Long Beach Moves for Better Health

The national dialogue on the obesity epidemic continues, but city leaders in Long Beach are moving past the talk and springing into action with a citywide mission to get people moving. This past month, city officials agreed to pass legislation for a new initiative, called “Move Long Beach,” that would make exercise and nutrition part of the city’s master plan.

Can USC Grow without Devouring the Neighborhood?

SC is planning what local officials call the biggest project in South Los Angeles in a generation — 35 acres, complete with restaurants, shops, a six-screen theater, faculty office space and student housing. Will gentrification push local residents out, or is the university — often accused of ignoring its neighbors — be doing them a favor?

Which Way LA- with Warren Olney

LA PARKING LOT BECOMES URBAN OASIS »

urbanrelationsinfo:

What’s the best place to build a wetland? How about at the site of an old MTA bus lot in South Los Angeles? It took more than $26 million and nearly three years to complete the transformation from parking lot to urban wetland. Open to the public as of February 9, the new South Los Angeles Wetland Park that doesn’t only efficiently process storm water runoff–it also provides crucial community green space.

Leave your heart wherever, but eat in Oakland »

Interesting article from the Boston Globe highlights Oakland’s “up and coming food culture”, but fails to mention the impact that such gastronomic endeavors may have on gentrification and displacement.

Is Overregulation Killing Food Trucks?

Food trucks have become staples throughout much of California but new legislation and increased regulations threaten to kill the mobile food revolution.

Groundbreaking legislation could change how neighborhoods are designed in California, curbing sprawl and creating safer, more walkable communities. But to make sure the law promotes public health on all of these fronts, Californians need to keep their leaders accountable. »

mothernaturenetwork:

At the start of the 20th century, streets belonged as much to pedestrians and children at play as to automobiles. By the end of it, stepping into the street in the wrong place was a crime. How did jaywalking become a crime? And how do we decriminalize it?

The Growing Popularity of Women-Only Transit

Cities in Japan, Indonesia, India, Brazil, and Russia all have some form of women-only trains, while women-only buses have gained popularity in cities in Guatemala, Mexico, and most recently, Pakistan.

“We decided to have women-only cars to protect women from gropers,” says Shiei Kotsu, a spokesman for Midosuji,

a mixed-gendered subway line that runs through Osaka.

“The number of groping incidents decreased compared to the time before we had women-only cars, so we think this measure helps curb the problem.”

But not everyone agrees.

“We think women-only cars came about more for political reasons than protecting women from gropers,” says Hiroshi Fukuyama, a 41-year-old office worker in Tokyo who heads an opposition group to women-only trains that boasts about 300 members. What these cars really accomplish, he says, is helping politicians curry favor with voters and the train companies sell ads targeting women.

Studies show that a walkable urban neighborhoods are GOOD for your health. It’s no wonder that more than three quarters of Americans consider having sidewalks or places to walk a top priority when deciding where to live.

Public Transportation’s Hidden Gender Imbalance

A new Stanford study says women ride transit more often than men. How can we better accommodate their needs?

Recommendations include:

Accommodating women with stroller and bags by replacing stairs with ramps, widening aisles or gates, and raising platforms to train level
Designing transit stops around schools and parks.
Increase female representation of local, state, and national transportation boards
Conduct “gender audits” to ensure women’s needs are meet in transit planning