Not so fast! Despite the city's reputation for spontaneous evolution, a deliberate planning process shapes the way Los Angeles looks and lives. Editor David C. Sloane has enlisted more than 35 essayists for a lively, richly illustrated view of this vibrant metropolis. Together they cover the influences and outcomes of planning for a diverse population, regulating land use and providing transportation in a sprawling city, protecting green space, and supporting economic development.

Planning Los Angeles launches a new series from APA. Each year Planners Press will bring out a new study on a major American city. Natives, newcomers, and out-of-towners will get insiders' views of today's hot-button issues and new ways of seeing the patterns and perils of urban evolution.