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
Sexism and the City
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.
Do Black Lives Matter to Homeowners?
I can’t speak for disadvantaged communities directly, but we know that many residents are wary of development, even though housing is short tens of thousands of units in Los Angeles and millions of units across the state.
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
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
Solvang Reconsidered
We’re supposed to hate Solvang’s kitsch. But it’s got great bones — for several blocks in all directions
YIMBYism’s Golden Moment
In Golden Gates, Conor Dougherty chronicles the rise of the YIMBY movement and California’s battle over housing — with the aplomb of an East Bay skateboarder
What’s On The March 2020 Ballot?
A typical jumble of land-use measures — but they suggest California’s future direction
How Los Angeles Landed Its First Olympics
Barry Siegel’s new book about the 1932 Olympics shows how much chutzpah counted in early Los Angeles
New Housing Laws Bring Design Standards to Fore
To cut down on discretionary review, new housing laws require cities to approve housing projects so long as they conform to “objective” design standards. Cities are scrambling to draft standards that promote housing and promote desired aesthetic goals
Wiener Loses Again. Or Does He?
SB 50 went down in flames once more. But the bill gave the state cover for other bills that would otherwise would have been considered radical. And RHNA is forcing upzoning all over the state.
Top California Planning Stories of the 2010s
CP&DR’s retrospective of the triumphs, failures, and tensions that influenced California’s built environment in the 2010s
Bidding Unhappy Trails to the Old Retail Landscape
The “retail apocalypse” has claimed a particularly unfortunate victim: the homegrown outdoor equipment chain Adventure 16. California’s cities and wilderness are both worse off