Go Solar Today

There are three indisputable facts about the world today: Energy prices are rising; Our fossil fuel resources are finite and dwindling; and Traditional energy production is degrading our environment.

Now is not the time to double down on dirty and increasingly expensive fossil fuels. Now is the time to invest in alternative energy sources that: Protect consumers from increases in energy prices; Are infinitely renewable and readily available; and Good for the environment and good for our economy.

You can read more about my solar installation business and thoughts on solar in this American News Report article, "Renewable Solar Energy Looking For A Foothold."

Transit-Shed by Neighborhood

Combining mass transit and biking data, Mapnificient creates an interactive google map overlay of Los Angeles to display how far you can travel without a car during a certain time frame. Depending on the time of day and how long you're willing to travel, i.e. 15 minutes or 30 minutes, it creates an interesting visual illustration of what I call your transit-shed - the distance one can travel in a given amount of time by mass transit. Since Mapnificient layers its information (taken from Metro Trip Planner) on top of a google map, you can search for things like "ice cream" to see how accessible certain attractions are without a car.

Sunset Junction

Drag the pin around and adjust the time cursor to test your transit-shed. Maybe you could increase your transit mobility if you moved to another neighborhood? This tool allows you to test those hypotheses. Try it out.

Warner Center Orange Line Terminus

Not Enough Trees

Source: la.curbed.com

Los Angeles is 21% covered by tree canopy, according to the Million Trees LA initiative, a fact confirmed by a recent study from the Woods Hole Research Center. This doesn't even compare to the national average of 27% and is even less impressive considering the region's temperate climate and decentralized pattern of urbanization.

When thinking about the impact trees have on urban and global sustainability, consider a few of the highlights from TreePeople's "Top 22 Benefits of Trees."

• Trees absorb odors and pollutant gases and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark.
• In one year an acre of mature trees can provide enough oxygen for 18 people.
• Trees cool the city by up to 10°F, by shading our homes and streets, breaking up urban “heat islands” and releasing water vapor into the air through their leaves.
• Three trees placed strategically around a single-family home can cut summer air conditioning needs by up to 50 percent.
• Shade from trees slows water evaporation from thirsty lawns. Most newly planted trees need only fifteen gallons of water a week.
• Trees reduce runoff by breaking rainfall thus allowing the water to flow down the trunk and into the earth below the tree, which prevents stormwater from carrying pollutants to the ocean.
• Tree prevent soil erosion by slowing runoff and holding soil in place.
• Trees reduce UV-B exposure by about 50 percent
• An apple tree can yield up to 15-20 bushels of fruit per year and can be planted on the tiniest urban lot.

1959 ULI Film on Urban Sprawl

It's interesting to see how our understanding of "efficient use of land" has changed over the last 50 years. The video, in many ways, is incredibly prescient in its diagnosis of the causes and effects of unchecked urban sprawl. Its ideas, however, for curing these problems seem somewhat antiquated and have become problems themselves, like the overuse of cul-de-sacs in planned unit developments. Either way, it's an interesting historical planning document that's worth watching.

Next CicLAvia - Sunday October 9, 2011

With new north and south spurs, the next CicLAvia is scheduled from 10am to 3pm this Sunday, Oct. 9. Come join us and explore the recreational, cultural and social possibilities when ten miles of city streets are closed temporarily to car traffic.

Source: CicLAvia.org

Times Critic Reviews New West Hollywood Library

Los Angeles Times architecture critic, Christopher Hawthorne, recently reviewed the new West Hollywood Library, which also contains new chambers and meeting space for the West Hollywood City Council. Hawthorne' full review can be read here.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Hawthorne begins his review with a decidedly positive summary: "The new West Hollywood Library, set to open to the public Saturday on a curving stretch of San Vicente Boulevard across from the Pacific Design Center, is a building that offers a freewheeling tour through centuries of architectural history. Explicitly or implicitly, it points back to the work of Charles Moore, Pierre Koenig, Frank Gehry and even Michelangelo...Whatever you want to call its style (the first local stirrings of a postmodern revival, maybe?), it sounds altogether too busy and too stuffed with architectural influences to succeed. And yet it does succeed — beautifully."

Source: Los Angeles Times

Rarely does Hawthorne offer such a glowing review of public works projects. He concludes his review with a poignant observation that resonates well beyond the walls of West Hollywood's newest civic achievement: "But after many decades of existing as an essentially privatized metropolis — with mostly residential architectural landmarks to match — our region is being forced, as it grows denser, to relearn the art of civic architecture and to reengage the public realm. And in that sense the library is a tremendously encouraging achievement."

1928 Los Angeles Transit Map

Check out this transit map from 1928, twelve years before the Arroyo Seco Parkway opened as the first freeway in the region. It's interesting to see Los Angeles devoid of freeways - they are the physical markers that shape the contours of many of the city's neighborhoods, determine our common understanding of place, and orient our conception of the region's geography. Take some time to study the map and try to understand the city without the mental markers provided by today's freeways.

Map scan source: David Rumsey Map Collection

You can read more about the map and its similarities to existing bus lines at Metro's blog, The Source.

Explore the 2010 Census

Use CNN's new interactive map to track demographic and population changes over the past ten years. These statistics are culled from the most recent 2010 census. It is interesting to alter the scale (census tract, county, state) when selecting from the pull down menu of population and demographic categories.

Source: CNN.com

Notice that when you select "population density" by "census tract" it becomes very clear that the densest and most populated parts of our country are concentrated exclusively in metropolitan regions, with Los Angeles being one of the largest (below).

Source: CNN.com

Urbanology from the BMW Guggenheim Lab

TheCityFix announced recently, "the BMW Guggenheim Lab released an online urban planning game, “Urbanology,” as a platform to explore urban issues...Each player assumes the role of a decision maker and answers questions to determine the priorities of a fictitious city. By answering “yes” or “no” to questions like, “Will you double the cost of public transport to fund its conversion to a carbon-neutral system?” or “Will you pay for a free bike service in your city?” players build a city that best matches their urban ideology."

The article goes on to describe the game's creator, the BMW Guggenheim Lab, as a "mobile laboratory that will travel to nine major cities worldwide over a six-year period to address issues of contemporary urban life through programs and public discourse. The lab is an international group of urban planners, architects, artists, designers, scientists, as well as experts in technology, education and sustainability who explore new ideas, experiment and create forward-thinking solutions to the challenges of urban life.

The lab functions partly as an urban think tank and partly as a community center, initiating public discussion on issues that affect livability, sustainability, public health and transportation in cities. Urbanology is an online extension of the physical installation and the theoretical discussion. In addition to answering questions, players can also suggest additional questions, which can serve as a global exchange of ideas and lead the discussion on urban issues."

Though Urbanology is an interesting thought experiment for those willing to test their personal beliefs against some of today's most pressing urban issues, TheCityFix correctly points out that "it also oversimplifies the decision-making process and provides too little context for the fictitious city. For example, deciding to put affordable housing in a vacant lot over a five-star hotel may increase a city’s affordability for its citizens but decrease lifestyle points, making your city less attractive to tourists. Making such abstract decisions without having the necessary context, like knowing the average household income or demographics, may have the opposite of the desired outcome for your fictitious city."

You can play the game here and decide for yourself. For what it's worth, my city is Singapore. 

1906 Los Angeles Transit Map

Here is another interesting post from the Big Map Blog. Notice how many of today's transit lines trace routes used over 100 years ago (Blue, Expo and Gold Lines). This is due to the fact that many of the city's old rail right-of-ways were never developed nor put to any other use after they were decommissioned.