CP&DR

Capital Market Demands Coastal Exclusivity

Jun 29, 2007

Morris Newman, Orange County, Places, Redevelopment, Vol. 22 No. 07 Jul 2007

I simply adore being in Cannes, with its splendid, high-end hotels, its outdoor cafes, the elegantly turned-out couples strolling on the boulevard, the nearly naked young people frolicking at the water's edge, unembarrassed by their perfectly toned bodies and golden skin….What's that? I am mistaken? We're not on the Riviera? Oh, naughty carissima, you are trying to fool me with a cruel joke! This couldn't possibly be…Huntington Beach?

Disney Spins Negative Fantasia About Housing

Jun 7, 2007

Deals, Housing, Morris Newman, Orange County, Vol. 22 No. 06 Jun 2007

Why did nobody tell me that market-rate housing had become a NIMBY issue? Did I sleep this momentous event, just as I sawed a log through the Northridge earthquake? Here I am, bumbling through life as if nothing special is happening, while unbeknownst to me The Walt Disney Company is having one of its most creative moments since it released Dumbo.

Plan Would Turn L.A. River Green

May 8, 2007

Los Angeles County, Morris Newman, Parks and open space, Vol. 22 No. 04 Apr 2007

It may not be the parting of the Red Sea, but the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan is miracle enough. Sponsored by the Los Angeles River Committee of the Los Angeles City Council, the revitalization master plan may be the corner-turning event that actually kicks off the process of making a depressing culvert into a riparian green belt, studded with neighborhood parks, including several in the city's poorest neighborhoods.

Minor League Stadium Needs Big-Time Subsidy

Apr 30, 2007

Deals, Economic development, Morris Newman, San Bernardino County, Vol. 22 No. 05 May 2007

The scene is a minor-league baseball stadium somewhere in the Inland Empire. The broadcasters are Ralph and Jim, a pair of middle-aged sportscasters, who are calling a Class-A game for local radio listeners.

South Pasadena: Small Is Beautiful

Jan 1, 2007

Los Angeles County, Morris Newman, Places, Redevelopment, Vol. 22 No. 01 Jan 2007

Developing real estate in the City of South Pasadena is a little bit like the lovemaking of porcupines: Both are activities to be approached very, very carefully.

Great Park Plan Thinks Big, Keeps It Simple

Mar 1, 2006

Morris Newman, Orange County, Parks and open space, Places, Vol. 21 No. 03 Mar 2006

Some people hissed in January when landscape architect Ken Smith won the competition to design the future Orange County Great Park. The 1,347-acre portion of the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in south Orange County was a covetable plum if ever there was one. Still, I think Smith's scheme, as it stands, is an inspired beginning.

Cities Pursue Elaborate Swap to Save LA Base

Sep 1, 2003

Deals, Morris Newman, Vol. 18 No. 09 Sep 2003

Remember the frightening things your mother used to tell you in the name of safety when you were a child? If you went running around with scissors in your hand, you could put out an eye. Or if you went back into the swimming pool too quickly after eating, you could double up with cramps and drown.

Culture, Retail Create Downtown in SoCal Suburb

Aug 1, 2003

Morris Newman, Places, Vol. 18 No. 08 Aug 2003

There is a certain kind of excitement — my guess is it is uniquely American — when cities reach a moment of transition, such as when a small city gets its first high-rise building. On the other end of the urban life cycle, another moment occurs when an aging downtown blooms with second-hand stores and ethnic delicatessens amid retirement homes and tattoo parlors.

Builders, Agencies Work To Co-exist On Rare Ground

Jul 1, 2003

Deals, Morris Newman, Vol. 18 No. 07 Jul 2003

The experiences of two developers — one a large-scale master plan developer and the other a smaller, apartment developer — are snapshots of the uneasy relationship between home building and environmental policy in North San Diego County at a time when newly minted environmental laws are racing to keep pace with rapid home building.

Pinocchio Urbanism Lives In Bay Area

Jun 1, 2003

Morris Newman, Places, Vol. 18 No. 06 Jun 2003

Like the lonely woodcarver Geppetto in the story of Pinocchio, boosters of "town centers" hope that the instant shopping streets will be accepted as the genuine article.

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