Blogs
Department of Urban Planning Blogs
Select a Department
October 24, 2012
Click below to read Professor Donald Shoup's op ed piece on disabled parking placard abuse in the October 22, 2012 edition of the Los Angeles Timeshttp://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-shoup-disabled-parking-abuse-20121022,0,5000059,print.storyParking fees that rise and fall with demand can reduce cruising, but new
flexible programs in San Francisco and Los Angeles suffer from a
problem that is rampant throughout the state: disabled placard abuse.
California allows...
June 13, 2012
Donald Shoup was quoted in an article in the New York Times commenting on the new parking meter system in Santa Monica. The system resets the time
on each parking meter to zero the moment a car pulls out of a space. City officials say the changes are devised to make street parking more efficient by turning over spaces more quickly. However, Shoup sees Santa Monica’s plan as a pale imitation of the more ambitious plans in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
“I don’t...
August 24, 2011
LA.StreetsBlog.org featured a conversation with Urban Planning Professor Donald Shoup about downtown L.A.s' new ExpressPark system.The yearlong ExpressPark program, slated to begin next summer, will use new meters and a network of wireless pavement sensors to keep track of
parked vehicles in real time. The program will feature adjustable parking rates, or "dynamic pricing." When parking demand increases, meter rates increase; when demand drops,
rates drop.
July 18, 2011
As the Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa declared "mission accomplished," many got a taste for the 405 freeway once again. The Carmageddon shut down of the 405 during the past weekend illuminated what many thought to be a potentially bad situation for commuters throughout southern California. Attributed the job to a number of efforts, the Los Angeles Times reports that"[M]uch praise was heaped on Southern California drivers who stayed off the
freeways and city streets in, perhaps, the...
May 24, 2011
"It does sort of invite this corruption and is a disservice to other motorists" - Michael ManvilleSome may regard their local parking
enforcement workers as people who swarm upon vehicles once their sessions
expire, and ticket them not a minute too late. While this notion serves public
good and acts as a significant revenue to cities that could use the funding in
budget crises, many cities have overlooked disabled parking patrons. As it
turns out, the California Department of Motor Vehicles...
May 23, 2011
Predicting climate changes in our near future can be a difficult task,
considering all the data and the numbers there maybe to crunch, the
socio-economic impacts to go over, and fluctuations in weather to
monitor. Noting that “cities adapt or they go away," the New York Times
recently looked into the changes that we will be feeling in the near
future. The article highlighted how cities like Chicago will now
experience subtropical climate in the coming century, and will undergo
new...
April 19, 2011
Urban Planning student Alek Bartrosouf was recently published in the Los Angeles Times for promoting the use of sustainable gardens in Glendale. Bartrosouf's efforts in creating the nonprofit Coalition for a Green Glendale and working with the City of Glendale, has sparked many positive reactions. Moreover, the garden has been deemed "water certified" by Glendale Water and Power. More about Bartrosouf's efforts can be read in the article here.
March 27, 2011
Among the many incentives to take public transportation like rising gas prices, NexTrip is a new app being displayed to Metro users throughout Los Angeles. It shows projected times for bus arrivals and travel times. Read more about what being deemed a "big time saver" here.
March 26, 2011
Proposed changes by the Los Angeles Metro Board have cut a number of programs, including bus lines that potentially impacts the Bus Riders Union, the elderly, and the lower-income population. These routes, that potentially assist disadvantaged groups, were part of a discussion on local show Which Way LA? with Warren Olney. Urban Planning Professor and Institute of Transportation Studies Director Brian Taylor explained why the Metro Board of Directors is making cutback and drastic choices....
February 24, 2011
In light of infamous westside congestion, and pursuit of advocating cycling as a viable option for transport, Urban Planning student Omari Fuller recently organized an event known as "Lovebirds to LAX." The route, highlighted by the ride down Sepulveda from Westwood to Los Angeles International Airport, seeks to advocate a number of interesting elements normally unseen by drivers. View more information about this ride and the far-reaching efforts by fellow Bruin Urban Planners here.What I want...