What will it take to begin the construction of a ten-story building in downtown Los Angeles?
This is going to sound exactly as bad as it probably is: Downtown Los Angeles, boxed in by the 110, 10, 101 and 5 freeways, is so dense with planning programs that Los Angeles bureaucracy might as well be a gun focused at each development. In many ways, planning is a very reactionary profession. Most planners are not trained in planning or architecture school to think politically, and they’re certainly not trained to be economists or entrepreneurs. But being a successful planner means being placed in situations where you will have to make decisions that will ultimately affect the political or economic landscape in ways you could never expect or imagine. That’s why planners rely so heavily on “General Plans,” “Redevelopment Plans,” or “Master Plans.” These plans provide a timeline and general design framework for what has to happen to achieve the things that a community wants. If, after some surveying, the CRA finds that residents want your community to be walkable and bustling, then th
