April 2, 2009
Los Angeles' "transportation transformation" was the subject of a recent panel discussion hosted by the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development. The event took place at the downtown headquarters of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). It was the third event in the SPPD Dean's Speaker series, which has focused on the revitalization of Los Angeles.
March 12, 2009
The Los Angeles Times quoted SPPD Adjunct Professor Michael Woo about how rising sea levels could affect California. "The rising sea level could be California's version of Hurricane Katrina," Woo said. "Taxpayers and insurance ratepayers might question their responsibility to help homeowners and businesses which knowingly build in high-risk coastal areas," he noted. Woo is a Los Angeles planning commissioner, the story reported.
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 27, 2009
Agence France-Presse quoted Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger embracing progressive environmental policy. "At this point in time, the only legacy that he can hope for is the area of the environmental reform," Jeffe said. "The budget problem will override everything. But he can attempt to use this issue to grab the attention and change the subject for a little while. He's got nothing left, quite frankly."
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.
December 18, 2008
Taught by Professor Daniel Mazmanian, a new class at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development gave graduate students an introductory overview of key sustainability issues along with the chance to meet with environmental policymakers, chat with "green business" entrepreneurs, and measure their own carbon footprints.
December 8, 2008
The California Real Estate Journal quoted Associate Professor Gary Painter about a new report warning of a $2.5 trillion risk to real estate posed by global warming. Rising losses from damage and destruction of buildings and land presumably will lead to higher insurance premiums, the story stated. "What's clearly going to happen is, as various places in California experience greater risk over time, you'd expect that to be reflected in higher prices," Painter said.
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.
October 22, 2008
The Press-Enterprise cited a report by the Center for Economic Development at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development. The center developed the strategy for the Green Valley Initiative, a private-public group launched in June 2007 to foster the growth of green jobs in the Inland Empire, the story noted. The U.S. Department of Commerce recently approved the plan, which includes 18 programs to make the region a green business hub and combat job loss and low wages.
August 15, 2008
Richard Little is among panelists at a conference on sustainability at Arizona State University, a story in the Arizona Republic reported. Little directs the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy, the story noted.
July 31, 2008
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, was quoted in the Congressional Quarterly about congressional efforts to permit offshore oil drilling. Relentless Republican attacks on Democrats regarding the issue have hurt Democrats, who have been slow to counter them, Jeffe said. "It's interesting to me that it's taken so long [for Democrats] to figure out how to come back on this without giving in on offshore drilling," she said.
More than a decade ago, when sustainability issues were still a specialized curiosity, USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development professor Daniel Mazmanian turned his attention to the emergence of locally-based environmental policies in several communities and regions across the nation.