Los Angeles

A map of the construction project to build two new rail transit routes through Downtown Los Angeles.

Newly Opened Regional Connector Redefines Light Rail Transit in Los Angeles

Three rail lines have become two rail lines in Los Angeles, providing one-seat rides from four corners of Los Angeles County.

June 21, 2023 - Mass Transit

Traffic and green freeway signs with Santa Monica and LAX destinations on Interstate 405 in Los Angeles, California

L.A. Metro Pushes for More Freeway Expansion Funds

After the last expansion project, traffic on I-405 only got worse. Metro wants to try again.

June 16, 2023 - Streetsblog LA

San Francisco Apartments

Enforcing Housing Discrimination Laws Falls Largely on Tenants, Nonprofits

With few enforcement mechanisms even in cities that have bans on source-of-income discrimination on the books, it’s up to nonprofit lawyers and tenants to sue landlords for retribution.

May 31, 2023 - Next City

Traffic on the 405 interstate freeway through the Sepulveda Pass at Getty Center Drive in Los Angeles, California

Congestion Pricing Could Be Coming to L.A.

The infamously car-centric city is weighing a proposed congestion pricing pilot program to reduce traffic and encourage public transit use.

May 30, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

Blue Art Deco 13-story tiled Eastern Building in downtown Los Angeles

Los Angeles Reveals New Citywide Adaptive Reuse Proposal

An adaptive reuse ordinance limited to the city’s downtown core helped create roughly 12,000 units of new housing.

May 25, 2023 - Los Angeles Department of City Planning

Large single-family homes on hillside in Los Angeles, California

Well Intended Housing Tax Could Wreak Havoc in L.A.

A new transfer tax that intends to fund affordable housing might end up crushing Los Angeles's multifamily market—at exactly the wrong time.

May 8, 2023 - California Planning & Development Report

View of Los Angeles skyline on sunny day with palm trees in foreground

Los Angeles Finalizing Three Long-Awaited Community Plan Updates

Los Angeles is poised to approve a trio of long-planned zoning code updates—for the neighborhoods of Boyle Heights, Downtown, and Hollywood—as the first test cases for a new citywide zoning code update known as re:code LA.

May 1, 2023 - Urbanize LA

Metro Subway Los Angeles

Opinion: To Improve Transit Safety, Boost Ridership

Research links high ridership levels with lower crime, signaling that, rather than introducing new security measures, transit agencies should focus on bringing riders back to their systems.

April 28, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

Welc_me to Fabulous Las Vegas

Bipartisan Lawmakers Support L.A.-to-Vegas Train

Legislators from California and Nevada are calling on Secretary Buttigieg to support a private effort to build a high-speed rail line between Southern California and Las Vegas.

April 27, 2023 - Associated Press

Close-up of woman drinking boba bubble tea through straw

Boba as a Symbol of Identity and Culture

The Chinese American Museum in L.A. currently features an exhibit exploring the drink’s journey from the cassava root in South America, to the tapioca balls in the Taiwanese confection, and back to the U.S. as a symbol of Asian American identity.

April 18, 2023 - KCRW

Protestors gather with signs that read “Don’t Evict My Neighbors.”

Eviction Protections Expire in Los Angeles County as Evictions Rise Around the U.S.

L.A.’s pandemic-era renter protections are credited with stabilizing homelessness in the region, but they ended at the end of March. Meanwhile, evictions are on the upswing around the country, led by L.A.’s neighbor to the east, Las Vegas.

April 11, 2023 - LAist

A homeless encampment is set up outside a transit station, next to bike share stations and a ticket dispenser.

The Deepening Transit Crisis: L.A. Times Reports Drug Use on Transit

An article by the L.A. Times earlier this week has raised the temperature of the debate about drug users and crime on rail transit. Concerns about public safety on transit are a common symptom of post-pandemic transit around the country.

March 17, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

View down a Los Angeles street with cars and tall palm trees on both sides

Study: L.A.’s Wealthier Residents ‘Export’ Air Pollution to Poorer Neighborhoods

Residents of Los Angeles who drive less are exposed to higher rates of air pollution due to policies that have encouraged commuting through low-income neighborhoods.

March 7, 2023 - USC Sol Price School of Public Policy

Skid Row Los Angeles

Financial Dire Straights for L.A.’s Skid Row Housing Trust

Terrible news about the financial situation at one of L.A.’s most prominent homeless service providers broke earlier this month.

February 22, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

Unhoused tents under shade canopies in downtown Los Angeles, California

Extreme Heat Responsible for Growing Death Rates Among Unhoused People

Extreme heat events like the ‘heat dome’ that baked Southern California last summer kill a disproportionate number of people experiencing homelessness, who have fewer resources to protect themselves from the scorching sun.

February 21, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles

New All-Affordable Zone Proposed for L.A.’s Skid Row

A Los Angeles Times editorial argues that Skid Row’s future should learn from the mistakes of the past.

February 16, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

Close-up of pedestrian crossing button at a crosswalk in Los Angeles

Tactical Urbanism Makes Strides in L.A.

A DIY urbanism group in Los Angeles has successfully prompted the city to install permanent crosswalks at dangerous intersections, despite the city’s insistence that the group’s do-it-yourself work is illegal.

February 14, 2023 - LAist

Outdoor dining patio in street in Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, surrounded by white picket fence

Proposed Outdoor Dining Ordinance Could Decimate L.A.’s ‘Al Fresco’ Dining

Restaurant owners say the new regulations proposed by the city for installing and maintaining outdoor dining areas would put them out of reach for many businesses.

February 9, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

Green Line, Los Angeles

Rail Transit Plans Would Connect L.A.’s South Bay to the Regional Rail System

Two new transit extensions promise several new routes for South Bay residents to access the Los Angeles region’s transit system.

February 8, 2023 - The Source

Rendering of landscaped street with street trees and pedestrian sidewalk

South L.A. Complete Streets Project Back on Track

First proposed in 2015, the Broadway-Manchester redesign would add bike infrastructure, pedestrian improvements, trees, and other amenities.

February 7, 2023 - Urbanize LA

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.