Department of City Planning Roundtable

Updating Los Angeles’ Transportation Analysis Approach:  A Roundtable Discussion with DCP & LADOT

This roundtable will serve as a forum to discuss an overview of how the City of Los Angeles Departments of City Planning and Transportation are implementing Senate Bill (SB) 743 and updating the related Transportation Demand Management ordinance.  California Senate Bill 743 changed the way that the transportation impacts of new developments are determined. New methods to assess a proposed project’s transportation impacts are being developed based on anticipated vehicle miles traveled per capita and accessibility needs—metrics that consider the impact of new development and projects on all people who travel, not just people who choose to drive. By updating the City’s transportation impact criteria and analysis methods, transportation-related impacts can be mitigated through measures that improve the quality and reliability of everyone’s transportation choices. An update to the TDM ordinance complements the efforts to implement SB 743 by requiring options for certain projects outside of the CEQA process.

PRESENTERS:

• Rubina Ghazarian – City Planner, City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning (DCP) 
• David Somers – Transportation Planner, City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

Rubina Ghazarian – City Planner, City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning (DCP)

Rubina Ghazarian is a City Planner in the City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning. Her role includes implementing the Mobility Plan 2035 plans and policies and updating the City’s Transportation Demand Management (TDM) ordinance. Previously, she worked at LADOT and Metro where she planned and implemented the Downtown Los Angeles Bike Share Pilot Program and many more livable community projects. Rubina is a native Angeleno with a Masters of Planning from the University of Southern California and a BA in Economics from UC San Diego.

David Somers – Transportation Planner, City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

David Somers is a transportation planner with the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), in the Transportation Planning and Policy Section. As a part of this work, David is leading efforts to adopt sustainable transportation metrics that informs how the City reviews land use and transportation projects that incentivize reliance on transit and active transportation in Los Angeles. David also helped re-write the rules to guide public right-of-way improvements, and helped develop the Mayor’s Great Streets Challenge program, a participant-driven program that empowers the public to redesign their streets in the vision of complete streets.