Florence-Firestone Resources for CPPURP and UCLA Courses

Florence-Firestone Community Organization. Photo by Aditi Peyush

In Fall 2024, the Florence-Firestone Community Organization (FFCO) — where I proudly serve as VP — is partnering with Cal Poly Pomona and UCLA to integrate the neighborhood into these Urban Planning and Chicano Studies courses:

  • URP 5050: Planning and Place
  • URP 5120: Planning Ideas and Action
  • URP 5010: How Planning Works
  • CCAS M122: Planning Issues in Latino Communities (UCLA)

Building on our past efforts, FFCO will host neighborhood walking tours and discussions, conduct in-class guest lectures, and provide readings and resources (see below) to learn about the Florence-Firestone community in South Central LA.

Local news coverage of Florence-Firestone lamentably focuses on social ills. While the community endures challenges and struggle, 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 most of these projects. These help reframe the narrative about our community. They tell a fuller story of partnerships, solidarity, and hope.

Note: This is a living document updated as needed throughout the semester/quarter. Any revision history will be indicated at the bottom of this page.

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

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 FF 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 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:

URP 5120: Planning Ideas and Action at Cal Poly Pomona

I’m returning to teach this MURP course, URP 5120: Planning Ideas and Action, aka Planning Theories and Practices.

Course Description: There are competing views about what planning is and what processes planners should use to carry out their work, including arguments for technocratic, communicative, advocacy, and radical approaches. These views stem from differing understandings in philosophy, political economy, and justice. The course asks you to learn about and critically evaluate alternative planning approaches in the context of planning practice. You will be challenged to explore how to put complex ideas into action as part of planning praxis – putting theories into practice to better the world. By the end of the course, you should be able to recommend planning processes that are appropriate to a given planning problem. You should also be able to articulate the relationship of your recommendations to your own values and those of the profession. Fundamentally, the course is about how to plan. We emphasize processes by which planners can add reason and judgment to planning “messes,” recognizing the rarity of well-defined, purely technical problems in communities.

Fall 2024, Tuesdays 7:30-9:15pm, with alternating instruction in person & virtual weeks.

Planning Advocate Award and Keynote on Embedded Planning at APA Los Angeles Awards 2024

On June 25, I received the Planning Advocate Award 2024 and delivered the invited keynote on Embedded Planning at the APA Los Angeles annual awards gala. I thank my colleagues for the recognition and support! It means a lot coming from my home section. 

Rightfully, Florence-Firestone Community Organization was in the house. Embedded Planning was born on the streets of Florence-Firestone in South Central LA. We wouldn’t be here without Florence-Firestone.

As I wrote after the APA Inland Empire awards, and as I shared in the LA keynote, our #EmbeddedPlanning movement won. What began in Florence-Firestone is now a planning praxis in other states, regions, countries, and hemispheres. 

We have built the future of planning.

Planning Pioneer Award 2024 from APA Inland Empire

Thank you to my APA Inland Empire Section colleagues for the Planning Pioneer Award 2024. It’s humbling to receive this recognition among the many planners out there putting in work.

For real, our #EmbeddedPlanning movement won. What began in Florence-Firestone is now a praxis in San Bernardino and Riverside counties and far beyond — in other states, territories, countries, and hemispheres.

This ain’t “me,” it’s “we.” We have built the future of planning.

I Always Stop in Baker, California — and Not Just for Gas, on Medium

Baker, California. Photo by Jonathan Pacheco Bell

Read my latest, “I Always Stop in Baker, California — and Not Just for Gas” on Medium.

Excerpt:

“My family does that pit stop in Baker en route between Nevada and Pasadena. Before getting back on the 15, I like to visit Arne’s. It is always haunting seeing it up close rather than mediated through filtered #urbex depictions. This business was once somebody’s American Dream. I see memories of past grand ambitions working against all odds in the harsh California desert, still there but withering away.

Naysayers might describe Baker in those words. I don’t, because I haven’t given up on this place. The remaining residents, businesses, sites, stories, memories, and histories make this a community.“

Planners Network Disorientation Guide, 2nd Edition

As a member of the Planners Network social media team, I’m stoked to announce that the second edition of the Planners Network Disorientation Guide is now ready and freely accessible at the following link: bit.ly/DisorientationGuide2024. Special thanks goes out to our authors and contributors, our main editor Cara Chellew, and the editorial and design/lay-out team for all their hard work. Finally, it would not have been possible to make this a freely-accessible resource without the ongoing support and contributions of PN members. Not yet a PN member? Join here. 

Description of Guide: What does it mean to be a “progressive” or “radical” planner? And what kind of power do planners have to enact change? The Planners Network Disorientation Guide attempts to orient folks new to the field of urban and regional planning to ideas, concepts, and practices linked to progressive or radical planning traditions. Reimagined 20 years after its first iteration, the Disorientation Guide features a range of articles, interviews, and excerpts sourced from progressive planning academics and practitioners. In addition, the guide includes additional resources with links to grassroots organizations, non-profits, and academic research groups involved in progressive city-building practices. It is our hope that this guide can help to inspire positive ways forward amid present challenges and offer a lens into the kinds of alternative visions and practices that planning can be. Download the guide (PDF) at: http://bit.ly/DisorientationGuide2024.

Please print, share, and distribute!  

Our SELA Region Photo Shoot in Huntington Park

Shout out to SELA Collaborative for today’s #OurSELARegion photo shoot spotlighting the Florence-Firestone Community Organization!

We’re in the final phase of the campaign capturing the essence and diversity of community leaders that make up the fabric of the Southeast LA region.

Big up to SELA Collab’s Anthony Martinez and photographer Alan Arvizu for the fun day outside Huntington Park City Hall. Stay tuned.

Watch FFCO’s spotlight video and civic engagement interview here: linktr.ee/c1typlann3r

Learning From Informal Urbanism at UC Irvine USSA

I’m joining UCI’s Urban Studies Student Association May 30th at 6pm for the talk, “Learning From Informal Urbanism Enforcement.” As this is the last general meeting of the quarter, we’re going out strong with a critical discussion of my decade+ doing Zoning Enforcement in South Central LA. This talk on Zoom is free and open to all.

Summary: With 20 years of experience in the field of planning and as the creator of Embedded Planning, a praxis that places the planner on the ground with the fundamental goal of equity and engagement, Jonathan has ample experience with the way cities and planners interact with informal urbanism. The question remains: What is the planner’s precarious role in land use regulation? 

Embedded Planning at Cal Poly SLO

I’m doing the talk, “Building Embedded Planning Praxis” and breaking down the origins, applications, and trajectory of Embedded Planning with @CPUrbanists at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The public talk is on Tuesday, May 21st at 11:10am on Zoom. Excited for my first time speaking at Cal Poly SLO; as a Cal Poly Pomona faculty member, I consider SLO my sister campus 💚

City of Quartz Walk with UCI USSA

With UCI USSA at Los Angeles State Historic Park

I joined the City of Quartz walking tour on May 11th with the UC Irvine Urban Studies Student Association. Shout out to Professor Walter Nicholls and students for allowing me to guest narrate our field trip.

We keep Mike Davis alive by reading his works, engaging his critiques, and putting feet on the street to understand the city.

Selected photos from the walk:

Discussing Hostile Architecture outside Angels Flight
Layers of history on Broadway
Disney Hall almost did not happen
Professor Nicholls explaining the development of Grand Avenue
Rendezvous point at Los Angeles State Historic Park

South LA College Prep High School

Honored to present “What is Urban Planning?” for Career Day at South LA College Prep High School. We examined the history and role of urban planning, the birth of Embedded Planning next door in Florence-Firestone, and planning as a career that empowers you to build strong communities in partnership with community members. And we’re discussing a return for an Embedded Planning workshop!

Summary: Jonathan will present, “What is Urban Planning?” The presentation illustrates how Jonathan transformed from a graffiti writer to architecture student to urban planner and the special role South Central LA plays in his origin story. Using interactive exercises and storytelling, Jonathan will share how he created Embedded Planning – planning from the street-level – in South Central’s Florence-Firestone district and affirm why students should pursue urban planning careers to improve their communities.

Bio: Jonathan Pacheco Bell is a Senior Embedded Planner at 4LEAF, Inc. and Adjunct Professor of Urban Planning at Cal Poly Pomona. Born in Boyle Heights and raised in East LA and Montebello, Jonathan came up as a graffiti writer in the 90s creating art and culture on the ground. For nearly 20 years, Jonathan has worked in South Central LA building community partnerships through street-level urban planning. He turned his methods into a new form of practice called Embedded Planning – where the planner works in and from the street. He has guest lectured across the U.S. on urban planning and is always searching for the next space to engage students. In addition to teaching and practice, Jonathan serves as Vice President of the Florence-Firestone Community Organization, a 501c3 nonprofit in South Central LA. He is co-author of the neighborhood history book, A Paseo Through Time in Florence-Firestone. Jonathan holds a Master’s in Urban Planning from UCLA.

Speaking on Embedded Planning at East LA College Department of Architecture Spring Lecture Series

Honored to return home to East LA College Department of Architecture as a speaker for the Spring 2024 Lecture Series. I’m doing the talk “Building Embedded Planning Praxis” on May 7 at 12pm: free + open to all.

Bio:
Jonathan Pacheco Bell is a Senior Embedded Planner at 4LEAF, Inc. and a Lecturer at Cal Poly Pomona Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Born in Boyle Heights and raised in East LA and Montebello, Jonathan came up as a graffiti writer in the 90s creating art and culture on the ground.

For nearly 20 years, Jonathan has worked in South Central LA building community partnerships through street-level urban planning. He turned his methods into a new form of practice called Embedded Planning, where the planner works from the street-level to increase equity and participation for historically marginalized communities harmed by inequitable planning.

Jonathan has guest lectured across the U.S. on Embedded Planning. His speaking engagements include Columbia GSAPP, UCLA, University of Utah, Ohio State, Pratt Institute, Stanford Engineering, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and Woodbury University; state and national Planning conferences in California, Iowa, and Louisiana; and public forums such as MOCA, City Parks Alliance, and the SF Urban Film Fest.

In addition to teaching and practice, Jonathan serves as Vice President of the Florence-Firestone Community Organization, a 501c3 nonprofit in South Central. He is co-author of the neighborhood history book, A Paseo Through Time in Florence-Firestone.

Jonathan is a first-generation student and proud product of the California public school system from kindergarten to graduate school. He holds a Master’s in Urban Planning from UCLA Luskin, an MLIS from SJSU iSchool, a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Cal State LA, and an Associate’s in Architecture from East LA College.

City of Quartz Panel at LitFest in the Dena 2024

Excavating the Future in Los Angeles: A Discussion of Mike Davis’s City of Quartz
Sunday, May 5, 2024, 2:00-3:00pm
LitFest in the Dena, Mountain View Mausoleum, Altadena, CA
With fellow panelists, Ivan Salinas & Mike The PoeT Sonksen

Bio:
Jonathan Pacheco Bell is a Senior Embedded Planner at 4LEAF, Inc. and Adjunct Professor of Urban Planning at Cal Poly Pomona. Born in Boyle Heights and raised in East LA and Montebello, Jonathan came up as a graffiti writer in the 90s creating art and culture on the ground. For nearly 20 years, Jonathan has worked in South Central LA building community partnerships through street-level urban planning. He turned his methods into a new form of practice called Embedded Planning – where the planner works in and from community spaces. He has guest lectured across the U.S. on bottom-up urban planning and is always searching for the next space to engage community members. In addition to teaching and practice, Jonathan serves as Vice President of the Florence-Firestone Community Organization, a 501c3 nonprofit in South Central. He is co-author of the neighborhood history book, A Paseo Through Time in Florence-Firestone. His writing has been published in Planning Magazine, Cultural Daily, UrbDeZine, and Public Libraries Quarterly. Jonathan holds a Master’s in Urban Planning from UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and proudly represents City of Pasadena as a resident in the city’s vibrant and diverse District 5.