No one can deny
that our region is gripped by many problematic planning pressures –
intense traffic congestion, unaffordable housing, increasing density,
and the aesthetic blight of poorly designed buildings. Residents’
frustration often boils over at city council and community group
meetings. Are planning "elites" so out of touch with resident concerns
that they have ceased to represent their constituents? Or should
complex land use regulation and municipal budgets be left to the cool
heads of elected officials and their technocratic staffs? Are citizen
initiatives an effective answer to out-of-control power? Or, do such
initiatives impose inflexible solutions that are detrimental to the
common good? Are planning initiatives democratic, or
just another tool of the powerful — whether Wal-Mart or NIMBY?
Registration & Pricing: Members: $20 ($15 Full-time Member Students
with ID) Nonmembers: $40 Online Registration

Panelists:
Darrell Clarke, former Planning Commissioner, City of Santa Monica
Robert Gottlieb, Director of the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute, Occidental College, Los Angeles
Terry O’Day, Planning Commissioner, City of Santa Monica

Moderator:
Woodie Tescher, Principal and Director of Planning and Urban Design, PBS&J