Image: Brooks + Scarpa

Huge Transformation Plans Unveiled for Flower Market: Plans unveiled for a massive transformation of the 107-year-old Southern California Flower Market. If all goes as intended, the floral business center at 755 Wall St. would be reconfigured, with one of its two structures razed and replaced by a 14-story tower, and the other upgraded. The new project would have dozens of vendors selling their wares on the ground floor of the low-rise building, with office space and parking above it. The housing would be in the neighboring structure.

How to Create a Fire-Wise Landscape: “Firescaping incorporates the design of the landscape and property surrounding a home to lessen its susceptibility to fire. This can be achieved through a well-thought-out landscape design plan that specifies less combustible plants, incorporates fire-resistant materials and follows the advice and guidelines determined by fire-safe organizations.”

Park Erratica’ is a small but mighty green space in the middle of NYC: “Over on west 20th street in new york, just below the highline, maziar behrooz architecture has installed some street furniture with a difference. entitled ‘park erratica’, the urban intervention foregoes the more mundane wooden bench and is instead comprised of an assortment of large stone boulders, placed on the street to create a small but mighty natural park (or ‘parklet’) in the middle of the city.”

The 20-year-old LA River Master Plan is getting an update: “We want to avoid ‘plan-demonium’. This motion is designed to ensure that the LA River Master Plan engages all stakeholders and develops a unified vision that reflects the needs of all communities and includes all voices.”

El Basurero: “The film was created in less than 10 days during the Urbanism Filmmaking Challenge. Joe Shapiro directed this short form documentary about the LA311 App based on a presentation by Joel Epstein during the New Urbanism Film Festival’s NUFF Talks event. The LA311 App is a great way to alert city services to needs in your community such as bulky item pick up, trash pick up, pot holes, broken water pipes, etc.”