Driving Toward Bankruptcy? L.A. Is Almost There
01.21.2026
We should be designing Los Angeles for 2075, not 1975.
We should be designing Los Angeles for 2075, not 1975.
Los Angeles
As Disney Hall Showed, Frank Gehry’s Los Angeles Was Urban, but Not Urbanist
12.30.2025
Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. should be one of the great streets in the world. Instead, it’s got a bunch of starchitect monuments strung along it.
Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. should be one of the great streets in the world. Instead, it’s got a bunch of starchitect monuments strung along it.
Los Angeles and the Density Paradox
11.12.2025
The city is already overloaded with cars, yet it lacks the density needed for transit to work effectively. Moving beyond this stalemate is essential.
The city is already overloaded with cars, yet it lacks the density needed for transit to work effectively. Moving beyond this stalemate is essential.
Letter From Los Angeles: ICE Raids and Fear Cloud Rebuilding Efforts
08.20.2025
The Trump administration’s actions are slowing, and possibly undoing, progress toward repairing scorched communities.
The Trump administration’s actions are slowing, and possibly undoing, progress toward repairing scorched communities.
Letter From Los Angeles: The Unsettling Silence of Construction Sites
06.16.2025
What happens when the people who will rebuild burned-out L.A. are afraid to come to work?
What happens when the people who will rebuild burned-out L.A. are afraid to come to work?
Why Hollywood and the Housing Industry Need Each Other
06.09.2025
In addition to sharing many inherent traits, the fortunes of the former depend on the affordability of the latter.
In addition to sharing many inherent traits, the fortunes of the former depend on the affordability of the latter.
Can Quality Solve L.A.’s Housing Crisis?
05.19.2025
QUIMBY—Quality In My Backyard—is a movement to harness the urgency of YIMBYs to build neighborhoods that even NIMBYs can love.
QUIMBY—Quality In My Backyard—is a movement to harness the urgency of YIMBYs to build neighborhoods that even NIMBYs can love.
After the Ashes in LA: “The Future Is Right in Front of You”
04.16.2025
Rebuilding doesn’t have to mean sterile development. Just look at the innovative and resilient ways people are already doing it.
Rebuilding doesn’t have to mean sterile development. Just look at the innovative and resilient ways people are already doing it.
Lessons From Katrina for Citizen Planners in L.A., Asheville, and Florida
03.25.2025
Planning’s “me-centered” ethos needs to become a “we-centered” approach.
Planning’s “me-centered” ethos needs to become a “we-centered” approach.
Gentle Density: A Housing Approach to Thwart NIMBY Resistance
03.19.2025
In the wake of the L.A. fires, a different strategy is required.
In the wake of the L.A. fires, a different strategy is required.
Letter From Los Angeles: Aftermath Musings
02.11.2025
Fear and loathing in the burned-out communities of Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Altadena.
Fear and loathing in the burned-out communities of Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Altadena.
L.A.’s Cultural Crescent and the Land That Draws People to It
01.22.2025
The City of Angels is that rare metropolis where landscape shapes ways of being.
The City of Angels is that rare metropolis where landscape shapes ways of being.
How Should Architects Respond to the L.A. Conflagration?
01.16.2025
The lesson here might be: listen first, design second.
The lesson here might be: listen first, design second.
O.J. and L.A.
04.29.2024
What the iconic car chase revealed about Southern California’s landscape.
What the iconic car chase revealed about Southern California’s landscape.
Awesome and Affordable: Making the Case for Great Housing
02.06.2024
A new project in Los Angeles highlights the challenges—and the opportunities.
A new project in Los Angeles highlights the challenges—and the opportunities.
Dear Mayor Bass: Los Angeles Can’t Double Down on Past Mistakes
01.17.2023
The homeless crisis is just part of a larger problem: our suburban form.
The homeless crisis is just part of a larger problem: our suburban form.
The Metaverse Lands in Downtown Los Angeles
12.13.2021
On Staples Center becoming Crypto.com Arena.
On Staples Center becoming Crypto.com Arena.
No, Los Angeles Is Not a City-State
06.03.2021
A recent Atlantic essay and new book gets LA all wrong (again).
A recent Atlantic essay and new book gets LA all wrong (again).
A Less Atomized, More Communitarian Los Angeles? Low-Rise Winners Point the Way
05.16.2021
Christopher Hawthorne, L.A.’s Chief Design Officer, on new directions in density and housing.
Christopher Hawthorne, L.A.’s Chief Design Officer, on new directions in density and housing.
Alissa Walker: Echo Park and the Housing Crisis in Los Angeles
04.04.2021
What the recent mass eviction of the homeless means for the city.
What the recent mass eviction of the homeless means for the city.
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