Monday, April 30, 2012

Generational Projections of the California Population By Nativity and Year of Immigrant Arrival

California Demographic Futures - Third In a Series of Projections

Generational Projections of the California Population By Nativity and Year of Immigrant Arrival
Pop Dynamics Research Group
John Pitkin & Dowell Myers

Copies of all project reports are downloadable from the website of the Population Dynamics Research Group, Sol Price School of Public Policy

Questions on technical details should be directed to Research Director, popdynam@usc.edu


OP ED The Next Mayor of Los Angeles 050112.docx Download this file

Friday, April 27, 2012

JOB OPPORTUNITY: LA County Public Health Dept - PLACE Program is hiring

Dear Colleague,

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health PLACE Program is looking for enthusiastic, hard working policy analysts to promote healthy eating/active living policy change and implementation. Applicants should be passionate about partnering with cities and communities to develop policies that create healthy communities.  See blurb below and job announcement attached.  Applicants should send a resume and cover letter to rmckenzie@ph.lacounty.gov  Please forward to your networks.  Thank you! 

 

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Choose Health LA (CHLA) is funded by the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) through a contract with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) and Maxim Staffing.  The goal of CHLA is to prevent chronic disease and reduce health disparities in the county’s population through interventions that create healthy and safe environments and improve access to evidence-based clinical preventive services.  Three Policy Analysts will be assigned to the PLACE Program (Policies for Livable Active Communities and Environments) within DPH.  These positions will manage healthy eating/active living (HEAL) initiatives under Choose Health LA, aimed at reducing obesity through the development and implementation of strategies that promote physical activity and healthy eating. The Policy Analysts will serve as technical experts, management consultants, and liaisons to community and city partners working toward policy passage and implementation.

PLACE Policy Analyst Job Announcement - April 2012.pdf Download this file

Los Angeles’ Expo Line: A Cautionary Tale For Building Rail

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Vertical Content V1.7

Vertical_Content_v1.7.pdf Download this file

RFQ/P for the Sixth Street Viaduct - DTLA

CITY OF LOS ANGELES   
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS   
BUREAU OF ENGINEERING  

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS/PROPOSAL 
FINAL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE SIXTH STREET VIADUCT REPLACEMENT PROJECT


RFQ_P-Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement.pdf Download this file

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Two demographers, Dowell Myers and Joel Kotkin, on the future of California: it ain’t looking good


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

City of LA :: Business Tax Reform

In the year 2010, Los Angeles supported only 1,650,417 jobs, even though our population was at 3,792,621.  That means 2,142,204 were not working, either because of age or lack of opportunity.  I'm sure today's #'s are very similar, as well.  If only 43% of our community is working, then only 43% of our community is supporting the financial impact of our essential services.

If we want to have a sustainable city - one that is economically competitive with other world-class destinations - then we need to find a way to better balance those numbers.  One way to create more jobs is by attracting more businesses to locate in Los Angeles, and one way to do that is to make it more desirable to live here (better urban design, better architecture)  and to make it more lucrative to operate your business here.  

If you have a chance, tomorrow morning go down to City Hall and advocate your support for phasing out the gross receipts tax, which is an essential next step for ensuring our city's competitiveness for future generations.

Yours truly,

Will Wright, Hon. AIA|LA
Director, Government & Public Affairs
AIA Los Angeles

BTAC_NewGRTEliminationReport4.18.12.pdf Download this file

clkcommitteeagend281176744_04252012.pdf Download this file

New legislative effort underway to develop public access to the L.A. River


Monday, April 23, 2012

New Summary Report on California’s Law to Streamline Environmental Review of Infill Projects


Thursday, April 19, 2012

Los Angeles Zoning Code Revision at PLUM 4/24 at 2 PM

Help us spread the word by forward this information to anyone you feel might be interested.

The City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning has developed a proposal to embark on one of the City’s biggest planning initiatives to date: a comprehensive revision of the City’s Zoning Code.

The proposal is currently scheduled to go before the Planning & Land Use Management Committee this Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 2:30 PM in the John Ferraro Council Chamber, Room 340, City Hall.  We anticipate being one of the first items on the agenda, but that is, as always, subject to change.  We hope to see you there.

The current Zoning Code was first adopted in 1946, and has grown from an 84-page pamphlet to a 600+ page book does not reflect our 21st Century needs or vision.  The proposal will result in a new Zoning Code that:
  • Establishes clear & predictable language
  • Offers a wider variety of zoning options
  • More effectively implement the Goals & Objectives of General Plan and Community Plans
  • Accommodates the City’s current and future needs
  • Reflects the diversity of Los Angeles and allow each neighborhood to maintain distinct sense of place
  • Improves sustainability, economic vitality, & quality of life
  • Is an economic development tool that will help shore up the City’s tax base
The five-year work program includes three major deliverables:
  • Dynamic Web-Based Zoning Code - Clear & Predictable Code that allows for customized/interactive on-line experience
  • Layperson’s Guide to Zoning - Easy-to-Read Guides that help people navigate regulations & procedures
  • Unified Downtown Development Code - New Zoning Tools for revitalization of Downtown within first 24-30 months of the program; ensure it is poised to lead the charge for Los Angeles’s economic recovery
Below are links to the Department's funding request which outlines the work program and budget plan. We hope that you support these efforts and look forward to working with you all on this endeavor.

Council File No. 12-0460

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Density & Transportation in Los Angeles

Monday, April 16, 2012

Op-Ed: How Design Drives Urban Change

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Design Trust logo (in taxi yellow)

OP-ED: 

The Taxi of Tomorrow Is Great, But New York Needs More Design Thinking 

 

In today's New York Observer, Design Trust executive director Susan Chin and Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum board chair Paul Herzan champion the power of design to drive urban change. Full text is below. 

 

The considerable buzz around the unveiling of the Taxi of Tomorrow prototype at the 2012 New York International Auto Show reflects not only the ownership that the people of New York City feel for "their car," but also demonstrates a passionate concern many New Yorkers have for the design of their city and public space.  What makes the Taxi of Tomorrow so significant for New York as its first purpose-built cab is the many improvements for passenger and driver, achieved through an unlikely partnership between the taxi community and the design community-made possible by the Design Trust for Public Space and Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum joining forces with NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission and Nissan.

 

The daunting halo of complexity ("it will never happen") of the Taxi of Tomorrow project demonstrates the power of design in our city to drive change.

 

Image courtesy Nissan.  

Design Trust redefined taxis as "moveable public space." The Nissan NV200 hits the streets late 2013. 

 

Not-for-profit design organizations recognized the need for discussion of vital public space, and the DesignTrust organized the exhibit that got the conversation started. Cooper-Hewitt leveraged its role as a national design resource by connecting the brain trust of the design community with New York City regulators to begin the collaboration and to discuss the opportunity. Design thinking is the glue that brings many stakeholders together to solve complex problems and capture the city's collective imagination. This creativity and drive to make change is fostered in an enlightened administration, like Mayor Bloomberg's, empowering its staff to innovate and charging its public servants to take ownership of projects that have long been considered intractable.

 

Over seven years ago, we began efforts to make taxis safer, more comfortable, efficient, accessible and environmentally sustainable. Our collaborative approach combined design studies, research, convening of stakeholders-fleet and medallion owners, drivers, planners, designers and city officials, including the Taxi and Limousine Commission, world-renowned design practitioners such as Smart Design and Pentagram, to brainstorm and develop ideas for improving and redesigning the taxi and the system.  In 2007 for the Taxi's Centennial, the Design Trust exhibited eight prototypes at the New York International Auto Show which confirmed strong global interest in the yellow cab brand that drove the TLC to design an innovative RFP process. This ultimately resulted in a long term strategic partnership between TLC and Nissan.

 

As our city officials identify sectors for future economic development, we believe growth in the design sector, which has increased by over 75 percent in the past decade, demonstrates its tremendous potential in contributing to New York's competitive advantage globally.  According to the Center for an Urban Future's report Growth by Design (June 2011), no other city in the country has the concentration of design jobs-architecture, fashion design, graphic design, interior design, furniture design, industrial design, more than 40,000.

 

Successful cities thrive on attracting smart people who have the desire to work in collaborative teams across many disciplines to improve the quality of public life, as demonstrated by a five-borough population approaching 8.3 million.  An increasingly vibrant public realm-parks, plazas, street life, cafes, waterfront access-and a higher quality of life also attract the next generation of talent to urban centers.  The city's PlaNYC, an ambitious blueprint to reduce carbon emissions by 2030, addresses energy and climate change by re-designing and re-engineering building's energy usage and polluting vehicles.

 

With the rapidly growing demand of consumer markets overseas, the importance of strengthening and supporting design industries to meet these exigent demands and to maintain New York's preeminence as a center of innovative design are essential. Policies that could help improve New York City designers' capacity might include: promoting New York design similar to San Francisco-SFMade-or the London Design Festival; assisting New York based designers export their services and reach new markets; encouraging partnerships between designers and businesses; developing collaborations between designers and academic institutions; and establishing innovation zones and incubators.

 

Other cities around the globe are now considering the Taxi of Tomorrow as their new taxi using the adage, "if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere."  While this is a celebration of the unique design New York has created, it ignores an important ingredient: what makes the Taxi of Tomorrow such a success is that it was designed for New York and New York alone.

 
Learn how the Design Trust jumpstarted New York City's first purpose-built taxi in The New York TimesMetropolis Magazine, or our 2012 taxi brochure
About the Design Trust

 

The Design Trust for Public Space is an independent nonprofit organization that advances the quality of life in New York City by bringing visionary thinking to how cities work. Since 1995, the Design Trust has improved public space in New York City by forging critical alliances between city agencies, community groups and architecture, design, and planning experts. Learn more!  

Join Our Mailing List
This email was sent to will@aialosangeles.org by news@designtrust.org |  
Design Trust for Public Space | 40 Worth Street #603 | New York | NY | 10013

Friday, April 13, 2012

The Wealth Report 2012 :: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON PRIME PROPERTY AND WEALTH

THE WEALTH REPORT 2012
Written by Knight Frank Research

Published on behalf of Knight Frank and Citi Private Bank by Think Publishing

Editor-in-Chief: Andrew Shirley Executive Publisher: Victoria Kinnard Assistant Editor: Vicki Shiel Marketing: Rebecca Maher

Research enquiries: liam.bailey@knightfrank.com Press enquiries: rosie.cade@knightfrank.com
FOR KNIGHT FRANK
FOR CITI PRIVATE BANK
Head of Marketing, EMEA: Andrew Richmond Marketing, EMEA: Nadeem Hussain
Press enquiries: adam.castellani@citi.com

FOR THINK
Consultant Editor: Ben Walker Managing Editor: Ben Willis Creative Director: Ewan Buck Designer: Nikki Ackerman Senior Account Manager: Jackie Scully Managing Director: Polly Arnold Information Graphics: Paul Wootton Portrait Illustrations: Peter Field

wealthReport2012_lowRes.pdf Download this file

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

ISI Home Building Conference

Total population curves for US compared to Eurozone are quite distinct for the year 2050 (page 34).

USA = 440 million
Eurozone = 300 million

ISIHomebuildingConf.pdf Download this file

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Support -- City of L.A. Comprehensive Zoning Code Update

April 5, 2012

Los Angeles City Council President Herb J. Wesson, Jr.

200 N. Spring Street, Room 430

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Re:         City of L.A. Comprehensive Zoning Code Update

Dear City Council President Wesson:

On behalf of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), an organization dedicated to promoting job growth, economic expansion and preserving the overall global competitiveness of Los Angeles County, I am writing to express the LAEDC’s support for the proposed Comprehensive Zoning Code Update, which we see as critical to ensuring that the City of Los Angeles is able to meet the land use needs of its increasingly more innovative, knowledge-based and technology-driven 21st Century economy.

On July 14, 2010, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously (14-0) to support Los Angeles County’s first-ever, consensus-built Strategic Plan for Economic Development. This effort brought together more than 1,080 stakeholders from business, labor, environmental organizations and other community-based groups to develop a plan to ensure a strong, diverse and sustainable economy for Los Angeles County’s residents and communities.  Successfully updating the City of Los Angeles’s zoning code to reflect a 21st Century economy advances two core aspirational goals laid out within the plan: “Create a Business Friendly Environment” and “Implement Smart Land Use Policies,” both of which are critical to advancing the long-term job growth prospects and economic vitality of the City of Los Angeles.

It goes without saying that Los Angeles’s economy is not the same as it was in 1946—the last time the City’s zoning code was dramatically revised.  As our economy continues to diversify and evolve, so must the policies and regulations that direct and shape the development necessary to support our economy not only today, but going forward.  Simply put, to have a strong, vibrant and robust economy here in the City of Los Angeles, we must also have the requisite and appropriately designated land base on which to support the businesses and industries driving the City’s economy. Overhauling our antiquated zoning code to reflect the City’s existing economic mix and diversity is a policy change that acknowledges that the status quo does not provide us with a strategic direction forward but rather serves to block our city’s progression as a global leader in emerging areas as varied as digital media, electric vehicles, information technology, and medical devices – all of which are up-and-coming, rapidly growing sectors in our city.

It is a well-known fact that developing land in the City of Los Angeles is not an easy feat.  In recent years, promising changes have been instituted to ensure that the City becomes much more business friendly in land use matters, including the creation of a Development Services Case Management Office.  We applaud the City for pursuing some of these changes.  However, the City cannot stop its efforts there; more needs to be done to ensure that we are implementing smart land use policies to support every phase of a product’s life cycle – from its design and creation to its production and exportation. In particular, smart land use policies include: providing more clarity early-on in the development process (e.g., issuing zoning confirmation letters as they do in the City of Portland); providing additional clarity that comes from by-right development and expedited permitting; and finally, of course, providing more rationality in our city’s zoning code so that it reflects our 21st Century economy. 

Currently, the City of L.A. has only about eight percent of its total land base zoned for industrial uses; these are uses needed to support the modern, typically clean and technically advanced sectors driving the economy, not the “smokestack” industries of yester-year.  Unfortunately, about 30 percent of this industrially-zoned land has already been redeployed for population-accommodating uses.  This, in turn, has left our city with one of the lowest industrial vacancy rates in the nation—close to two percent in our industrial core —and fewer places on which to house our region’s more job-dense businesses.  This systematic effort to decommission our jobs-producing land base cannot continue if we expect to reduce our city’s excessively high (13.3 percent) unemployment rate and reverse the alarming statistic of the City of Los Angeles not adding a single net new job in over three decades—even though it has added close to one million new residents during that same time period.

As you continue your budget deliberations, we urge you to recognize the important benefits associated with dedicating resources to comprehensively update the City’s archaic and outmoded zoning code in a way that not only reflects our modern economy, but protects the employment (industrial) land needed to support the businesses driving today’s and tomorrow’s economy.  While we acknowledge that the City is facing tough budgetary decisions, it is worth remembering that efforts to welcome more businesses and the private-sector jobs these businesses create will not only help to address the City’s current and future fiscal situations, but provide it with the revenue to support the myriad of social programs that help enable and facilitate our high quality of life here in the City of Los Angeles.

Sincerely,

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Bill Allen, President & CEO

Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation

Cc:          Los Angeles City Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

                Honorable Members of the Los Angeles City Council

                Michael J. LoGrande, Director of Planning

JoAnne Golden | Director of Public Policy, Strategic Initiatives
Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation
444 S. Flower Street, 37th Floor, Los Angeles CA 90071
T: 213.236.4837 C: 213.304.4323   F: 213.622.7100 | www.laedc.org |

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Letter re Comprehensive Zoning Code Revision, 4-5-2012.pdf Download this file