2020 unexpectedly generated more writing about urban planning in the mainstream media than any other year in recent memory. And not for pleasant reasons. The COVID-19 pandemic brought urban life to a halt, inspiring news articles and photo essays about newly desolate streets, strained finances, and imperiled businesses.
No Matter How You Calculate It, We Need A Lot Of Housing
Does the Embarcadero Institute’s push to lower the state’s housing need from 2 million to 1 million really change anything?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Solvang Reconsidered
We’re supposed to hate Solvang’s kitsch. But it’s got great bones — for several blocks in all directions
On Tea and Density in Old Delhi
The best tea shop in Old Delhi is not a shop at all. It’s a cart, a bottle of propane, a guy, and his assistant…
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.
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
Mobility Revolution Arriving Fast … and Slow
Advances in mobility technologies — from electric cars to robotic shopping carts — are dazzling. But planners will be hard-pressed to predict which ones will prevail.
The Coming Uberapocalypse
If the Uberpocalypse (Lyftaclysm?) transpires, cities are going to find themselves time-warped back to 2009
Thunberg’s Voyage May Be a Stunt, But She Has a Point for Planners
If we can rebuild our cities according to those models, with an eye towards human scale and away from the automobile, Americans won’t need to travel abroad just so they can find a decent sidewalk cafe.
Stalled California housing bill could give architects chance to redesign the state’s cities
The quality of design that follows the passage of the next version of SB 50 will, without exaggeration, determine the look, feel, and function of California cities for at least the next generation.
Sometimes Civic Ambition Should Aim Lower
The San Jose tower falls into the all-too-common trap of mistaking a skyline for a city.