The economic development and land use policies pursued in Southern California throughout most of the twentieth century encouraged rapid population growth and urbanization of land. The five counties of Southern California – Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura...

Smart Growth advocates in the U.S. and elsewhere worry about urban sprawl andtypically advocate new controls on urban growth, including tougher land use planningand regulation. Yet, is auto-oriented development the market's way of meeting widelyheld lifestyle preferences? Or, is it (as some...

This paper presents preliminary evidence of the manner in which neighborhood councilsin Los Angeles are engaging in land use and planning. Charter reform in 1999 in LosAngeles authorized creation of a system of neighborhood councils charged withincreasing participation in city governance and...