Planetizen
Managing editor of Planetizen, an urban planning and design website; former reporter covering land use and planning issues for Curbed LA and The Architects Newspaper; Outreach and Data Coordinator in the College of Environmental Design at Cal Poly Pomona; former editor of the Planning Report, a monthly land-use and infrastructure development journal
From a Concrete Ditch to a Real Estate Boom After the concrete was poured in the 1930's to make it a flood-control channel, nobody thought much about the LA River. But new events and amenities are attracting visitors, and a $1.3 billion plan for cleanup and restoration took a step forward last month.
Restoring the LA River: Is the Latest Plan Big Enough? The Los Angeles River runs for 32 miles through the City of LA, in a concrete flood control channel that the Army Corps of Engineers started to build in the 1930's. In recent decades, there's been pressure for restoration. Now the Corps has reduced 152 plans down to four, ranging from $346 million to $1 billion.
'Rampture' on the 405 at Wilshire Boulevard There are eight on-and-off ramps where the 405 Freeway meets Wilshire Boulevard on the West side of Los Angeles. Built for a different era, they are notorious for dangerous and time-consuming congestion. In the next few months, all of them are going to be closed for reconstruction — two at a time.
The Valley Performing Arts Center Opens: Are LA’s Suburbs Creating their Own Arts Centers? The Grand Avenue project on Bunker Hill is supposed to put Los Angeles on the cultural map of the world. But the Grand Avenue Authority just gave the Related Companies yet another extension of the deadline to break ground on Phase One. In the meantime, the suburbs—where many lovers of culture reside—are building their own centers.
Update with Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner Austin Beutner has been Los Angeles' First Deputy Mayor since Antonio Villaraigosa appointed him in January. Reportedly, that came at the urging of former Mayor Richard Riordan, Eli Broad and other business and political leaders. Some think Beutner should run for the top job himself when Villaraigosa is termed out in 2013.
Who are the political players in the LA teachers strike? Thousands of LA public school teachers are going to be back out on the picket lines for a second day. They walked off the job Monday after failing to reach a contract agreement with the LA Unified School District, despite months of negotiations.
One year later, the threat of more mudslides still exists One year ago, torrential rain pelted the hillside community of Montecito, which was scorched a month earlier by the Thomas Fire. It unleashed a flow of mud and boulders the size of cars and killed 23 people.
