November 2, 2009
USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development alumna Anupama Mann recently received the Gill-Chin Lim Award for the best dissertation on international planning for her thesis, "A Megaproject Matrix: Ideology, Discourse and Regulation in the Delhi Metro Rail." The award is given by the Global Planners Educators Interest Group at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.
October 17, 2009
The New Planner, an online publication for and by student members of the American Planning Association, featured an article in its Fall 2009 issue written by Alan Huynh, a senior in the urban planning program at SPPD. His article is titled "The Importance of Transportation Demand Management."
October 14, 2009
KPCC-FM interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little in a story on the feasibility of a tunnel for the 710 freeway through Mt. Washington. "The tunnel is feasible from an engineering and financial standpoint, and if by taking the surface route off the table you could make that move forward, it seems to me to be a good thing to do," said Little, who directs the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy. "I think tunnel-boring has come a long way. This isn't the old excavation method. It's a very elaborate but well established process."
September 28, 2009
The Chronicle of Higher Education featured SPPD Adjunct Associate Professor Michael Kodama and his work in transportation planning. Kodama was recently named executive director of the Orangeline Development Authority, charged with planning a high-speed rail system that will link 14 cities through Southern California. The story highlighted Kodama's transportation planning class, in which he requires his students to travel an assigned route on a commuter train and write an essay about the experience. Kodama also requires his students to develop their own public transit projects, which they discuss with transportation professionals and present to the class. Board members viewed Kodama's teaching background as a plus when they chose him to direct the project, said the development authority's chairman. "I've been involved with a lot of different transportation projects and they all find their ways back into the classroom," Kodama said. "Teaching is enjoyable and rewarding -- and I get to see where some of the students end up. I still run into quite a few of them."
September 28, 2009
The New York Times quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development in an article on recent water main breaks around Los Angeles. "I am one person who thinks there is something odd going on here," Little said, referring to a theory that fluctuations in water pressure related to the city's conservation efforts could be putting added stress on the city's pipelines. Little is director of the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy.
September 24, 2009
MSNBC quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little about water main breaks in Los Angeles. The story cites changes in water use resulting from rationing rules as a possible cause. "Potentially it could cause a surge in flow," Little said. "Couple that together with old brittle pipes and that's not a good recipe." This was an Associated Press story. Little is director of the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy.
September 19, 2009
The Los Angeles Times quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little and Jean-Pierre Bardet of the USC Viterbi School about recent water main breaks around Los Angeles. Little and Bardet theorize that the city's watering restrictions, limiting watering to two specific days a week, may have something to do with the breaks. "As Sherlock Holmes used to say, when you eliminate everything, whatever is left is the reason... . If the pipe wasn't bad, and it [wasn't seismic activity] and it wasn't a funky contractor, well, what you've changed is this twice-a-week surge flow because of watering restrictions," said Little, director of the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy. Bardet began informally consulting with Department of Water and Power officials last week on the water main problem, the story reported. Bardet said that rationing should be examined, but questioned why other cities with similar programs haven't seen a surge in blowouts. Fox News Los Angeles affiliate KTTV-TV and ABC News Los Angeles affiliate KABC-TV also covered the story.
September 16, 2009
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development hosted members of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce this summer in the first stop of the Texas delegation's three-day Los Angeles tour aimed at exchanging information with local civic leaders and experts.
August 3, 2009
More than 160 leading experts, ranging from USC faculty to government officials and business executives, gathered at USC to address pressing infrastructure challenges facing the Southwest Megaregion, which encompasses Southern California and portions of Nevada and Northern Baja, Mexico. The conference was part of an America 2050 forum, sponsored by the Regional Plan Association, the USC Bedrosian Center and the USC Keston Institute.
July 7, 2009
The Orange County Register noted that SPPD Adjunct Associate Professor Michael Kodama has been named executive director of the project to develop a maglev train system for Southern California. Planners envision an elevated, 110-mile train line between Irvine and Palmdale, with overall costs estimated in the $12 billion range, the story stated.
June 30, 2009
The New York Times noted that Professor Genevieve Giuliano of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and USC doctoral student Mohja Rhoads selected the finalists for a Times essay contest on the worst roads in America.
June 28, 2009
The Las Vegas Review-Journal quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little about a proposed high-speed train from Southern California to Las Vegas. Some have criticized the plan for locating the terminus in Victorville, 80 miles from Los Angeles, the story noted. "I don't think the Victorville connection is anybody's first priority for doing California's high-speed rail," he said. Little is director of the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy.
May 6, 2009
Reuters noted that SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little spoke at the Reuters Infrastructure Summit about a possible national infrastructure bond fund. Little's idea for such a fund seemed odd to officials in Washington a year ago, he said. Now they are giving it a second look, in light of the trillions of dollars in infrastructure work the U.S. may require in coming decades, Little added. "Why not create a vehicle where the federal government could issue infrastructure bonds?"
April 15, 2009
Appearing on a panel at the Financial Times' Asia Infrastructure Summit, Richard Little addressed the question of whether private investment in infrastructure could be Asia's highway to economic growth. Little is a senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and director of the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy.
March 24, 2009
As the Obama administration prepares to disperse economic stimulus money for infrastructure, a timely new book sheds light on special districts -- the "shadow governments" that will be responsible for spending a large portion of these funds. In her book, Paying the Toll, Louise Nelson Dyble, associate director for research at the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, documented how the bridge district grew from well-intentioned public corporation with bipartisan support to notorious organization rife with corruption.
March 18, 2009
With cargo flow down about one-third since last year, port stakeholders packed the 10th METRANS Town Hall meeting on March 11 in Long Beach. More than 1,000 people, including longshore workers, terminal operators, logistics providers and elected officials, attended the event. The topic was how to make the San Pedro Bay ports competitive and protect high-paying local jobs.
March 13, 2009
The Ventura County Star quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which authorized $787 billion in federal stimulus spending. While the package was touted as an investment in infrastructure, some officials and analysts are disappointed with the amount that ended up being set aside for such projects, according to the story. The stimulus act is "a great bait-and-switch," Little said. "The whole thing was that this was all about infrastructure, and $50 billion isn't chump change, but it's not what the country needs," Little said. "I find that troubling. I think people were expecting maybe $200 billion or $300 billion for infrastructure." Little is director of the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy, the story noted.
March 6, 2009
National Public Radio interviewed SPPD Senior fellow Richard Little about President Obama's infrastructure stimulus plan, which designates tens of billions of dollars for so-called "shovel-ready projects." Little, director of the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy, discussed the impact of those projects on the nation's economic crisis and decaying infrastructure. "Essentially, it's projects that can be gotten underway within 120 days, meaning they are out to bid and ready to proceed," Little said. "The emphasis is on getting people to work and spending money," he added.
February 9, 2009
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and the World Bank signed an agreement designed to merge scholarly research and specific program initiatives to address sustainable development in the East Asia and Pacific Region. The signing ceremony took place during a conference in Washington, D.C., focusing on challenges facing megacities in the developing world.
January 26, 2009
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development marked its 80th anniversary by hosting a special colloquium Jan. 16 at the Davidson Conference Center. During the conference, Dean Jack H. Knott noted that SPPD remains dedicated to advancing academic theory and making a vital impact in the world.
January 14, 2009
The Los Angeles Times quoted Richard Little about plans for federal infrastructure spending. After the initial round of funding, more thought and evaluation should come into play in determining worthy projects, Little said. "But first thing, you need to get the money flowing, get your contractors working," he noted. "You need to prime the pump." Little is director of the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy at USC, the story noted.
January 10, 2009
The Ventura County Star quoted Richard Little about how President-elect Obama's proposed stimulus funds may be channeled into "shovel-ready" infrastructure projects. "The goal of the stimulus is just to get people working, get projects going and buying materials, which will trickle down through the economy," he said. "Whether infrastructure is always the best bang for the buck, there's some debate, but there are going to be some short-term benefits." Little is director of the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy.
January 6, 2009
Reuters quoted Richard Little about how President-elect Obama's proposed stimulus funds may be channeled into "shovel-ready" infrastructure projects. "We must save the patient first, then think about long-term strategy," Little said. "If the objective is to create jobs, we should focus on projects that are ready to go." Little is director of the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy, the story noted.
December 21, 2008
The Los Angeles Times quoted Professor Genevieve Giuliano about the expected departure of L.A.'s Metropolitan Transportation Authority chief Roger Snoble. "The next person is going to have to be hardheaded about the market for some of these capital investments," Giuliano said. If not, the cost of running and building rail could drain agency coffers, she noted. Guiliano is senior associate dean for research and technology at SPPD and director of the METRANS Transportation Center.
December 16, 2008
The New York Times published a statement on infrastructure stimulus spending, signed by SPPD's Richard Little and Mark Pisano and 24 other infrastructure experts. "A new approach is needed that establishes a new level of accountability, transparency, and economic and environmental performance for how this country invests in infrastructure projects," the experts wrote. "We should only invest in projects that achieve job creation in the short run while creating the foundation for long-term economic success and energy independence." Little is director of the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy, and Pisano is a senior fellow at SPPD.
December 12, 2008
Eight USC students conducting research on transportation projects ranging from toll roads to airport runway incursions have been recognized with scholarships from two Southern California chapters of the Women's Transportation Seminar. Two of those students are from the School of Policy, Planning, and Development.
December 2, 2008
The Associated Press quoted Richard Little, director of the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy, about the role of public works spending in economic stimulus plans. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan, which involves increased infrastructure spending, won't solve the state's underlying imbalance between annual spending and revenue, critics have said. "It's not about capital expenditures," Little said. "It'll have some benefits, but it's not the solution. We need to align revenue and expenditures ... That's the fundamental thing the governor and Legislature need to wrestle with."
November 30, 2008
The Los Angeles Times quoted Assistant Professor Lisa Schweitzer about the light rail extension set to join Union Station with East Los Angeles. Rail lines mean access, which is valuable, Schweitzer said. Rail means a bump in property values, with land around the line becoming "perpetually valuable," she added.
November 20, 2008
The impact of Hurricane Katrina continues to be felt in the New Orleans region and beyond as researchers and policymakers examine what went wrong and how to deal with the effects of a similar disaster in the future. The latest contribution comes from a team of professors at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, who edited and wrote chapters for Natural Disaster Analysis After Hurricane Katrina: Risk Assessment, Economic Impacts and Social Implications.
November 6, 2008
Dr. Louise Nelson Dyble, associate director for research at the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy, recently received the American Public Works Association (APWA) Michael Robinson Award for her article, "Revolt Against Sprawl: Transportation and the Origins of the Marin County Growth-Control Regime."
October 29, 2008
During an Oct. 21 panel hosted by the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry said that the goal of downtown's revitalization effort is to restore "the excitement of an earlier time." The changing downtown landscape was the focus of the panel discussion, which took place inside City Hall. The event was part of the SPPD Dean's Speaker Series.
October 22, 2008
METRANS celebrates 10 years of research and education on metropolitan transportation. For the past decade, the center has aimed at "generating the highest quality basic and applied research," according to METRANS Director Genevieve Giuliano, professor and senior associate dean at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development.
August 12, 2008
SPPD Assistant Professor Lisa Schweitzer was quoted in the Los Angeles Times about transportation policy and the presidential election. "I think both sides of the political spectrum agree that Americans' consumption patterns have to change," Schweitzer said in a story on USC's Election 2008 Web site, cited by the Times. "For example, we had President Bush's 'addicted to oil' comments in his State of the Union address a few years ago. Barack Obama has transit in his platform, and John McCain's platform includes advanced transportation technologies to deal with both energy and climate change. Everybody sees the writing on the wall clearly enough; the devil is in the implementation."
July 29, 2008
In a Los Angeles Times story, Prof. Gary Painter was quoted about the penalty for delays with Los Angeles' Grand Avenue project. The board overseeing the project approved a measure stipulating that if the project is delayed beyond February, the developer will be fined $250,000 a month. Financial penalties like this can sometimes help get projects moving, Painter said. He added that $250,000 per month seemed not a large sum of money relative to the scale of the project.
June 11, 2008
A study by Genevieve Giuliano was cited in a Los Angeles Times story on traffic congestion in southern California. "People say they want less traffic, but they don't want to be forced to alter their habits," the story stated. The mandatory changes required for the 1984 Olympics worked because the changes required were temporary, according to Giuliano's study.
May 1, 2008
Prof. Peter Gordon wrote an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times about city planning and traffic congestion in Los Angeles. "Lifestyle choices and the demographic composition of our population are ever-changing," Gordon wrote. "It is the job of builders to figure out how to respond, and those who get it right make sales and money. Those who get it wrong suffer losses and end up in another line of work. The only thing that stands in the way is politics. When politicians get involved, as they increasingly want to do, the process favors large and well-connected developers."
April 30, 2008
Prof. Peter Gordon wrote an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times in favor of congestion pricing to alleviate Los Angeles traffic problems. The congestion pricing wouldn't be like that of London, Gordon wrote. "Compared with London, our jobs and our traffic are dispersed. A pricing scheme for L.A. should be 'dynamic,' meaning that it has to be sensitive to time-of-day traffic conditions. We already know about matinee prices and early-bird specials: Prices adjust to demand specific to the time of day. There are predictable cycles of daily demand for almost all freeways, so prices must adjust. (And we must stop using the term 'freeways.')"
April 28, 2008
Prof. Peter Gordon wrote an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times supporting the conversion of some carpool lanes on Los Angeles freeways into toll lanes. "[N]ot pricing road access is demonstrably unfair," Gordon wrote. "[W]e know that if price does not ration, something else will. When we refuse to price highway access, rationing of available road space is done by overcrowding, and everyone complains about the resulting congestion," he added. "Forgoing the pricing option leads to trouble, but some always believe they can resort to something 'fairer' instead. They never have."
April 29, 2008
Prof. Peter Gordon wrote an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times stating that building more subways in Los Angeles won't decrease traffic congestion. Some predict that higher gas prices will lead to more people riding transit, Gordon wrote. "I disagree because I remember the oil shocks of the 1970s. If you look at only the annual transit data over those years, you cannot find the shocks. People coped by demanding (and getting) smaller and more fuel-efficient cars. This is beginning to happen again."
