Meetings, activities and events that promote our mission as of August 13, 2007
1. Cornfields State Park Meeting2. Global Warming Forum
3. Discussion: smart growth • urban design • transit development
4. Parking Day LA Lecture
5. City Housing Element
6. LA Architects in China and the Far East
7. Discussion: economic development • encouraging small business
8. Parking Day LA
9. Discussion: historic preservation • a link to revitalization
10. 2008 APA State Conference Brainstorming
11. Conference: California Walks
12. Conference: APA State Conference, San Jose
13. Conference: Walk 21
14. ART: Landscaping America : Beyond the Japanese Garden ,"
15. Article LA Times Downtown LA
Introductory Transportation Planning Class!
Regional Land Use & Transportation Planning, Transit Planning and Operations Class. Projects to be discussed include: SCAG Regional Transportation Plan, Playa Vista TDM program, Pasadena Mobility Element, Universal Studios Master Plan and many others. Pat Gibson is a transportation planner and excellent instructor! This is a great introductory course on transportation and land use. I have taken this very informative class. Register on line at East Los Angeles College . For more details contact Pat Gibson at (310) 458-9916
Class meets on Wednesdays from Sept. 5. 2007 to Dec. 12, 2007 at Metro Headquarters. Time: 6:00 to 9:00.
Informational session Thursday, Aug. 16 @ noon at Metro Union Station Room!
James Rojas
Visit www.latinourbanforum.org or Myspace.com/ LatinoUrbanForum
And especially, the Blogito!
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Tuesday August 14, 2007 @ 7:00 p.m.
Please join California State Parks and Hargreaves Associates for a community meeting about the next phase of work for the park.
Location: St. Peter's Italiana Church
1051 N. Broadway, Los Angeles
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Thursday, August 16, 2007 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Global Warming Forum
Congresswoman Hilda Solis will be hosting a Global Warming Forum.
The purpose of the event is to discuss local challenges and opportunities facing Los Angeles County as a result of climate change. To be addressed are: 1) pressures on local resources, 2) initiatives underway in Greater Los Angeles to protect communities against these impacts and 3) economic opportunities associated with actions to become more energy efficient and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Location: California State University , Los Angeles
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Friday, August 17, 2007 @ Noon
Park(ing) Day Los Angeles Lecture
September 21, 2007.
Come join the at Farmlab Public Salon and learn about what is Park(ing) Day, and how to get involved.
Based on a successful event started by the ReBAR Group and the Trust for Public Land in San Francisco , on Park(ing) day, local folks reclaim public space by creating temporary parks in parking spaces throughout the city. Caravans of bicyclists deliver sod, potted trees, benches and chairs. Pedestrians stop and relax on their way through the city.
Park(ing) Day creates a dialog about cities, creativity, lack of open space, and how much real estate we give over to our cars. Salon will include showing the ReBAR group's 16-minute Parking Day documentary
http://farmlab.org/2007/06/farmlab-pubic-salon-parking-day-friday.html
Location: Farmlab
Near Cornfields
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Wednesday, August 15, 2007 @ 7 pm
SMART GROWTH • URBAN DESIGN • TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT
Panelist: William Fain, FAIA, Johnson Fain Architects, Emily Gabel-Luddy, Urban Design Studio, City of Los Angeles, Woodie Tescher, EIP Associates, a Division of PBS&J, Mike Woo, Los Angeles City Planning Commission
Location: Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock 2225 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles , CA 90041
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LA City is updating its Housing Element. Please attend if you are interested in shaping the Housing Element. Contact Naomi Guth (info at the bottom) for further information.
Housing Preservation
Thursday, August 16th
2:00 - 4:00 pm
Location TBD
Housing Preservation
Thursday, August 23rd
2:00 - 4:00 pm
Location TBD
Naomi Guth
City Planning Department
City of Los Angeles
200 N. Spring St., Room 721
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tel: (213) 978-1363 (direct)
Fax: (213) 978-4656
Email: Naomi.Guth@lacity. org
Wednesday, August 29, 7PM-9:30PM
LA Architects in China and the Far East
AIA/ Los Angeles Urban Design Committee
In August we have the rare pleasure of a presentation by FOUR premiere LA architects presenting recent work in China and Korea . After a brief presentation by the four participants, there will be a moderated discussion focusing on challenges and opportunities for architecture and urban design in the Far East , and the varying design philosophies of the panelists.
Presenters/Panelist s
Robert Shaffer, AIA, Associate Principal, Johnson Fain will present several recent projects in China including Central Business District in Beijing
James Mary O'Connor, AIA, Principal Moore Ruble Yudell will present ChunSenBiAn master planning project in Chongquing, China
Herb Nadel, FAIA, Chairman and CEO, Nadel Architects will present Hunan Urban Village, Seoul, Korea
Robert Jernigan, AIA, Principal / Managing Director, Gensler will present Shanghai Pudong Development Bank
RSVP by Tuesday, August 28 to stephanie_reich@ longbeach. gov
Location: AIA/LA Offices
Wiltern Building
3870 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 800
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Friday September 21, 2007
Parking Day LA
Imagine turning a metered parking space into a park. In 2005 a small group out of San Francisco called Rebar, did just that. Rebar opened eyes worldwide with their comment on the lack of quality open space in American cities. Their goal was to reclaim parking spaces and streets for people to rest, relax and play while:
· Promoting a critical dialogue among artists, designers, activists, residents, corporations, and government regarding the need for urban open space and the way in which streets are currently used.
· Energizing civic life by questioning basic assumptions about urban space while offering provocative and meaningful alternatives.
· Connecting artists, designers, and activists with ways to permanently reclaim the street for people.
Here in Los Angeles , a diverse group of committed professionals have been inspired by this idea and have come together to bring Park[ing] Day to Los Angeles on September 21, 2007. In the spirit of Rebar's goals, our mission is to reclaim public space over-occupied by parking spaces for parks and people.
Will your parking space be transformed into a park on September 21st?
Contact 213.622.5980 or info@parkingdayla. com
www.rebargroup. org
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New Meeting date: 2008 American Planning Association State Conference
The 2008 APA State Conference will be held in Hollywood next year. A volunteer committee has been formed to help plan the conference. Many of us have volunteered to organize workshops on Cultural Planning Issues in LA and the state. We want to develop a strong cultural planning agenda that can address issues and as well as highlight stellar projects that provide innovated solutions to land use problems in communities of color. Please contact James Rojas
Location: 725 S. Spring Street #12
LA, CA. 90014
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 @ 7 pm
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT • ENCOURAGING SMALL BUSINESS Panelist: Richard Benbow, Community Development Department, Jack Keyser, L.A. County Economic Development Corporation, James Rodriguez, CB Richard Ellis, Retail Brokerage Services, and Kent Smith, Fashion District Business Improvement District
Location: El Sereno Senior Center
4818 Klamath Place
Los Angeles, CA 90032
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Wednesday, September 25, 2007 @ 7pm
HISTORIC PRESERVATION • A LINK TO REVITALIZATION TUES.
Panelist: Richard Barron, Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission, Ken Bernstein, Office of Historic Resources, City of Los Angeles, Linda Dishman, Los Angeles Conservancy, Peyton Hall, FAIA, Historic Resources Group, and Michael Olecki, S. Carthay Historic Preservation Overlay Zone Board
Location: Center for the Arts
Eagle Rock 2225 Colorado Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90041
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Audubon Film Fridays—our free, summer film series under the stars. Our film series begins on Friday, August 3rd with the feature film Hoot!, about the adventures of a group of teens who fight to protect a population of endangered owls in Florida .
We will start each Film Friday at 7 p.m. with a bird walk; the films start at 8 p.m. All films are family friendly and nature themed—the full line up is found below and in the attached flyer. Some films will be shown in English with Spanish subtitles; others will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles. Seating is limited so please arrive early. Refreshments will be available for purchase. Limited parking is available in the Center's parking lot; there is plenty of street parking and we have plenty of space for bicycles. Again, admission to Film Friday is free.
Aug. 17: Happy Feet (Spanish w/English subtitles)
Sept. 7: Winged Migration (English w/Spanish subtitles)
Sept. 21: Eyewitness: Bird (English w/Spanish subtitles); Ocean Oasis (Spanish w/English subtitles)
Oct. 5: The Life of Birds – 2 episodes (English)
With your help, Audubon Film Fridays will become a summer tradition at the Audubon Center . What better way to enjoy a hot summer evening than watching nature-themed movies outdoors with family, friends and neighbors in our courtyard??
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"Landscaping America : Beyond the Japanese Garden ,"
June 17-Oct 21, 2007
This exhibition explores the history of Japanese American gardens and gardeners. The exhibit runs from. The opening day of the exhibit will be on Father's Day. We'll have live music and BBQ food vendors on the plaza.
Location: Japanese American National Museum
368 East First Street .
LA, CA.
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Conferences
September 11-14, 2007
APBP Professional Development Seminar in Davis , CA -
Theme: "Walking and Bicycling – The Next Generation"
Registration rates GO UP after July 31 http://www.walkbike california. org/register. htm
Reserve lodging by August 11 or consider camping
Check out the PDS sessions at www.apbp.org and the Walk/Bike California program at http://www.walkbike california. org/schedule. htm.
This is the first time APBP has partnered with a state bike/ped conference. Is your state next?
Walk21 Toronto – October 1-4, 2007
Register by July 31 for the early bird rate http://www.toronto. ca/walk21/ registration. htm
View the program and conference update news at http://www.toronto. ca/walk21/ index.htm
APBP served on the program planning team. Walk21 Toronto 2007 will bring together hundreds of delegates from around the world, will feature over 100 different presentations, numerous social and networking events, a poster session, walkshops, community events, and more. You're invited to Canada 's largest and most multicultural city for this exciting event!
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Jobs
ORGANIZATION:
Youth Arts & Education Program, Department of Cultural Affairs
JOB TITLE:
Administrative / Program Assistant
LOCATION:
Department headquarters, downtown Los Angeles
HOURS:
24 hours per week (3 days per week)
APPLY BY:
August 22, 2007, 5:00 p.m.
The Youth Arts and Education Program of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs seeks a part-time ADMINISTRATIVE / PROGRAM ASSISTANT to provide administrative support and assistance in coordinating special projects such as exhibitions, citywide youth programs, outreach initiatives, grant program, education publications, and other related services. This position will provide on-going support for general office functions.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Schedule, plan, and coordinate meetings
Assist in coordinating outreach projects and education programs
Manage communications by phone, fax and email
Respond to calls/mailings
Prepare and distribute material by mail or email
Maintain program databases and manage files
Research using internet and/or traditional method(s)
Draft, edit, and process correspondence and other documents such as agendas and reports
Maintain files and update mailing list
Organize, edit and manage printed materials
Present informational workshops on programs to the public
Provide support to staff and volunteers as directed
Perform other related duties as assigned
Serve allied City offices and the public in the areas of youth arts, arts education, the arts, and cultural programming
Represent Youth Arts and Education Program at external events, meetings, or related activities as assigned
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS:
Must be punctual and detail oriented.
Self-motivated individual with highly developed organizational and communication skills.
Excellent oral and interpersonal communication skills.
Excellent writing skills an absolute must.
Strong proficiency working on PC, including Microsoft Word and Excel.
Strong research skills.
Ability to multi-task in a busy office.
Must have previous experience coordinating program and office experience.
Demonstrated ability to handle complex projects.
Must be able to take direction (directives) well.
Must be able to meet deadlines and manage multiple projects at once.
Must have patience; demonstrate creative thinking; and be resourceful.
Knowledge of Los Angeles arts and non profits desired.
At least two years demonstrated experience working in an office.
The above statements are intended to describe the general
nature and level of work performed in this position; they do not purport to describe all functions of the position. Other duties may be assigned and the essential functions of the position may change or be changed as necessary.
APPLY:
Before applying, please visit our website at www.culturela. org to get a sense of the organization and the Youth Arts and Education Program. Submit cover letter, resume, and three references via EMAIL ONLY to the Youth Arts and Education Program at elizabeth.morin@lacity.org
This position is administrative adn serves the youth of Los Angeles through the arts, local history, and education.
No phone calls please.
Articles:
Good signs downtown, but vision still lacking
Steve Lopez
August 12, 2007
The ghost town is gone.
When I leave my office in the early evening, the downtown Los Angeles of years past is but a memory. People who live in transformed, long-abandoned buildings and trendy new towers are on foot, heading here and there and nowhere in particular.
The new and much-celebrated Ralphs, whose disciples are no less reverential than those who flock to Harrod's in London , has international wine tastings where no one drinks out of a brown paper sack. And I think it's generally a good sign that there are now more dogs than humans urinating on downtown sidewalks.
I like much of what I see. And with all this commerce and more to come, the potential benefits to the rest of the city (from shared tax revenue) and to the whole region (from new attractions around Staples Center and on Grand Avenue ) are huge.
But there's just as much potential for disaster. Pardon me for popping a few party balloons, but somebody has to.
In typical L.A. fashion, mega-developments and the redrawing of the skyline are underway with little in the way of long-term vision or planning. It's the same old let's-try-this- and-see-what- happens approach, with developers in the driver's seat.
Although public officials and the media spun last week's downtown zoning changes as a boon for desperately needed affordable housing, there is in fact no requirement that a single such unit be built -- there are merely incentives that developers may or may not choose to take advantage of.
As usual, the impact on traffic was not a consideration in any of this. Nor is anyone admitting that downtown will scare most people away until there's a commitment to build, and scatter across the region, enough supportive housing to clean up skid row once and for all.
And then there's the greenery problem.
Why do dogs do their business on sidewalks? Because there's nowhere else for them to go. Where are the pocket parks? Where are the benches for people to sit with a cup of coffee and a newspaper and watch the world go by?
Rather than do something about it, the geniuses at City Hall have just given developers the right to reduce the space between buildings and to squeeze up even closer to sidewalks.
"Everybody is talking about the need for more parks," said Ian Barnard, a downtown resident and an English professor at Cal State Northridge.
Actually, there's the Fashion Institute park, but that's small. And there's Pershing Square , but that is possibly the worst excuse for a city park in the entire Western Hemisphere . It's a sun-blasted wasteland and public embarrassment, and if it were up to me, I'd have the bulldozers out there tomorrow.
Meanwhile, a planned park at 1st and Spring was ditched for a new police administration building, and the civic mall redesign is a few years away and a little too far from much of the new downtown residential development.
How many people are going to hear the downtown buzz, make the move and then clear out a year later when they discover there's so little outdoor space in the heart of a city with the kind of weather that makes a person want to be outside?
Robert Harris, a downtown resident and a professor of architectural landscape at USC, argues that sidewalks constitute the greatest expanse of open space in downtown Los Angeles . Rather than squeeze them, he'd like to see them dressed up with benches and public art.
Beth Steckler of Livable Places would like to see little nooks and alcoves of downtown turned into miniature parks. To spur creativity, her public policy nonprofit is sponsoring a Sept. 21 campaign to convert areas as small as parking spaces into mini-parks (more information is at www.Parkingdayla. com).
It wouldn't take much imagination to convert dozens of downtown alleys into al fresco hangouts, but according to downtown developer Tom Gilmore, there's a reason only a few such places exist.
"The bureaucratic lead time to pedestrianize the alleys is a day shy of infinity," Gilmore said, adding that the city could easily streamline the hurdles.
"The city can get caught up in big plans and forget how much can be accomplished with little things. Look at all the little tiny 5,000-square- foot parking lots. The city could be buying those up and building parks, because those are the ones that people love -- the small neighborhood park that's built on a smaller scale."
Madeline Janis of the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy says the city should offer developers a menu of community-enhanceme nt options. If the downtown real estate market is so hot that builders want to bust density or height limits, they should be required to convert alleys, or add green space, or improve transit access, or offer a percentage of affordable housing units so people can walk to all the new jobs that might be created in the new downtown.
Imagine if all of those amenities were in place along with a new civic mall park.
Bill Witte, the Related Cos. chief who's in charge of that project, told me he plans to lobby the state for enough additional funding, on top of the budgeted $50 million in local funds, so there's a chance to build one of the great public spaces of the world.
I'll believe it when I see it, but let's say it happens. Let's say you can take the Red Line in from the Valley -- or Metrolink from Claremont -- and have an early dinner on a downtown sidewalk paved with Spanish tiles.
Then you take a shuttle -- I'd have them running on five-minute intervals -- to the new civic mall to watch a band from the Colburn School in the new outdoor amphitheater, or catch a movie under the stars, or watch opera in the park.
Maybe you go to a Lakers game or see a theatrical production in a rebuilt grand theater on Broadway, and then wander over to a re-imagined Pershing Square for a nightcap.
No, I'm not holding my breath.
But this is not farfetched, pie-in-the-sky stuff. With enough imagination, and a little leadership, it's a city center that could exist.
steve.lopez@ latimes.com
Urban Eats:
Farmer Markets in the Hood!
Tianguis: South Central Farmers Market.
Support Community Sustainable Agriculture (C.S.A.)
Music, high quality produce,
www.southcentralfarmers.com
Date: First Sunday of every month (May 6th)
Time: 10:00 am. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: 41st and Alameda
PROYECTO JARDIN COMMUNITY GARDEN
Location: 1718 Bridge Street, Boyle Heights LA 90033
(In between State and Boyle behind White Memorial Medical Center )
To post events, activities or meetings that promote planning, cultural or dialogue contact James Rojas at 213 892-0918 or email Latinourbanforum@ yahoo.com Please submit post in a word document.
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