The Collaboration
TLUC's E-Newsletter

Sept 24 , 2007

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Join us in reading September’s issue of The Collaboration. This month’s newsletter follows TLUC outreach efforts, offers insights on the current downtown development debates, and covers news on issues related to transportation, land use, and public health.

Sincerely,

Executive Director
Transportation & Land Use Collaborative of Southern California

Community Update Meeting a Success

On August 18, approximately 150 South Gate residents joined City Officials for an information session and fair that focused on recent city improvements and an update on the General Plan process.

The theme for the Community Update 2007 was "Improving the Future of South Gate Together". The meeting, was the sixth community-wide event in a series of workshops that the city is holding as part of the "South Gate General Plan 2030". At the meeting, eager residents learned about upcoming park improvements and renovations, public works projects, community development initiatives, the General Plan update process and more.

For more information visit www.tluc.net or www.sogate.org.

TLUC is seeking enthusiastic and energetic volunteers to assist with community outreach, event planning, and general office assistance.

Volunteers will obtain an excellent understanding of the general plan process, land use and transportation related issues, and hands-on experience with TLUC methodology.

To sign up, please contact Sam Filler, Community Outreach Director at sfiller@tluc.net or (213) 613-0800.

TLUC along with representatives from the Los Angeles American Planning Association is leading a volunteer effort to address Transportation issues at the 2008 California APA Conference, taking place in Los Angeles.

We invite you to join us by attending the next brainstorming meeting where we will discuss local, regional and statewide transportation issues and identify conference panel recommendations.

Transportation Brainstorm and Brown Bag Lunch
Wednesday Oct 10, 2007, 12 - 1 pm
TLUC Offices
417 S. Hill St
Conference Room, 2nd floor
(conveniently located near the METRO Red Line, Pershing Square station)

For more information or to RSVP, please contact Monica Villalobos at mvillalobos@tluc.net or (213) 613-0800.

Creating a Sustainable and Livable Southern California Region

Much of the recent coverage of planning and development in the mainstream press seems to be written with the perspective that the City of Los Angeles and its multitude of neighborhoods can be thought of as separate entities. (See An L.A. Big Enough for Tiny Apartments and L.A. moves toward more N.Y-style downtown)

TLUC OP-ED However, in order for Southern California to be a healthier, more livable, and more sustainable region, we need residents at the neighborhood level to understand and accept broad land use policies needed to achieve our regional goals.

In recent months, L.A.'s Planning Department and planning commission have been pushing more progressive planning policies. Led by Gail Goldberg, the Department is seeking to implement policies that demand better urban design from developers, reduce excessive parking requirements, and allow greater density in places with transit connections, such as Downtown, Hollywood and Koreatown.

Their efforts, however, remain skeleton plans. In order for the a greener, more urban and more livable city to come to life, the policies must be understood and adopted by residents and activists at the most local level.

Unfortunately, mainstream press coverage contributes little to a broader understanding of how land use decisions are made in the City of L.A. For example, the L.A. Times recently covered new zoning codes in downtown L.A., put into place to encourage higher density housing. The new zoning would allow, but not force, developers to build units as small as 250 square feet. This flexibility aims to provide much needed affordable housing. Instead of conveying the potential housing relief to downtown residents, the article was headlined "Your Crackerbox or Mine". A graphic of a Hummer H2 was derisively superimposed over one of these "tiny" units.

Detached single-family homes with yards are a fixture within the American Dream. They are also expensive and unattainable for many Angelenos. One resolution has been to continue to provide this type of housing, but on the urban periphery, promoting long commutes, sprawl and decentralization. These side effects have been normalized and many residents feel that it is simply something they "have to live with" in L.A.

What needs to be introduced in the mainstream is a greater variety of housing options. Along with the option of attaining a single-family home, Angelenos need to be exposed to other living solutions, from mixed-use buildings in Hollywood to condos in downtown LA. Recent initiatives by the Planning Department, including downtown zoning and air rights transfers, reduced parking requirements, and the small lot subdivision ordinance, are all efforts to make it easier for public-private partnerships to provide a greater variety of housing. Still downtown is but one example of efforts needed throughout the region. Now we need residents to answer the call and sustain the demand. Local media and activists must do their part to alert and educate the region.

We can engage in abstract discussions about a broad scale vision for L.A.'s future, a subway to the sea, and light rail lines connecting the San Gabriel Valley to the Westside. But these will remain simply a dinner party conversation without residents understanding alternative land use decisions and knowing how they can contribute to making the greater Los Angeles region more sustainable. The role of community outreach and public education in the process can not be overlooked or understated.

In order for Southern California to gain a coherent vision for its future, the plans must not only be crafted with input from stakeholders, such as homeowners groups and affordable housing advocates and real estate developers, but must be understood and supported by individual residents who live and work in the region. Without their interest and demand for these alternative solutions, the lofty goals in these plans will never be attained, and a more livable, sustainable Southern California will continue to be dream unfulfilled.

News

State regulators propose developing energy self-sufficiency by 2020

Imagine yourself living in a home that was completely energy efficient. Not only would you reap the benefits of a lower energy bill, but you would also be reducing your share of amount greenhouse gases emissions. The California State Legislators is proposing that by 2020 all new housing developments be at "zero net energy".

The Cultural War on Diabetes

Photo Courtesy of msnbc.com

In Los Angeles, planners and public health officials are working hard to strengthen the link between the built environment and public health. The Los Angles County Department of Public Health recently launched a new program, Polices for Livable, Active Communities and Environments (P.L.A.C.E.), designed specifically to explore health/land use connection. Experts in both professions understand that identifying community health risks and behaviors can help inform how we build and design our cities.

A recent article in Newsweek explores the cultural war on diabetes in this country and what two local Los Angeles doctors are doing to help.

Limits Proposed on Fast-Food Restaurants

Drive through South Los Angeles and you'll be hard pressed to find a decent, healthy place to sit down and have a meal. Not only do fast-food restaurants prevail in South Los Angeles, but they also contribute to an unhealthy lifestyle. As a means of promoting health, Councilwoman Jan Perry proposed an ordinance that would limit fast-food restaurants in South L.A. At heart of this issue, is the role that physical design and zoning play in shaping overall community health.