Already an epic-scale tragedy, California’s wildfires–consuming a record 4 million acres this year–are effectively shrinking the amount of land available for housing and prompting planners to make tough choices between growth and safety
New RTP/SCS Documents Must Grapple With More Housing
Southern California and Bay Area MPOs must get more aggressive to meet RHNA goals and SB 375 goals.
Los Angeles’ Least Cool Councilmember Kills Its Coolest Street
Los Angeles’s signature street, Melrose Ave., was primed for an upgrade. Then no-fun councilmember Paul Koretz killed the buzz.
Laurel Canyon: The Classic California Urban Ecosystem
Laurel Canyon makes clear that the music that defined American culture was itself defined by a specific place in a specific city—a city that previously had been famous for its supposed lack of culture.
Cities Confront Environmental Justice In General Plans
OPR issues guidelines for implementing SB 1000, which requires local governments to address EJ directly in planning for the first time
Sexism and the City
Leslie Kern’s new book Feminist City will likely ring familiar with women planners — and provide male planners crucial insights for making cities more welcoming and equitable for everyone
Podcast: What’s It Like To Be A Black Planner In California?
CP&DR welcomes a panel of Black planners to share their personal perspectives on the current historical moment and on the future of planning in the era of Black Lives Matter.
Talking Headways Episode 292: The Urban Mystique Part 2
This week we’re back chatting with Josh Stephens, Contributing Editor to the California Planning and Development Report. This week we chat about race, housing, the Olympics, and LA in the movies.
Talking Headways Podcast Episode 291: The Urban Mystique Part 1
This week we’re joined by Josh Stephens, Contributing Editor to the California Planning and Development Report about his new book The Urban Mystique. We had a long conversation about LA, the availability of bars, opposition urban commentators, and historic propositions that might need an update to stay connected to the times.
A Turning Point for Malls
Shopping malls, built as meccas of U.S. retailing and mainstays of suburban life, had been suffering for a decade or more due to a “retail apocalypse” brought on by the rise of online shopping.
CP&DR Podcast: Bill Fulton & Josh Stephens on The Urban Mystique
CP&DR Editor Bill Fulton speaks with Contributing Editor Josh Stephens about his new book, The Urban Mystique: Notes on California, Los Angeles, and Beyond.
What Christo Taught Us About Land Use Policy
A cliche about art is that it is supposed to help people see the world differently. Christo literally made the world look different.
COVID Crisis Revives Tactical Urbanism
Low-cost transformation of streets to public — and restaurant — spaces may help enliven city neighborhoods and revive their sales tax bases
The Urban Mystique: Notes on California, Los Angeles, and Beyond
The first book from veteran urban planning journalist Josh Stephens, The Urban Mystique: Notes on California, Los Angeles, and Beyond covers everything from the minutiae of setbacks, the impacts of transit investments, the promise of smart growth and sustainability, and the precariousness of urban politics in the 21st century.
Planners Should Not Let Density Debate Infect Their Work
Many armchair planners are trying to blame the virus crisis on density. Real planners shouldn’t let them get away with it.
The Dreadful Secret Behind a Nearly Perfect Commercial Strip
Many elements of great, but forbidden, urbanism are on display in a bygone version of Los Angeles
Planning Meetings Move Online
Visual depictions of projects remain an issue — though accessibility might actually be improved for some. Brown Act has been loosened for the duration of COVID-19
Housing Development Likely To Crash Because of COVID
Even entitled buildings won’t be built unless they have financing