Tag: Los Angeles
L.A. strives for sustainability
Smog, traffic, countless cars: Los Angeles strives to re-frame itself as a sustainable city. As Slate recently reported, L.A. has a bad rap for being environmentally-unfriendly. In early April, the governor announced California’s first mandatory restrictions on water use, and Mayor Eric Garcetti’s new sustainability “pLAn” outlines a number of goals, including removing coal from the city’s energy portfolio and […]
Is Portland’s smart growth smarter than Los Angeles’?
A recent study contrasts Portland, long admired as an example of a smart growth city, and Los Angeles, often considered the American epitome of urban sprawl. Authors Hongwei Dong of California State University and Pengyu Zhu of Boise State University define smart growth as “a reaction to urban sprawl” that promotes “compact urban form, orderly […]
New York to make parking ticket payment less painful
Getting a parking ticket is a pain anywhere you drive, but, in New York City, paying for it can be a particular hassle. That city’s drivers rack up between 8 to 10 million parking tickets yearly, which adds up to between $550 to $600 million in revenue. Now, reports Engadget, New York City is attempting […]
Gov’t tracks license plates, refuses citizens access to own records
Law enforcement agencies are collecting license plate data on millions of American cars. Who’s tracking your license plate? And does it matter? The answers may startle you. A compelling report by AutoBlog reveals how law enforcement is using automated license plate readers to collect data en masse, allowing them insight to millions of American drivers’ […]
Millennials leading the way in carless commuting
While baby boomers continue to drive to work en masse, recently released census data suggests that transportation-related change is afoot. Commuters, led by young workers, are moving towards carless transportation, opting increasingly for public transport and walking, reports the Brookings Institution. Census information from the 2013 American Community Survey points out the specifics: workers aged […]
Seattle adopts demand-based parking prices
Seattle may soon join the ranks of San Francisco and Los Angeles: cities that have dynamic or time-of-day pricing for its parking network. The idea stems from Donald Shoup, a professor of urban planning at the University of California, Los Angeles. According to his research on the economics of parking, drivers won’t park at spaces […]
Preferential parking in Los Angeles: boon or burden?
Los Angeles: notorious for its tough parking. Does preferential parking help solve the problem or aggravate it? That depends on whether or not you have preferential parking yourself. What is preferential parking? A Preferential Parking District restricts outsiders from parking in a neighborhood. Los Angeles has about 30 of these districts. How does a district […]
L.A. group proposes to cap parking tickets at $23
Drivers should only pay $23 when they’re issued parking tickets that don’t involve public safety, say members of the Parking Freedom Initiative (PFI), a citizens group that formed in Los Angeles to combat what it sees as abuses in the way the city enforces parking. What’s more, City Hall should create a process for involving […]
On-street parking sensors make life easier for motorists and cities
Parking has long been a cash cow for American towns and cities, so it’s only natural that ways to make it more efficient get attention. On-street parking sensors are one way of optimizing parking, allowing cities to effectively manage limited parking spaces and bring in as much revenue as they can — but there’s something […]
Los Angeles pilots Bicycle-Friendly Business District
Policymakers in Los Angeles are doubling down on the idea that cyclists can boost businesses and piloting the city’s first Bicycle-Friendly Business District (BFBD). Targeting northeast LA’s main streets—N. Figueroa and Colorado, York, and Eagle Rock boulevards—the BFBD will act as the foundation for a citywide program expected to begin next year or 2016. The […]
Life’s new luxury: automated parking garages
A parking space is a precious commodity, so much so that some people are ready to spend an insane amount of money to have one. As cities become more space-starved, parking becomes more and more of a luxury experience. Take, for example, how car owners and real estate developers are investing in automated parking garages. […]