Blog

So often landscape is written off as a fluff luxury good, something you do when you have a little extra money to make things just a bit prettier. It is yard, flowers, grass, mulch, a fountain, a patio. It is, conventions say, something the leisure classes get to do.  Yet landscape is and needs... Read More →

Written by Ryan Shepard On Saturday, April 14th, urban planning and design practitioners, academics, students, and community members gathered at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena to attend Just Say Oui!, a climate change summit hosted by the Southern California Planning Congress, the Los... Read More →

In California, we have reached a critical point in deciding how we will address the two biggest challenges facing the state—housing and homelessness. While it is not uncommon to hear the word ‘crisis’ used to describe these issues, it’s less common to see bold solutions advanced to reverse the... Read More →

Laughing, talking, and collaborating, the participants at the seven tables quickly became immersed in the Place It task to “Build a City of Belonging” in 15 minutes. Their hands and bodies were busy moving and picking through hundreds of small, colorful, sometimes whimsical objects at their... Read More →

It has been an exciting decade for urban agriculture in Los Angeles. Since 2008, there has been a series of landmark victories that have been fought and won in a recurring pattern: citation, organization, advocacy, legislation. While one could argue that this is an example of democracy at work,... Read More →

Written by Chelsea Richer Recently, I was aimlessly perusing the kid’s section of a bookstore for a birthday gift appropriate for a newly-minted 4-year old, when I came across “Me on the Map.” I was unfamiliar with this title, though I’ve since learned it has been around for a while. My first... Read More →

The trend toward urban living in America is one that is continuing to fundamentally impact our cities. Perhaps the area where there has been the most change in the last ten years is in urban mobility. With transit improvements, young people especially have begun to move away from single... Read More →

By Ashley Atkinson, AICP Director, APA Los Angeles (2016-2019) Earlier this week, I commenced my second term as Section Director by kicking off our first-ever strategic planning process. In the coming months, our Board will be working with a consultant to lay out a vision for the future of APA... Read More →

  By CivicSpark Fellows Jonathan Dolan & Jose Torres  The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) held their Annual Meeting and Expo October 20-23, 2017 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Two CivicSpark Water Action Fellows, representing the City of Culver City, were in... Read More →