This is the next chapter of the Embedded Planning story.
The Strength of Street Knowledge: Embedded Planning as Community-Based Praxis at USC Price
Category Archives: South Central Los Angeles
Embedded Planning Returns to USC Price
The Strength of Street Knowledge: Embedded Planning as Community-Based Praxis
This talk introduces a new method of urban planning called Embedded Planning Praxis. Embedded Planning revolutionizes practice by emphasizing street-level planning within the community rather than traditional desk-based methods. Developed by Jonathan Pacheco Bell in South Central LA as an outgrowth of code enforcement work, Embedded Planning has evolved into a community-based praxis that seeks to rebuild trust and foster meaningful relationships with marginalized communities historically harmed by inequitable planning.
Embedded Planning is working directly from community spaces and places. Embedded planners engage residents in everyday environments, evolving practice from desk-based policy formation to on-the-ground collaboration in and from the neighborhood. This immersive approach helps planners gain a deeper understanding of local needs and aspirations, ensuring that community voices and needs significantly shape planning decisions. Embedded Planning is a timely evolution in the field that aligns with growing calls for more equity-centered, place-based, participatory practices. By embedding themselves into neighborhoods, planners build strong and authentic relationships, moving beyond one-off, transactional consultations to create lasting and impactful partnerships.
Using a reflective practitioner framework, Jonathan will illustrate what Embedded Planning looks like, explain its role as his motivating throughline, highlight embedded planners implementing these inclusive methods coast-to-coast, while highlighting the challenges and benefits of this praxis. Attendees will learn how this emerging movement represents a crucial shift towards centering planning as an active and continuous process from within the community and represents the future of planning.
Speaker bio
Jonathan Pacheco Bell is an urban planner with two decades of experience in California working across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. For 14 years, he served as a Los Angeles Zoning Enforcement Officer building partnerships on the ground in communities of color. During this time, he witnessed the harms of inequitable zoning, inspiring him to create new forms of street-level planning advocacy – what he calls Embedded Planning praxis.
Jonathan works as VP of Policy and Programs at Casita Coalition, where he advances middle housing solutions with a strong focus on equity, access, and neighborhood-level impact. In addition to full-time practice, he serves as Co-President of the nonprofit Florence-Firestone Community Organization in South Central LA and was an Adjunct Professor at Cal Poly Pomona Urban and Regional Planning from 2021-2025.
Jonathan has guest lectured nationally on Embedded Planning, with speaking engagements at Columbia University, Duke, Ohio State, University of Utah, Pratt Institute, Stanford Engineering, and UCLA; state and national APA Conferences in California, Iowa, Louisiana, and Indiana; and public forums such as AARP Livable Communities and the San Francisco Urban Film Fest.
A leader in the American Planning Association for over a decade, Jonathan is a member of the Latinos and Planning Division and is published in APA’s practitioner magazine, Planning. He previously served as Social Media Director of APA Los Angeles and was the Southern California representative on the APA National Social Equity Task Force.
Jonathan’s dedication to communities has earned him industry accolades, including the Planning Advocate Award of Excellence from APA Los Angeles and Planning Pioneer Award of Excellence from APA Inland Empire in 2024. He holds an MA in Urban Planning from UCLA Luskin and additional degrees in architecture, political science, and information science.
Vacant Lot Activation in Florence-Firestone
Florence-Firestone Vacant Lot Activation
7700 S. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90001
Saturday, September 20, 2025, 2:00 – 5:00 PM
Project:
We are transforming the vacant lot at E. 77th Street and Central Avenue into a temporary community hub as part of Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell’s Corridors 2 Community Initiative. This initiative focuses on community-led revitalization of small business corridors in unincorporated communities in LA County’s 2nd District, including Florence-Firestone.
Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI) and Florence-Firestone Community Organization (FFCO) are partnering with the County of Los Angeles to host a series of pop-up events over 6 months, bringing resources and services directly to the community.
These events will feature:
— Opportunities for residents to share their vision for the future of historic Central Avenue
— Live music and cultural activities
— Food and local vendors
— Services for small business owners
— County and community resources
— Free food for the first 75 participants!
Join us for FREE these resources, activities, and services for Florence-Firestone community members & businesses.
#FlorenceFirestone #EmbeddedPlanning
Mike Davis Roundtable at the Urban History Association Conference 2025
I’m on a panel recognizing the legacy of Mike Davis with writer legends Carolina A. Miranda, Kyle Paoletta, David Kipen, and Mike The PoeT Sonksen at the Urban History Association Conference 2025 in Los Angeles. More to come soon.
Join us on Saturday, October 11th, 1:15-2:45pm at the Biltmore Hotel in Downtown LA.
Register for the UHA Conference here: https://urbanhistory.org/Conference-Registration.
Florence-Firestone Walk and Roll Event
Join LA Walks + the Florence-Firestone Community Organization for a Walk and Roll event: Adapting for Community Safety & Accessibility!
What we’re doing:
VISIONING: Envisioning safer, more welcoming streets and sidewalks
WALK AUDIT: Documenting and analyzing current street and sidewalk conditions
ART: Creating a zine with artist Audrey Chan to share community experiences
*Register at Roosevelt Park Senior Center or online here.
Date: Saturday, Sept 6, 2025, 2-5pm
Location: FFCO Office, 6940 Compton Ave, LA 90001
Sponsored by AARP
Scenes from Embedded Planning is the Future at Duke
Scenes from Duke University from my 4/10 guest talk, “Embedded Planning is the Future.” The invited lecture was delivered in partnership with the undergraduate group Duke Our Urban Future and Duke Urban Studies.
This is chapter 3 in the #EmbeddedPlanning story.
We begin in medias res amidst my high stakes confrontation with unnamed powerholding figureheads suspicious of Embedded Planning because it subverted top-down control. I retrace my steps and epiphanies as a zoning enforcement planner to create Embedded Planning in South Central LA’s Florence-Firestone community. Drawing from personal experiences, I reflect on the challenges and benefits of street-level planning in the face of power. I then present case studies of others doing Embedded Planning coast to coast — and beyond!
When you hear planners today talk about “meeting people where they are,” know that we’ve long called it Embedded Planning praxis. And now we’re a worldwide movement.
Photos by AJ Adovor & Avery Smedley of Duke OUF and Dr. Ashley Hernandez of UNC Chapel Hill Carolina Planning. Thank you, Duke urban planners, for inviting me to speak on your campus!
Embedded Planning is the Future at CSUN
Join us 5/8 at CSUN Urban Studies and Planning for “Embedded Planning is the Future,” a public talk on the present and future of street-level activist planning.
Embedded Planning praxis shifts the planner’s work from a desk to the streets. Created during my Zoning Enforcement days in South Central’s Florence-Firestone community, this praxis aims to rebuild trust and foster meaningful relationships with marginalized communities harmed by inequitable planning.
We’ll highlight the spread of #EmbeddedPlanning coast to coast (and beyond!), with case studies, reflections, and personal experiences examining the challenges and benefits of street-level praxis.
Shout out to Dr. Brettany Kane Shannon for the invitation to return to CSUN URBS!
Building Embedded Planning Praxis at USC Architecture
Scenes from USC Architecture from my 4/3 guest talk, “Building Embedded Planning Praxis.” The invited lecture was delivered in the USC Master of Heritage Conservation graduate course, Heritage Conservation Policy and Planning.
This is chapter 1 in the story of Embedded Planning praxis.
I lay out my path to Embedded Planning which includes coming up as graffiti writer and hip hop kid in the 80s & 90s, dropping out of architecture school in ‘98, and then finding urban planning thanks to Mike Davis and Edward W. Soja (both rest in power). Embedded Planning was co-created with community members in Florence-Firestone in South Central LA.
Who’s the cat in the photo?! In 2003 in the MAUP program at UCLA Luskin Department of Urban Planning, I took an architecture theory course where I learned Professor Gregory Ulmer’s CATTt method for writing a manifesto. I would go on to use the CATTt to write my 1-page manifesto on Embedded Planning titled, “We Cannot Plan From Our Desks,” published in the October 2018 issue of APA’s Planning Magazine.
And now we’re a worldwide movement in planning theories and practices.
Photos by Meredith Drake Reitan, Professor & Associate Dean. Thanks for the invite to speak with your MHC students!
Embedded Planning is the Future at Whittier College
Join us at Whittier College Hartley House for “Embedded Planning is the Future,” a public talk on the present and future of street-level planning, followed by a feet on the street walking tour of Uptown Whittier.
Embedded Planning shifts the planner’s work from a desk to the streets. Created in the Florence-Firestone community in South Central LA, this praxis aims to rebuild trust and foster meaningful relationships with marginalized communities harmed by inequitable planning.
The talk features case studies, reflections, and personal experiences highlighting both the challenges and benefits of Embedded Planning in these times.
Coffee, tea, and pan dulce will be served. OUR EVENT IS FREE TO ALL.
When: Saturday, April 19, 2025, 10:30am to 1pm
Where: Hartley House, Whittier College, 13741 Earlham Drive, Whittier, CA 90602
Thanks to Whittier College Hartley House Hub for Integrative and Applied Learning in Social Justice for event support!
Embedded Planning is the Future at Duke University
On April 10th, I’m at Duke University with Our Urban Future for the invited public talk, “Embedded Planning is the Future.” I consider this Chapter 3 in the Embedded Planning speaking series. We’ll discuss Embedded Planning’s trajectory — including origins, challenges, and benefits — and examine why this praxis is the future of planning.
After the talk, we’ll hold an extended Q & A to discuss my work on Middle Housing (Casita Coalition), Community Empowerment (Florence-Firestone Community Organization), and Urban Planning Education (Cal Poly Pomona Urban & Regional Planning).
Open to students, planners, and community — if you’re in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill come through!
Big thanks to Duke’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability for sponsoring our event.
Elected as Co-President of the Florence-Firestone Community Organization
Following our 2025 Board election, I’ve humbly stepped into my new role as Co-President of the Florence-Firestone Community Organization (FFCO). This leadership restructuring creates a more balanced distribution of president duties while providing our tireless founder and inaugural Board President, Steve Quinonez, with needed flexibility.
In our new arrangement:
- Steve continues overseeing daily operations, events, fundraisers, and facility management
- I’m serving as leadership contact for county and state officials, project partners and community, with special focus on capacity building and grants development
FFCO remains an all-volunteer Board, supported by a dedicated part-time analyst and many passionate volunteers who serve because of our deep love for the Florence-Firestone community.
Interested in our food distributions, community walks, placemaking events, programs, or funded outreach? Hit me up or visit our facility at 6940 Compton Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90001.
Mike Norice Mural at Century and Alameda in Watts
I led a driving tour of Florence-Firestone and Watts for Jacob, Terry, and Mike The Poet. Jacob is doing a master’s in urban planning at USC Price. His dad, Terry, is a therapist who’s worked in Watts. Mike linked us up. Everyone learned about the birth of Embedded Planning praxis in Florence-Firestone.
There’s a Mike Norice mural outside the new Starbucks at Century & Alameda. A portion reads: 65, 92, 20.
65 = 1965 Watts Uprising
92 = 1992 LA Uprising
20 = 2020 George Floyd Uprisings
Florence-Firestone Resources for Scripps and Pitzer Courses
In Spring 2025, the Florence-Firestone Community Organization (FFCO) — where I proudly serve as Co-President — is partnering with Scripps and Pitzer colleges to integrate the Florence-Firestone neighborhood into these Environmental Analysis courses:
- EA 086 SC: Environmental Justice (Scripps College)
- MS 090: Ecodocumentary (Pitzer College)
Building on our past efforts, FFCO will host walking tours and discussions, conduct in-class guest lectures, and provide readings and resources to learn about our Florence-Firestone community in South Central LA.
Local news coverage of Florence-Firestone lamentably focuses on social ills. While the community endures challenges and struggles, there is more to it than the clickbait headlines. Our decades-long community-driven work proves it. The creation of Embedded Planning in Florence-Firestone, now a worldwide movement, proves it. The birth of FFCO as a community advocacy voice during COVID proves it. Florence-Firestone is a vibrant and historic community. Students will experience it.
Below is a variety of key resources on Florence-Firestone. I am proud to have worked on nearly all of these projects. These help reframe the narrative about our community. They tell a fuller story of partnerships, solidarity, and hope.
Community Planning Efforts
Embedded Planning was born on the streets of Florence-Firestone: https://c1typlann3r.blog/embeddedplanning/
Florence-Firestone Community Plan (2019): https://c1typlann3r.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/florence-firestone-community-plan-final.pdf
Florence-Firestone Vision Plan (2009): https://c1typlann3r.blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/florence-firestone-vision-plan-2009-final.pdf
Florence-Firestone Step by Step Pedestrian Plan Draft (2023): http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/place/stepbystep/florencefirestone.htm
Florence-Firestone Historic Context Statement (from Metro Area Plan 2023 Draft): https://planning.lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ff_hcs_survey_dpr_forms_bind.pdf
Metro Area Plan Historic Resource Map (see Florence-Firestone on map): https://dudek.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=b5957133802f4ed0bb2611939aee69eb
Florence-Firestone Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Specific Plan (2022): https://case.planning.lacounty.gov/assets/upl/project/fftod_board-letter-20230207.pdf
Florence-Firestone TOD Story Map: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e9823a0f2a9440399f04f1bbb44d97d2
Vision Zero Florence-Firestone project awarded $21.49 million Federal implementation grant: https://lacounty.gov/2023/02/08/la-county-vision-zero-project-in-florence-firestone-awarded-21-49-million-federal-implementation-grant/
Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training (CPBST) Report: Recommendations to Improve Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety in Florence-Firestone: https://safetrec.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/17-0929_cpbst-florence-firestone-recommendations-report.pdf
The CPBST at Work in Florence-Firestone: https://catsip.berkeley.edu/safety-stories/stories-field/cpbst-work-florence-firestone
Florence-Firestone Community Parks and Recreation Plan: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dpr/182627_Florence-FirestoneMasterPlan.pdf
92nd Street Linear Park project: https://sites.google.com/kounkuey.org/92ndstreetprojectupdates/92nd-street-linear-park
Local History, Placemaking, and Placekeeping
Paseo Through Time in Florence-Firestone (book): https://www.dropbox.com/s/i7kgx455x0ttx57/FF-2-2018.pdf?dl=0
Everyday Heroes of Florence-Firestone (KCET article): https://www.kcet.org/history-society/everyday-heroes-of-florence-firestone
@FlorenceFirestone on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/florencefirestone/
Racial Equity in Planning for Unincorporated Los Angeles County. Building Justice. A brief study of the histories, legacies, and impacts at the intersection of systemic racism and planning in Florence-Firestone: https://c1typlann3r.blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/d55ca-f-fequity_final-compressed.pdf
After Years Of Waiting, A South LA Neighborhood Has A New Library: https://laist.com/news/politics/florence-library-years-of-waiting-opens-south-los-angeles
Florence-Firestone Stands Up For Its Library, Lays Down the Foundation for a Movement: https://la.streetsblog.org/2019/09/27/florence-firestone-stands-up-for-its-library-lays-down-the-foundation-for-a-movement
Florence-Firestone Will Not Be Forgotten: https://ascjcapstone.com/terms/spring-2020/ethanwar/
A South Central Neighborhood Suffers from the Loss of its Community Library: https://medium.com/intersections-south-la/a-south-central-neighborhood-suffers-from-the-loss-of-its-community-library-df783979ac60
Black Panther History, Immigrant Stories Highlighted in Book about South Central’s Florence-Firestone Community: https://medium.com/intersections-south-la/black-panther-history-immigrant-stories-highlighted-in-book-about-south-centrals-d9c75a2d6380
For the First Time Ever, Three Young Latinx Women are Leading this South Central Coalition: https://medium.com/intersections-south-la/for-the-first-time-ever-three-young-latinx-women-are-leading-this-south-central-neighborhood-1330ecda360c
How a Tire Shop in South L.A. Became a Community Hub for Locals: https://medium.com/intersections-south-la/how-a-tire-shop-in-south-l-a-became-a-community-hub-for-locals-8bf37c21e25a
Libraries in the ‘Hood: A Social History of the Florence and Graham Branch Libraries in the Community of Florence-Firestone, 1912-2012 (thesis proposal): https://c1typlann3r.blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/jpbell-thesis-proposal-libr285.pdf
Stories of Everyday Heroes (LA County Library): https://lacountylibrary.org/ffeverydayheroes/
Pat Brown Institute at Cal State LA survey reveals severe economic impacts of COVID-19 in Southeast Los Angeles County area: https://www.calstatela.edu/univ/ppa/publicat/pat-brown-institute-cal-state-la-survey-reveals-severe-economic-impacts-covid-19
Community-Based Organizations
Florence-Firestone Community Organization: https://ffcola.org/
Florence-Firestone Community Leaders: https://www.facebook.com/FFCLPage
Inner City Visions: https://innercityvisions.org/
Juntos Florence-Firestone Together: https://www.instagram.com/juntosfftogether/
Florence-Firestone Merchants Association: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100051324773983
Florence-Firestone/Walnut Park Chamber of Commerce: https://www.facebook.com/FFWPChamber/
Multimedia
Podcast interviews I have done that reference Florence-Firestone: https://c1typlann3r.blog/interviews/
Bronco Magazine article and video on Embedded Planning and Florence-Firestone: https://broncomag.cpp.edu/article/embedded-planning/
Florence-Firestone Community Organization:
Florence-Firestone Community Organization Latin Labic & Expo Kermesse:
Florence-Firestone Community Organization and SELA Collaborative interview, including Embedded Planning origins in Florence-Firestone (starts at 5:25 min mark):
How a Tire Shop in South L.A. Became a Community Hub for Locals:
FFCO Recognized for Advancing Participatory Budgeting in Florence-Firestone
The Florence-Firestone Community Organization received an LA County scroll for leading community engagement in the Participatory Budget pilot project. Thank you, Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and Second District staff, for the recognition. Onward to implementation!
To learn more about Participatory Budgeting in SD2, please visit Reimagine LA at: https://reimagine.la/resources-pb/
LinkedIn Rewind 2024 by Coauthor.studio
Here’s my 2024 LinkedIn Rewind, by Coauthor.studio:
In 2024, what began in Florence-Firestone transformed into an international movement. Embedded Planning won.
When I started this praxis in South Central LA, some planning figureheads viewed street-level planning work with skepticism. Today, planning organizations are implementing Embedded Planning praxis as official policy. The City of Fort Wayne didn’t just adopt our approach — they embraced it fully, showing what’s possible when management supports planners working directly from community spaces.
This year validated what our community knew all along: We Cannot Plan From Our Desks.
Key transformations:
• Fort Wayne’s formal implementation of Embedded Planning with full institutional support
• Florence-Firestone Community Organization’s expansion of street-level programs
• FFCO’s Latin Labic + Expo Kermesse bringing creative placemaking to South Central LA
• Growing recognition through APA Planning Advocate and Pioneer awards
• Cal Poly Pomona Urban and Regional Planning students advancing community-centered research
Three posts that captured our movement’s growth:
“What’s exciting is that Dan Baisden and the team have fully implemented it with support from the city of Fort Wayne. It’s the opposite of what I dealt with.”
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7269035353406087168/
“What began in Florence-Firestone is now a planning praxis in other states, regions, countries, and hemispheres. We have built the future of planning.”
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7213357453130760192/
“Our Latin Labic success showed how creative placemaking strengthens community bonds while informing better planning visioning.”
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7241581623320666113/
Looking ahead: As Embedded Planning expands globally in 2025, our focus remains clear — rebuilding trust through street-level planning while keeping our trailblazing work in Florence-Firestone as our north star.
To every planner now embedding themselves in communities, and to every community member who showed us the way: this transformation belongs to all of us. The future of planning isn’t in our offices. It’s on the streets, in the neighborhoods, with the people.
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