Los Angeles architect Roger Sherman is trying to help guide the car-centric L.A. area into harmonious coexistence with the state's planned high speed rail.
Sherman is looking at a variety of scenarios for Anaheim, Norwalk, and Burbank that would react in various ways to the impact of high speed rail on those communities.
"Some municipalities are turning to New Urbanism for quick-fix solutions on how to integrate high-speed rail into cities. Sherman positions himself as a distinct alternative to that. New Urbanism seems a bit too paint-by-numbers for him. 'The New Urbanist approach is more like a template that they can develop quickly, so it is the method favored by planners that have already been hired by a lot of cities because they're trying to impress [high-speed rail advocates] with their level of preparedness.'
'The New Urbanist credo would be mixed-use, mixed-use, mixed-use,' he says. 'But building mixed-use housing makes no sense if you don't have reason to believe a lot of people are going to live there and use high-speed rail. High ticket prices really affect the dynamics as to who, realistically, will use it,' Sherman cautions. 'Because of this cost, it can't be looked at as something that would be akin to typical commuter rail,' he reasons."
FULL STORY: Preparing the Automobile City for High-Speed Rail

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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