The mode-split at the Transporters Party

Thank you, Brian and Evy, for hosting us the 17th annual Transporters Party! It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed hanging out with my people (transportation geeks, that is) and with your golden retriever Lily (she is adorable.)

I had joked with John Gahbauer via e-mail earlier on Friday that we should have little stickers that symbolized the mode we used to travel to the Transporters party. I should've known better. I had Juan Matute, my boyfriend, on the CC of that e-mail. He printed out stickers with different modes. Then he assigned me the task of giving away the stickers. When Brian saw them, he said, "How nerdy!" Then he brought out his kids to get their mode stickers!

Anyway, because I spoke to nearly everybody in the room to find out their travel mode, I was able to put together the following graph:

The majority of attendees carpooled to the party. Juan underestimated the number of SOVs.

Note: Under "I Live Here", I included Brian, Evy, and Lily the dog.

 Click photo to expand

LA Planning...

This is an article from the LA Weekly about the Los Angeles Planning Department.
Here's an excerpt:

Jane Usher Slams Gail Goldberg

A former commission president slams L.A.'s planning director as a developer sellout

By Steven Leigh Morris

Published on April 29, 2009 at 5:06pm

• Kevin Scanlon

  

  Planning director Gail Goldberg

It’s been a bad seasonfor L.A.’s City Planning department. Recently, big sections of a city law to encourage density and affordable housing were struck down by Superior Court Judge Thomas McKnew. And now a leading civic figure is alleging that City Planning Director Gail Goldberg, who pushed the pro-developer law, is little more than a handmaiden to developers.

Garden Work Day - 24th St Elementary School

Hope to see you at the 24th St. Elementary Garden Work Day this Saturday, May 30th.  

The Garden School Foundation will also be hosting garden workshops, yoga classes, and cooking up some of their garden produce planted by the students at 24th Street.

The address is:  2055 West 24th Street, Los Angeles

From the I-10 Freeway: take the "Western Avenue" exit (3 miles west of downtown) and head south on Western. Take a right turn on 24th Street. The school and parking lot will be on the right.

Times Square Pedestrian Takeover

ARTS / ART & DESIGN   | May 26, 2009 
Architecture Review:  Lose the Traffic. Keep That Times Square Grit. 
By NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF 
A day after a stretch of Broadway between 42nd and 47th Streets was closed to cars, the soul of Times Square remained intact. 

Good article on parking meter rates (via Shoup)

http://shoup.bol.ucla.edu/Toronto'sPricingProblems.pdf

We're #9?!

http://www.walkscore.com/rankings/most-walkable-cities.php

A play on affordable housing by the Onion

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/detroit_mayor_throws_first_brick

A carless suburb in Germany

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/science/earth/12suburb.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Fake grass

The blogging crew keeps it real.

Afternoon Seminar

Santa Monica is preparing for a large transformation at 4th and Colorado to adapt to the Expo line terminus. The estimated completion date is 2015.

The Los Angeles CRA is pushing it's downtown revitalization districts. It wants clean tech manufacturing and local hire policies.

Global Green represent!

Here's the T Lofts

New green homes

Some pretty good townhomes coming at 21st and Montana in Santa Monica, Wilcox and Fountain in Hollywood (from $750k), and Federal Ave and Olympic in Los Angeles.

Live Blogging from the Alt Build Expo later today.

Tune in to read the happenings at this greening exposition.

www.altbuildexpo.com

SPA Potlock BBQ 5/16

LANI Community Forum

LOS ANGELES NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVE SEVENTH ANNUAL COMMUNITY FORUM
Registration is free!  Visit www.lani.org to sign-up today

LANI 7th Annual Community Forum
USC Davidson Conference Center
3415 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles 90089

Join us on May 14th for the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative (LANI) 7th Annual Community Forum! This free day-long event is designed to provide real and useful tools for individuals to make positive changes in their own communities. Learn how you can improve the neighborhoods of Los Angeles one block at a time!

The event will begin with an inspirational address by Joyce Perkins, a community advocate and leader in the City of Los Angeles. Following will be eight workshop sessions led by industry experts.

Workshop topics include:
Get Cultured! Incorporating Art, Culture and Commerce into Your Commercial District
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle: Neighborhood-Based Efforts to Reduce Waste
Drive Out the Drive Thru: How to Stop the Influx of Fast Food
Broken Windows Theory: Neighborhood Impacts of Residential Nuisance Properties
Putting Private Dollars to Work: Fundraising in a Challenging Economic Climate
Prepare, Protect and Prevent: Anti-Terrorism at the Neighborhood Level
Build Your Utopia: An Interactive Urban Planning Exercise (Open to High School Students Only)
Rethinking Alleys: Transforming Concrete Connectors into Urban Amenities
This event is presented free of charge!
Complimentary breakfast and lunch will be provided.

To register, visit www.lani.org
USC Davidson Conference Center, 3415 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Free Parking in Structure Two at 3533 Flower Street
For Public Transit Visit www.metro.net
For questions or more information about the Forum, please visit http://www.lani.org/forum.htm.