Tuesday, September 29, 2009

10/2 Workshop!!!

Being that the department's budget has been cut, class selection reduced..(greatly)..this is a great opportunity to get more technical information! ;)

**REMINDER** **Don't miss the first in the Professional Development
Series "NUTS and BOLTS" Workshops**

"Environmental Impact Assessment 101"
presented by John Kain, President, Urban Crossroads and Joan Kelly,
AICP, Managing Principal, BonTerra Consulting

Friday, October 2, 2009, 12:00 - 3:30pm
Social Ecology I, Room 306

Friday, September 25, 2009

WTS-LA Chapter Scholarship Opportunity

WTS-LA SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES (the Orange County Chapter has something similar)

Seven College Scholarships + Qualification for International Scholarships

* $5,000, $3,000 for Graduates
* $5,000, $3,000 for Undergraduates
* $2,000 for a 1st or 2nd year Undergraduate
* $2,500 for a Graduate or Undergraduate
* $2,500 for Professional Development (Certificate Program)

REQUIREMENTS:

* Women currently enrolled in Undergraduate, Graduate Degree, or Certificate Program in a Transportation Related Field, such as Transportation Engineering, Planning, Finance, or Logistics.
* Student must be enrolled in a school in Los Angeles County or have residency in Los Angeles County
* GPA 3.0 or higher for undergraduates and GPA 3.5 or higher for graduate students.


APPLICATION DUE: Friday, October 2, 2009

Download scholarship applications from our website:
http://www.wtsinternational.org/Chapters.aspx?ID=6728

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Rail Manufacturing Plant Coming to LA

from the LA Times:

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board today awarded a contract to the Italian firm AnsaldoBreda for 100 additional light-rail cars, clearing the way for a new rail manufacturing plant that the company has promised to build in downtown Los Angeles.

The decision was a victory for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who has made green jobs a centerpiece of his agenda. He said the rail plant would serve as the southern anchor of his proposed clean technology corridor east of downtown.

Board members approved the $300-million deal on an 8-3 vote — with two members absent — after impassioned speeches by union workers who said many of their colleagues were out of work and losing their homes.

Art Leahy, the MTA's chief executive, had recommended against approval of the controversial deal. But at the last moment, AnsaldoBreda circulated an e-mail that provided additional financial guarantees from the firm's parent company, Finmeccanica.

—Maeve Reston at L.A. City Hall


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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Article Competition: Cultural Awareness and Diversity

The Orange Section of California APA is awarding
$100 for an article on cultural awareness and
diversity! We are holding another competition
for the best original article regarding cultural
awareness and diversity in the planning
profession. The best article will be chosen
and published in the Orange County Planner
Newsletter and the winning writer will receive a
$100 gift card from American Express.
Cultural awareness and diversity in planning is
an important part of the planning profession.
According to our APA diversity initiative: The field
of planning is deeply rooted in advocating for
equity, reform, and justice in all communities.
APA and its members carry that tradition on
through innovative planning, programs, and
research designed to reflect America’s diversity.
If you would like to participate, write an original
article about why cultural awareness and diversity
is important to community planning or strategies
for outreaching to communities of diverse cultural
backgrounds for professional planners. Some
suggested topics that the article may be about:
Articles should be emailed no later than Thursday,
November 5, 2009, to Amy Thomas, AICP, Vice
Director of Membership at athomas@tustinca.org.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

NY Times Post on New Phoenix Light Rail

Among the many detractors — and they were multitudinous — who thought a light rail line in this sprawling city would be a riderless $1 billion failure was Starlee Rhoades, the spokeswoman for the Goldwater Institute, a vocal critic of the rail’s expense. “I’ve taken it,” Ms. Rhoades said, slightly sheepishly. “It’s useful.”


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Thursday, September 17, 2009

Oct. 3rd and 4th - Free Museum Day

Many museums in LA and OC are having free admission on this weekend to promote our region's culture to the masses.


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Oct 2nd - Environmental Impact Assessment 101



The PPD Department will be beginning it's professional development series with a workshop on Environmental Impact Reports (EIR). This series of workshops is something that we as students have pushed for to serve as a complement to our classes. Not only will this be a great event but your attendance will show the department our appreciation for making this happen.

Speaking will be Joan Kelly, managing principal of Bonterra Consulting and John Kain, president of Urban Crossroads.

12pm - 3:30 pm, SE 307

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Oct 3rd - Green Port Fest

The Port of Long Beach is hosting a Green Festival on October 3rd.

Please see link for more details.


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Thursday, September 10, 2009

OC Restaurant Week Sept 13-19

More than 100 restaurants across Orange County’s vast dining landscape are ready to dish up amazing food at fantastic prices during Orange County’s most anticipated culinary event.

From all corners of the county this foodie celebration provides OC locals the opportunity to indulge in a selection of specially priced prix fixe menus from over 100 of Orange County’s best Restaurants. These menus showcase some of the region’s most talented chefs who have personalized each menu to reflect their culinary style. The prix fixe menus are priced at $10, $15 and $20 per person for lunch, and $20, $30 or $40 per person for dinner.

The only thing to make for dinner during Restaurant Week is reservations! This is the time for food lovers to try new places, get groups of friend and dine out and just really enjoy a week of fabulous dining. Start planning your week of dining out.


more info here...

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Pretend City

Pretend City Children's Museum in Irvine


But where's the pretend blight, pretend hookers, pretend traffic of a real city? And the pretend chests of OC housewives?


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Panic on the Streets of London?

As an attempt to reduce congestion, the city of London will turn on street lights in a certain area around town and film traffic for several weeks.

Doing so will supposedly cause more drivers to be more cautious.

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Tuesday, September 1, 2009

LA Times ARTIC Critique

The role that train travel plays in the American popular imagination is an increasingly contradictory one these days, somehow deeply nostalgic and symbolic of the future at the same time.

Getting from one city to another by train remains a thoroughly romanticized exercise — a humane relic of a more cosmopolitan and energy-efficient era in transportation. And yet trains have also become a key component of efforts by young planners, architects and politicians to re-imagine or revivify American urbanism, with separate piles of federal and state funds — in California’s case, nearly $10 billion — already earmarked for a network of new high-speed rail links.


more from LA Times...


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Mobility 21

Southern California is at a crossroads. We have a once-in-a-generation
opportunity to shape our transportation future, escape gridlock, protect our
environment and improve our quality of life.

However, without champions for transportation in the state and federal legislatures, and without a vision of how we can achieve this 21st century transportation network, we will be left with a system that does not meet our needs.

Sustainable, innovative solutions are on the horizon, funding reforms are being considered and regional cooperation is improving the way our transportation network serves residents and commerce alike. What’s missing is a groundswell of support for investing the needed capital and the flexibility for implementing these innovations.

On September 21, 2009 join transportation providers, businesses, elected officials and others to develop Mobility 21’s action plan to advocate for Southern California’s transportation future in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.


Register here


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