Planning 101 at LAUSD

Urban planning should not be seen as the sole domain of City Hall. In fact, successful urban planning and community development efforts can take place outside of City Hall. More often than not, communities learn to understand the complicated zoning code or development process as a reactive measure, leaving behind many stakeholders in the process. In order to be proactive, engagement with the planning process should start in the classroom where we are developing our youth.

We recommend that the Department of City Planning create a partnership with LAUSD to develop a pilot program that directly involves students, along with their parents in their home communities, in local planning efforts. The process used to create the Rio Vistas program in Elysian Valley and the Youth Voices media literacy program are potential models to explore.