New technology to make our infrastructure smarter

An interesting article about how our infrastructure is getting smarter. Interesting for those of you interested in congestion pricing and energy and water efficiency. This may be how we achieve a lot of those green goals we have set.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/business/energy-environment/30smart.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hpw

Urban Planning of the Future : Star Trek

Want to see a future where urban and regional planning on Earth has been wildly successful?

Several of us are going to see the very first showing - in IMAX - of this summer's big blockbuster: Star Trek at the Howard Hughes Center, on Thursday, May 7th, 7pm.  We are currently sitting on the far left side of the theater, where as of today there are still several seats available.  Please feel free to join us, or ask Jeremy, Jacob, Matt, Kimiya, or Niall for more info.

Tickets can be purchased online, here:

http://www.thebridgecinema.com/guide/showtimes.asp?l=7801

And an interesting Newsweek cover story about the connections between the movie, Obama, and geeks inheriting the Earth can be found here:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/195082

Rail Map Porn: Measure R Projects

For you TPP people and transit geeks out there, here's a high-quality, unofficial map of LA County rail after the projects funded by Measure R are finished, courtesy of San Francisco Cityscape.  The sight of light rail to the Inland Empire is cringe-inducing when you think of how much money Metro is blowing on it (if there's a reason for the continued existence of the Bus Riders' Union, it's projects like this), but this is nonetheless a pretty cool map.

The site is worth an extended look, by the way.  This guy has done a series of alternative transit maps that Metro Muni, BART and the CAHSR authority could all learn a lot from.  The articles, which deal mainly with Bay Area urban design but also dabble in SoCal and statewide issues, are equally high-quality and very interesting.

A Planner's Park

Here is a nice article about Los Angeles's Kenneth Hahn Recreation Area. This is located in the Baldwin Hills; I recommended it for a UP barbecue.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/04/forget-the-proverbial-clear-day-even-on-a-moderately-smoggy-or-overcast-afternoon-you-can-see-seemingly-all-of-los-angele.html

Garden School Foundation - Workday and Screening

From the Garden School Foundation...

Workday this Saturday and a screening of "The Garden"

Dear GSF Supporters:

We wanted to send a reminder about our upcoming workday this Saturday, 4/25 at the 24th Street Elementary School from 9-12.  Please bring lots of sun screen and an extra tool (shovel, pick axe, gloves) and we'll see you there!

Address:  2055 West 24th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90018 (cross streets are Western and Grammercy).

GSF has also been invited to give a presentation and host a Q/A at the screening of the documentary film, "The Garden" (information about the film is attached).  We welcome you to view the film and attend the discussion afterwards.

The screening will be on Monday, 4/27, 7:30 PM, at the Landmark Nuart Theatre in West Los Angeles:

Landmark Nuart theatre
11272 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 281-8223

www.landmarktheatres.com

http://gardenschoolfoundation.org/home/

Last Reminder:

Make Democracy - sort of - work: vote in the GSA Elections by noon Tuesday.  Whether you choose yes or no, your participation can ensure that the Grad Housing Referendum meets the 10% participation threshold, and can be considered a valid election.  Its really easy, and one of us already won $25 doing it!  http://my.ucla.edu

cicLAvia

CicLAvia
Co-Sponsored by GREEN LA Coalition

When: Fall 2009 - Summer 2010
Details: Click here and here
Questions: Email 

Can you imagine a Los Angeles without cars? Inspired by the original weekly street closure event in Bogota, Colombia, CicLAvia will dedicate an L.A. route closed off to cars, and open solely to bicyclists and pedestrians. Along the route, participants will find workshops, bicycle repair, yoga, and various attractions. By modifying the existing infrastructure in their neighborhoods, CicLAvia aims to empower residents to lobby for long-term change in bicycle and pedestrian access.

By Fall 2009, the CicLAvia route will be set, and will culminate into a summer-long event in 2010. Details to come. In the meantime, periodically check the website here.

Obama Speed Rail!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/us/politics/17train.html

You are What You Eat

WHAT: Celebrate good and local foods!

WHEN: Sunday, April, 2009 (5:30 PM)

WHERE: 626 Cypress Ave, Pasadena CA

COST: $10 (children under 12 are free) Space is limited, please RSVP

EVENT SCHEDULE

5:30 pm So Cal Freedom Gardeners Swap N Meet

Swap crops, seeds, plants, soil block demonstrations and more!

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Local Food Potluck. meet and greet the URBAN GOATS

7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Film Screening 'FOOD MATTERS' (80 min)

8:30 pm - 9:30 pm - Join in discussion and even a pop quiz

FILM DETAILS

“Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine, And Thy Medicine Be Thy Food.” - Hippocrates

“Food Matters is a must see for those looking to take control of their health.” - John Gray, PhD, NY Times Best Selling Author of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus

“Outstanding” - John Robbins, author of Diet for A New America

“Anyone who is serious about their health needs to see this stunning film.” - Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Mother-Daughter Wisdom, The Wisdom of Menopause and Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom

“Thought provoking, informative, and compelling, this film matters.” - Rory Freedman, Coauthor of #1 NY Times Best Seller Skinny Bitch

Food Matters’ is a hard hitting, fast paced look at our current state of health. Despite the billions of dollars of funding and research into new so-called cures we continue to suffer from a raft of chronic ills and every day maladies. Patching up an over-toxic and over-indulgent population with a host of toxic therapies and nutrient sparse foods is definitely not helping the situation.

‘Food Matters’ seeks to uncover the business of disease and at the same time explore the safe, cheap and effective use of nutrition and supplementation for preventing and often reversing the underlying causative aspects of the illness. With the premise of the film being: access to solid information helps people invariably make better choices for their health.

The ‘Food Matters’ duo have independently funded the film from start to finish in order to remain as unbiased as possible, delivering a clear and concise message to the world.

POTLUCK DETAILS

Bring something (preferably vegetarian) to contribute to the potluck - bring enough food for yourself/family and a bit to share. The primary focus of the ‘Locavore’ potluck is to promote eating whole foods, in their nature-made state, focusing on fresh food from local sources (or as local as possible)

If not FROM BACKYARD then locally produced.

If not LOCALLY PRODUCED, then Organic.

If not ORGANIC, then Family farm.

If not FAMILY FARM, then Local business.

If not a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Fair Trade.

Local Food Justice Org Launches Veggie-Oil Bus!

Earth Day Celebration
Official Veggie Bus Launch

Date: Saturday April 18, 2009

Time: 10 am – 3 pm (Speakers 1-2 pm, Bus Tour 2-3pm)

Location: Normandie Avenue Elementary School, 4505 S. Raymond Ave, LA, CA 90037 (at the corner of Vernon and Normandie)

Live Entertainment from Homegrowne, Blue Key Coretet, Spoken Word, Jessica Viola, Normandie Student Skit

Solar Panel installation on the Veggie Bus and Conversion of a dodge diesel engine to Veggie engine

Workshops on Bike Maintenance, Tree Pruning, Cooking Demos, Yoga, Capoeira

Delicious, Affordable Healthy Food from Chi Dynasty, Food Not Bombs, Local Tamale Chef and CSU Bike Powered Smoothies

South Central Farmers and CSU Produce Stands; sign up for our Produce Bag Program

Painting, Planting and Physical Activities for Kids

PLUS Information Tables, Fruit Tree Giveaway and Raffle (win Movies, Books, Magazine Subscription, Dodgers Tickets and more)

Presented in Partnership With: Normandie Avenue Elementary School, The Goldhirsh and W.K. Kellogg Foundations, Los Angeles Conservation Corps, St. Elmo’s Village, Common Vision, Chi Dynasty Restaurant and City Year.

Sponsored by: South Central Farmers, Bike Oven, Food Not Bombs, Green for All, Alliance for Healthy & Responsible Grocery Stores, LA Dodgers, LA Clippers, and Tango and Kink.

Join Community Services Unlimited for an Earth Day Celebration filled with live music, games and art/planting projects for kids, yoga and capoeira classes, and healthy food – including a bike powered smoothie bar. The celebration is highlighted by the official launch of CSU’s “Veggie Bus,” a converted diesel school bus, which now runs on waste vegetable oil and will be used to distribute fresh produce throughout the community and take local youth and community residents on field trips. Witness a live veggie diesel engine conversion and solar panel installation and learn ways to help build a sustainable and green community in South LA. Raffles, giveaways, volunteer projects and fun for the whole family.

About Community Services Unlimited Inc: CSU’s mission is to foster the creation of communities actively working to address the inequalities and systemic barriers that make sustainable communities and self-reliant life-styles unattainable. CSU is working with community residents, especially youth, to rebuild a local food system from the ground up, while creating local knowledge, skills, jobs and wealth. We manage urban mini-farms, run after school and teen internship programs and market local produce through a weekly farm stand at the EXPO center. We are committed to supporting and creating justice-driven community-based programs and educational initiatives, which seek to foster dialogue, and create awareness and critical consciousness. We envision equitable, healthful and sustainable communities that are self-reliant, inter-relating and where every individual has the support and resources needed to develop to their fullest capacity. Learn more at http://www.csuinc.org.

Learn more @ http://www.csuinc.org or call 323-299-7075.

Film About Women in Guatemala

Greetings Planner Folk!

A friend of mine is hosting a movie screening about the severe issue of femicide in Guatemala,
which has accounted for the loss of over 2,000 womyn in Guatemala
since 1999.

Killer's Paradise, a film directed by Giselle Portenier, spent 3
months in Guatemala documenting the murders and disappearances of
womyn and their families. The families seek justice and answers but
are met with indifference, corruption, and threats, also known as
impunity.

The screening, hosted by Bringing the Circle Together: A Native
American Film Series, will feature Killer's Paradise, a short film:
Soleil, which is being presented for the first time to an audience.
There will also be an opening ceremony by Claudia Serrato Hernandez,
photography by Sandra Luna, Art by Timoi, and an altar honoring womyn
and children.

Please follow the links below to find out more. You can also tune into
Feminist Magazine tonight, April 8th at 7PM on KPFK 90.7 FM for a live
interview with event produce Ana Castillo of Chapina Unidas (if
you miss the show, find it in the archives at www.kpfk.org)

Links for more info:

Bringing the Circle Together: A Native American Film Series Website

Event Invitation on Facebook

Chapinas Unidas Website

Ana Castillo's Blog

UP Wine Club Premieres

Cheers!

The Nudge Factor

Good article in TIME about Obama's interest in behavioral economics. 

Are you too cool for Transit?

Too good to ride the buses

Even the threat of climate change doesn't override our snobbery about using public transit

http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/environment/good%20ride%20buses/1472594/story.html

Welcome to Mississauga :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY79KbCptTo

PRGS-UCLA-USC-Pepperdine Policy Symposium

Sarah Locher from the Public Policy program shared with me the following event that may be of interest to Urban Planners:

Join us for an afternoon of panel presentations from policy professors throughout Los Angeles to learn about the latest research in health care, infrastructure, and drug enforcement. The event includes lunch, a surprise guest speaker, and a complimentary happy hour in the RAND courtyard. All are welcome - please RSVP!

The event is this Friday, and more details are here:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=85007785931

SPA Prom

Congratulations to our Prom King & Queen!!

Transit Race

Congrats to everyone from UCLA participating in the Transit Race last Sunday! Our biggest team of UCLA participants won 5th place (it still counts as a 'win') while the smaller group finished with a respectable 3rd. For a good summary of the event, see Damien Newton's post on Streetsblog:

http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/04/06/review-of-the-citys-first-transit-race-from-last-place-finnisher/

L.A.'s great signage debate

Here's the article Professor Estolano mentioned on Monday...

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-notebook26-2009mar26,0,7005587.story

Help out at the PCSE Welcome Day BBQ!

Come equipped with a side dish and lots of advice for our prospective students!!

vote for a name

The Urban Planning blog/calendar has been useful to some of us (especially in providing a medium for event announcement/discussion outside of filling our email inboxes) and can likely be very useful to the incoming planning students this summer / next year. The blog also allows us to make unique contributions as students to the online planning discussion, and we've already been referenced once this year by other blogs (thanks DDR!)

In light of that, I'd like to ask all of you for your suggestions on a proper .org or .com name. I'll take care of searching availability, registration, and configuration, but I am asking those of you interested to:

1. Suggest a .org or .com name that would be appropriate for all planners in our program (welcoming next year's 1st year students)
2. It can't include the letters "u" "c" "l" and "a" immediately next to eachother for some stupid UC Regents copyright issues
3. Hopefully something both easy to remember and easy to type

Please send me your suggestions by this Thursday, April 2nd, at 5pm. Or comment directly on this post. Hopefully I'll see several similarities in the suggestions, which will count as votes in favor, and make it easy to pick the final site.

Awesome. I am looking forward to the suggested ideas!