Think you have an idea or two to help make L.A. easier to get around? The Los Angeles Departments of City Planning and Transportation sure hopes so: They have announced a series of public workshops called "Think Labs" aimed at letting Angelenos have their say and help "envision a new way of moving around the city and using its streets for mobility and beyond." more ›

The City of L.A.'s restrictions on murals does not sit well with most artists. On Monday graffiti artist SABER challenged the moratorium by sky tagging L.A. And now Shepard Fairey, the infamous street artist, is "voicing" his discontent via sticker bomb. more ›

On Thursday, the first architectural renderings for the Diller Scofidio + Renfro designed Broad Art Foundation’s contemporary art museum will be released at a press conference inside Walt Disney Concert Hall, reports Blogdowntown. more ›

Santa Monica was home to the first food truck lot, but, despite its success, it lasted one whole day. The city shut it down over zoning issues and put the concept to study. That was January. more ›

So many of these top ten lists put Los Angeles in a bad light. Not today. The magazine Foreign Policy has named L.A. the 7th most global city, placing us in a club with New York City, Chicago, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney. more ›

If Los Angeles is going to be the greenest city in the nation, making it walkable should be a major part of that effort. Part of walkability is planning a neighborhood or commercial district with the right mix of amenities and destinations. Another part is safety. Because if walking to the nearby grocery store means putting your life overtly at risk, then you're just going to start driving. more ›

Eli Broad may be bringing his museum to Grand Avenue and a new civic center park may be underway, but the massive $3 billion Grand Avenue Project is not going to start in 2011 as planned. Developer Related Cos. wants a two-year extension on the start date, saying that obtaining financing in this weak economy is not panning out, according to the LA Times. more ›

Target is not just taking heat for its large political donation to an anti-gay candidate, its plan to bring a store to Hollywood and Western has drawn enough fire that it's going back to the drawing board, despite approval by the L.A. City Council in June. Facing lawsuits, the company will develop en environmental impact report (EIR), which was never done for the 74-foot store at Hollywood and Western, according to Curbed LA, which digs deep into the issue. more ›

Although he still must be confirmed by the Los Angeles City Council, Michael LoGrande appears to be an agreeable pick to head the Planning Department. With 13 years experience at city hall, the current Chief of Zoning Administration says one of his main goals will be customer service. more ›

As state officials figure out how to put a high speed train under or around Los Angeles State Historic Park (aka the "Cornfield"), another project surrounding the rare piece of downtown open space has been proposed. Owners of the nearby San Antonio Winery have proposed a public-private partnership with Metro, developing a mixed-use space on a thin steep strip of land between Metro Gold Line Tracks and Broadway Avenue (map), according to blogdowntown. more ›

There are already visions of doing it in Hollywood, Santa Monica and Ventura. And Seattle has already done it. But since 2008, thanks to a group of interns and the support of Caltrans and other agencies, there's also a vision to cap a freeway, placing a park above, in downtown Los Angeles. more ›

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa yesterday tapped Christine Essel to head up Los Angeles' redevelopment agency, which has helped bring the city major projects like Hollywood & Highland and smaller ones such as The Farmer's Kitchen. The former industry executive -- she served as Paramount's senior vice president of government and community affairs -- most recently lost a grueling campaign bid... more ›

In an e-mail newsletter, Councilmember Paul Krekorian today reminds us of a project that is four months from breaking ground in Valley Glen. Developers will take a series of now-vacant apartments and turn them into mixed use project, including 100,000 square feet of restaurants and retail, 30,000 feet for a sports club and 100 luxury residential units. But first, there will be facade remodeling of the CVS and Vallerta Market at the Victory Plaza Shopping Center, where a courtyard is also planned. more ›

While Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is making popular headlines for his transportation plans, his appointed head of the Department of Transportation, Rita Robinson, is not doing so well. She came in strong a few years ago, after a great success from running the Bureau of Sanitation, but what she's done with the country's biggest urban landscape of roadways is sad, to say the least. more ›

Following up on a 2005 audit that examined the time and efficiency the Los Angeles Planning Department handles land-use applications, City Controller Wendy Greuel was left disturbed. "Out of all of the audits I have done so far, this is among..." more ›

Across Figueroa from the Staples Center and catty-corner to L.A. Live is a property that could someday be L.A. Central. Originally set to be home of two towers--53 and 37 stories--over 850 market-rate units, a 222-room hotel and 250,000 square feet of retail, the project has seen trouble in past years, but plans are still afoot, even if a bit scaled back reports Eric Richardson at blogdowtown. Today, the property owner of the four-acre site said they have extended financing for the project. more ›

Instead of passing an ordinance regulating medical marijuana today, an embattled Los Angeles City Council instructed the City Attorney's office to write up two versions of the law. At issue is how to restrict the 137 legal dispensaries in neighborhoods--how many feet should they be from sensitive uses like schools and parks and how many feet should thy be from residences? more ›

Today, the Los Angeles City Council is scheduled to make their second and final vote on zoning changes to portions of the Glassell Park and Cypress Park communities. The problem? "Many in the Glassell Park and Cypress Park communities felt these areas had been long neglected from a planning perspective," explained Julie Wong of Council President Eric Garcetti's office. "This addresses some community concerns, including what they feel to be an over-saturation of auto-related businesses and fast food drive throughs." more ›

Bad news for residents of the Hollywood Entertainment Distirct. Whole Foods today told Racked LA that the storefront "planned for the southeast corner of Selma and Vine is on hold until the market takes a better turn." That location is near the mixed apartment complex and the currently under construction W Hotel. more ›

After last week's announcement of a two new commercial, hotel and residential towers by Korean Air, another Southern Korean firm has announced plans for a 43-story downtown skyscraper between Figueroa and Flower streets near the Convention Center, finds the LA Times. It is scheduled to be heard this week by the Los Angeles Planning Commission. And add to that this good news for foodies: As noted last week, the popular Silver Lake restaurant and bar, Malo, plans to open its second location sometime in 2010 below Seven Grand (appropriately at 7th and Grand) in the old Clifton’s Silver Spoon Cafeteria space. Hopefully that means dollar taco Mondays downtown, too. more ›

Just days after Korean Air donated $160,000 to the Million Trees LA initiative, the company announced that they will be demolishing the company-owned Wilshire Grand Hotel and developing a $1 billion development that includes a new hotel, residential and offices. The plans for the complex at 7th and Grand are for a 60-story office building and 40-story hotel that will include 100 residences. "The Downtown office market hasn't seen any additions since the building boom of the 1980s," noted blogdowntown Editor Eric Richardson. more ›

"Let's not forget the local perspective when talking national policies," LA City Council President Eric Garcetti said last night in a telephone press conference about the federal stimulus package going through Washington D.C. right now. "The economic recovery isn't going to happen in Washington, it's going to happen on our streets." more ›

Wrought with the economy hitting them hard and community and city opposition, Home Depot officially announced today that they are done trying to open a store in the Northeast Valley and are dropping their $10 million lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles. more ›

Eric Richardson from blogdowntown was lucky enough to win a little lottery that allowed him to travel the construction elevators up the 26th and 45th floors of LA Live's 56-story hotel and condo tower. Not bad, save for the parking lots below. more ›

Starting November 1st, developers wanting to build in Los Angeles will have some new green rules to play by. Projects of 50,000 square feet or above will now have to meet the intent (that is, do everything but apply and pay for certification) of the US Green Building Council's LEED standards at the Certified Level. Additionally, the mandatory building law includes residential projects of seven or more stories. more ›

Grove and Americana developer Rick Caruso is running for Mayor. No wait, he is not running for Mayor, but he is, oh no he isn't... and so the broken record goes. Today the LA Weekly takes a look at Rick Caruso, his background, his developments and his political aspirations. Some worry as mayor he would turn the city into one big Disneyland-like development with Cheesecake Factories everywhere, but the Weekly looks at the closer into the man who has influenced a lot of what Los Angeles is today. Here's a little from the large profile: more ›

The battle over Proposition T, a ballot initiative Santa Monica voters will be voting on in November, is heating up. $428,879.00 has been raised since June by a group named "Save Our City" to oppose the proposition. 15 of the 37 givers, mainly developers, were from outside the city, according to a document Prop T proponents made. more ›

Today, the Mayor and the four councilmembers who represent the South LA region will be presenting a 96-page common agenda called the South Los Angeles Initiatives (.pdf). They are "intended to facilitate the eventual completion of targeted economic development projects in the area," a brief press release states. "The strategic plan defines, sets targets for, and measures the progress of projects in 10 initiative areas. These areas include business development; jobs and workforce development; increasing housing; improving retail opportunities; and improving neighborhoods and quality of life." more ›

And when you hear that, you might find yourself asking which Realtor came up with that ranking. Luckily, this time there is some creditability behind the designation: the American Planning Association. They "singled out Echo Park because of its breathtaking topography set in the hills above downtown, historic architecture, pedestrian-oriented streets and stairways, and engaged residents who, over the years, have gone to great lengths to protect and preserve their community," according to an APA release (add: their website has more info and history on why EP was chosen) . more ›

The RAND Corporation came out with a study today focusing on short-term transportation policy options that could improve transportation in the city. They based their findings on what they see as the problem of Los Angeles traffic: mainly cheap and abundant parking and polycentricism (various sub-centers instead of one downtown area). And one of the more interesting reasons why traffic reductions are usually temporary seems to be the human psyche: more ›