLA electric car, part of a shared fleet

‘Universal Basic Mobility’ Pilot Launches in Los Angeles

A new program will bring electric car sharing, an e-bike library, on-demand shuttles, and other services to South Los Angeles in an effort to give residents more transportation options.

April 28, 2022 - ABC7

Tenants' rights rally in front of Los Angeles City Hall, June 2021

Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to L.A. Eviction Moratorium

With the U.S. Supreme Court refusing to hear the latest challenge to the city’s eviction moratorium, eviction protections in Los Angeles remain in place—for now.

April 19, 2022 - LAist

Facade of Cecil Hotel, Los Angeles

How Adaptive Reuse Can Ease the Housing Crisis

An analysis of Los Angeles properties found that the city could make a significant impact on its housing shortage by converting commercial buildings to housing.

April 7, 2022 - LAist

Google Maps street view of intersection of Romaine and Serrano in Los Angeles, California

DIY Crosswalks Appear in Hollywood

A group claiming the city of Los Angeles fails to protect pedestrians is taking action on their own, painting a set of crosswalks at a busy residential intersection.

April 4, 2022 - NPR

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.