Chris Stines is Planetizen's former Editor and the founder of Urban Insight, a leading digital agency. Chris has 25 years of experience in technology consulting and urban planning and has served as a consultant to public sector state, county, and local agencies, Fortune 500 private firms, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations.
A Scathing Rebuke For LA's Building Department?
The Los Angeles City Controller issues a 235-page audit of the city's Department of Building and Safety. While the report appears to be highly critical, a close reading indicates most problems result from chronic understaffing.
The Politics of Sky-High House Prices
In Reason magazine's Joel Miller examines the ways the government causes increases in the price of owning a home. He finds that permit delays "of six months can add nearly $7 per square foot to the price of a house.
Coverage Of Rob Lowe's Mega Mansion Leads To Newspaper Implosion
The wealthy, reclusive owner of the Santa Barbara News-Press rebukes editors for coverage of an article about actor Rob Lowe's petition to build a mega-mansion. It's the latest in a series of problems that leads to an 'editorial bloodbath'.
Bjorn Lomborg's Latest Global Warming Experiment
The WSJ's Kimberly Strassel interviews Bjorn Lomborg on his latest economic exercise -- asking eight U.N. ambassadors to prioritize global projects. Global warming ends up at the bottom. Again.
Friday Funny: Could A Goldfish Survive In Water From L.A. River?
The Los Angeles Times sets up a Goldfish cam and two goldfish -- Little Antonio and Little Ed -- named after the mayor and a city councilman) to see if fish can live in a tank filled with water from the Los Angeles River.