California Forever’s Head of Planning, Gabriel Metcalf, makes the case for reviving the long-dormant American tradition of building new towns as a meaningful response to California’s housing shortage, infrastructure paralysis, and declining economic competitiveness. He outlines a vision for a walkable, transit-connected grid city anchored by advanced manufacturing through the proposed Solano Foundry and shipyard.

Veteran municipal attorney Michael Colantuono reflects on California’s enduring state–local fiscal dysfunction and legislature usurpation of local control. From a recent “bullet dodged” by local government to the legacy of Prop 13, Colantuono traces decades of underfunding by the State of local government, legislative overreach, and judicial decisions that have hamstrung localities' ambitions.

At a sold-out convening hosted by ULI Los Angeles, civic leaders, planners, and designers confronted the question facing Los Angeles as the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games draw near: what kind of legacy can the city still deliver in the final 1,000 days? Moderated by former Pasadena Councilmember and Chief Deputy Controller Rick Cole, the panel—featuring Rodrigo Soares (AECOM), Daniel Bernstein (LA Metro), Michelle Stevenson (HKS Architects), and Mott Smith (Amped Kitchens)—examined whether the so-called “no-build Games” can still produce meaningful, lasting change.

The Harvard Graduate School of Design Alumni Council has named Los Angeles architect Brenda Levin, FAIA (MArch ’76) as one of three recipients of the 2025 GSD Alumni Award, recognizing her exceptional achievements in architecture and preservation.

In a wide-ranging conversation, former Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer contends that West Coast downtowns can recover if their leaders focus on delivery over rhetoric, while insisting on accountability from what he calls “productive progressives.” Blumenauer pushes back on polarized portrayals of his city as a “war zone,” emphasizing peaceful mass demonstrations and judicial checks on federal overreach that affirmed civic resilience. Turning to Los Angeles, Blumenauer cautions that governance “reforms” too often breed fragmentation; what matters most, he argues, is performance and outcomes—not structure.

As Oliver Chi steps into his new role as City Manager for Santa Monica, he speaks to a pivotal moment marked by leadership turnover, financial strain, and a lingering sense of disorder. In conversation with TPR, Chi explains why he chose to take the helm now and details his plan for “realignment” through restoring order, reenergizing city staff, and rebuilding confidence among residents and the business community alike.

At the Urban History Association's Conference in Los Angeles the opening plenary took on a fitting question: What can the rest of urban America learn from the City of Angels? TPR shares David Myers’ introduction of the opening plenary and Brenda Levin’s remarks, tracing how Los Angeles has evolved as both a mirror and a model for confronting inequality, nurturing cultural and immigrant communities, and redefining civic life through its built environment.