Community leaders say a design district in Westlake could pave the way for the erasure of L.A's Historic Filipinotown.
Design standards recently drafted by the Los Angeles Planning Department are meant to promote mixed-use and pedestrian-oriented development along four major corridors in the Westlake area.
But community leaders worry that new aesthetic guidelines will encourage the sort of speculative investment that, without tenant protections, they say can lead to rising rents and evictions of low-income residents. The Coalition to Defend Westlake, led by the LA Tenants Union, called the proposal an entrée into "fancy galleries and expensive micro pubs and over-priced lofts."
Already, the Westlake/MacArthur Park area—recently thought to be gentrification-resistant—is anticipating a slate of high-profile projects that the coalition believes could jeopardize the community of Historic Filipinotown, whose official recognition was hard-won by local leaders in 2002.
The design ordinance is still subject to revision. But it "gets very detailed," Bianca Barragan notes, "going so far as to prohibit certain types of signs" and to require that large walls feature original murals or green coverings.
FULL STORY: Creating a ‘design district’ in Westlake is bound to cause displacement, activists say
Judge Tosses Area Planning Commission Decision on Controversial South L.A. Project
The California Housing Accountability Act, approved by the State Legislature in 2017, is cited in a court ruling that soundly rebuffs the decision by the South Los Angeles Area Planning Commission to veto a controversial project.
Developer Sues L.A. After Area Planning Commissioners Reject Multi-Family Project
A development controversy also now an expanding legal controversy, after a local planning commission rejected a controversial development proposal allowed by zoning.
Controversial Housing Development Nixed in South L.A.
The local planning commission for South Los Angeles rejected a controversial multi-family housing development proposed for a location adjacent to a future light rail station.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service