Thank you, Fort Wayne and OKI colleagues
Embedded Planning is the Future Keynote at APA OKI Conference 2024
Embedded Planning is the Future keynote at the APA OKI Conference 2024, Friday, November 22, 2024, during lunch.
Summary:
Jonathan Pacheco Bell’s Embedded Planning approach revolutionizes planning practice by emphasizing street-level planning within the community rather than traditional desk-based methods. Developed by Bell in South Central LA and publicly introduced in 2018, this praxis seeks to rebuild trust and foster meaningful relationships with marginalized communities historically harmed by inequitable planning.
Embedded Planning involves planners working directly from community spaces and places, engaging residents in their everyday environments. This immersive approach helps planners gain a deeper understanding of local needs and aspirations, ensuring that community voices significantly shape planning decisions. By embedding themselves into neighborhoods, planners build strong, authentic relationships, moving beyond one-off, transactional, superficial consultations to create lasting and impactful partnerships.
Despite its support from communities, Embedded Planning has faced resistance from conventional planning practice and management, which has viewed this approach with skepticism. Working from the neighborhood to integrate community directly into planning processes challenges traditional methods and requires navigating complex dynamics between stakeholder expectations and regulatory constraints.
Since its inception, Embedded Planning has gained an international following among emerging planners who are eager to implement more inclusive practices. Bell’s talk will highlight real-world case studies, reflections, and personal experiences, while also showcasing the approach’s challenges and benefits. Attendees will learn how Embedded Planning fosters trust, informs better decision-making, and promotes more equitable community development. 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.
Embedded Planning is the Future
Embedded Planning is the Future keynote at the APA OKI Conference 2024, Friday, November 22, 2024, during lunch.
Bio:
Jonathan Pacheco Bell is a Senior Embedded Planner at 4LEAF, Inc., Lecturer in Urban & Regional Planning at Cal Poly Pomona, and Vice President/Public Information Officer of the nonprofit Florence-Firestone Community Organization in South Central Los Angeles.
A practicing urban planner with over 20 years of experience spanning the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, Jonathan has expertise in community engagement, participatory design, inclusive public space, long-range plans, zoning enforcement, ordinance development, planning studies, and project management.
During his tenure as a County planner in South Central LA’s Florence-Firestone community, Jonathan created Embedded Planning. This praxis situates the work of planners on the street-level, not behind a desk, to increase equity and participation for historically marginalized populations harmed by inequitable planning. What began in South Central is now an international movement of Embedded Planners with feet on the street. Jonathan has guest lectured widely on Embedded Planning praxis. His speaking engagements include Columbia University, UCLA, Ohio State, University of Utah, Pratt Institute, Stanford Engineering, Woodbury University, and East LA College Architecture; state and national APA Conferences in California, Iowa, and Louisiana; and public forums such as AARP Livable Communities, City Parks Alliance, and the SF Urban Film Fest.
Jonathan has been a leader in the American Planning Association for over a decade. He’s a member of the Latinos and Planning Division and is published in APA’s practitioner magazine, Planning. He previously served as APA Los Angeles Social Media Director and was the Southern California representative on the APA National Social Equity Task Force. This year, Jonathan proudly received the Planning Advocate Award of Excellence from APA Los Angeles and the Planning Pioneer Award of Excellence from APA Inland Empire.
Born and raised in LA’s Latino/a Eastside, Jonathan serves as a mentor to First Gen students and emerging planners. A product of the California public school system from kindergarten to graduate school, he holds an M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, and additional degrees in library and information science, political science, and architecture. Connect at c1typlann3r.blog.
Identifying the Constraints to Implementing a Vegetation Barrier along Valley Boulevard
Celebrating the graduates in my 2024 Senior Project class at Cal Poly Pomona Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Today we uplift this researcher:
Identifying the Constraints to Implementing a Vegetation Barrier along Valley Boulevard
By: Taylor Francis Galindo
Abstract:
Ambient air pollution is a significant health concern where industrial zones directly border residential zones. Numerous studies suggest the effectiveness of implementing vegetation to serve as a mitigative strategy in addressing ambient air pollution. This paper will examine the complexities of implementing vegetation as a barrier to mitigate air pollution in an environmental justice community located along Valley Boulevard in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley. The qualitative data featured in the study collected interviews with local community stakeholders and professionals from various professional backgrounds. These insights provide a foundation of what agencies would need to overcome to implement a vegetation barrier along Valley Boulevard.
Keywords: Public Health, Environmental Injustice, Tree Canopy, Green Barriers, Sustainable Solutions, Ambient Air Pollution, and Industrial Zoning
Multi-use Trails: A Path to a Third Place at The Tracks at Brea Trail
Celebrating the graduates in my 2024 Senior Project class at Cal Poly Pomona Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Today we uplift this researcher:
Multi-use Trails: A Path to a Third Place at The Tracks at Brea Trail
By: David Pascual
Abstract:
This research examines the role of The Tracks at Brea Trail (TAB trail), a multi-use trail located in Brea, California, in Orange County, as a new Third Place among the existing Third Places that Americans identify, such as coffee shops, restaurants, libraries, shops, and even local community centers. Currently, the American adult population is experiencing high stress levels and sedentary lifestyles, increasing mental health problems and fatalities. With rising concerns about mental well-being among adults, there are limited Third Places to improve well-being, which is difficult to do outside peaceful environments.
Eleven walking tours were conducted with thirteen participants and photo evidence was taken, documenting how individuals perceive the greenspace and trail design elements TAB trail offers. The participants’ commentary highlighted their limited knowledge of Third Places, awareness of wildflowers and treescapes along the trail, and sense of isolation in certain trail sections. Participants who experienced distress commented that the trail helped improve their current emotions.
Multi-use trails shed awareness on how transportation planners must consider the greenspaces that individuals use to enhance their well-being while preserving the natural environment for local wildlife and plants and creating sections along those greenspaces. Cities and planners need to move forward in promoting spaces in and among multi-use trails to improve an individual’s social and mental well-being.
Role of Place Design Between Conventional and Student Housing in South Central Los Angeles
Celebrating the graduates in my 2024 Senior Project class at Cal Poly Pomona Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Today we uplift this researcher:
Roles of Place Design in Creating a Sense of Community Between Conventional Homes and Student Housing in South Central Los Angeles
By: Osvaldo Martinez
Abstract:
For the last 4 to 5 years, the community around the University of Southern California in South Central LA has experienced an increase in student housing development where conventional, longtime residents live. This development wave not only introduces student housing in new neighborhoods but also implements unprecedented design that strays from existing neighborhood architectural styles and densities. This phenomenon raises the question of how these new forms of student housing affect residents’ perceptions of community identity, and how it affects community interactions with USC students.
Through qualitative research, I interviewed residents about new housing design and social interactions with USC students to understand the role of place design in creating a cohesive community. Residents agreed that the new forms of student housing should align with the community’s existing architectural styles, and that new student housing is being built to profit from the student market. Many residents felt that housing developers were intentional about creating a brand within the neighborhood rather than making developments that contribute to the neighborhood.
Planning For The Prestigious Poor
Celebrating the graduates in my 2024 Senior Project class at Cal Poly Pomona Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Today we uplift this researcher:
Planning for the Prestigious Poor: A Critical Analysis of Cal Poly Pomona’s Initiatives Addressing Student Homelessness and Housing Instability
By: Eileen Ramos
Excerpt:
This study assesses the ability of housing-insecure college students at Cal Poly Pomona to access support services to meet their needs. It identifies successes, limitations, and areas of improvement within the existing support system.
I will be coining the term the ‘prestigious poor’ in this research, which is in conversation with the concept of The Privileged Poor coined by Anthony Abraham Jack. Jack explores, “the experiences of those who live in poor, often segregated communities but enter college from elite boarding, day, and preparatory schools like Exeter, Choate, or Dalton those whom I call the Privileged Poor.” In contrast, I approach “The Prestigious Poor” from the lens of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable student populations in any university setting. I define the “Prestigious Poor” as college students who lack basic necessities like housing and food while simultaneously working towards a degree to better their socioeconomic status. While the concept of the ‘privileged poor’ portrays the struggles faced by low-income students in contrast to their Ivy League legacy wealthy students, the ‘prestigious poor’ encompasses all disadvantaged students facing critical disruptive instability like homelessness compared to secure students.
Questions driving this research are: “Do the resources provided by Cal Poly Pomona fulfill the needs of students facing housing instability?” and “How can Cal Poly Pomona make these resources more accessible to students in need?”
Revitalizing the Heart of Van Nuys Boulevard Through Urban Design
Celebrating the graduates in my 2024 Senior Project class at Cal Poly Pomona Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Today we uplift this researcher:
Revitalizing the Heart of Van Nuys Boulevard Through Urban Design
By: Yanneth Echegaray (1st Place Poster Winner!)
Excerpt:
This study seeks to address the question, “What urban design strategies can be implemented to revitalize Van Nuys Boulevard into a vibrant and dynamic social space while maintaining its historical significance and enriching its Latino cultural identity?”
The proposed section of Van Nuys Blvd is between Vanowen and Oxnard St in the Van Nuys neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County in the State of California. Through strategic urban design interventions, Van Nuys Boulevard can reclaim its historical vibrancy and cultural significance, transforming it into a safe, inviting, and economically thriving boulevard that embraces its rich Latino heritage while providing a vibrant social space for all.
Revitalization Vision:
“To enhance the heart of Van Nuys Blvd, between Vanowen St and Oxnard St, it is important to create an inclusive urban design environment that focuses on its rich historical significance, embraces its Latino heritage, fosters economic growth for its local businesses, and encourages social connections. Through various design strategies, this study aims to revitalize this boulevard into a dynamic and vibrant public space for all.”
Specifications within this study will be Guidelines for redesigning store frontage to enhance the environment through cohesively connecting the public to the private realm. Redesigning the streetscape to capture vibrant and welcoming aspects, while prioritizing lighting and safety features, and embracing the rich and significant Latino culture that has organically been embedded on Van Nuys Boulevard – all of this is aimed at creating a suppositional nexus that will positively affect the economic development of the local businesses inhabiting the boulevard.
Governor Newsom Signed AB 2533 Expanding Amnesty for Unpermitted ADUs
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 2533 expanding amnesty for unpermitted ADUs. I’m proudly part of this effort in partnership with Casita Coalition, and the community of Florence-Firestone plays a role in the story. Shout out to Assemblymember Carrillo for authoring the legislation. Check out my reflections on AB 2533 as a former Zoning Enforcement Planner in Casita Coalition’s article authored by Board Chair Rafael Perez: https://www.casitacoalition.org/casita-coalition-blog/bringing-californias-hidden-housing-out-of-the-shadows-adu-amnesty-reform
From Casita Coalition social media:
Exciting News! Governor Newsom has signed Casita-sponsored AB 2533 into law! This bill is a game changer for legalizing unpermitted ADUs, making it easier, more affordable, and predictable for homeowners. Now, more homeowners can bring their units up to safety standards without breaking the bank, helping to preserve a critical segment of California’s naturally affordable rental housing market. This is a huge win for renters, homeowners, and housing stability in our communities! We thank Asm. Carrillo for championing this effort and everyone who supported this vital step toward advancing housing equity and preserving much-needed affordable homes. Our Board Chair, Rafael Perez, has authored a blog on AB 2355, titled “Bringing California’s Hidden Housing Out of the Shadows: ADU Amnesty Reform.” It features powerful insights from urban planner Jonathan Pacheco Bell @c1typlann3r and remarks from Assemblymember Juan Carrillo, highlighting the positive benefits this reform will unlock for communities.
Planning and Code Enforcement Collaboration
I’m moderating the panel session “We’re In This Together: Improving Communities Through Planning and Code Enforcement Collaboration” at the 2024 APA CA Conference in Riverside. Our session is on September 28th, Conference Day 1, at 2:45pm. Come through.
Session description:
Planning and code enforcement are highly specialized and frequently politicized municipal services. At times this results in competing priorities and differing work styles, but fundamentally planners and code enforcement inspectors share the goal of creating community wellness. We best achieve this through intentional collaboration.
This session brings together planners and code enforcement professionals for a candid conversation about collaborative practice. Panelists will draw from personal reflections, scenarios, and case studies, and respond to interactive audience questions, to illustrate code enforcement and planning collaboration opportunities that benefit the community. By working collaboratively, planners and code enforcement avoid conflicting outcomes and reduce costs while co-creating better plans, policies, and programs and advancing fairness in land use regulation.
The moderator will facilitate a discussion exploring how effective communication, desire for mutual learning, and partnerships among planners, code enforcement regulators, and the community can increase equitable and inclusive planning, leading to more successful outcomes. Using interactive digital and in-person engagement methods, the audience will be empowered to guide the conversation in this forum. Attendees will gain insights and tools that they can apply in a variety of organizational settings to build collaborative opportunities for code enforcement and planning professionals.
Land Use Hot Topics and Code Enforcement
I’m moderating the panel session “Land Use Hot Topics and Code Enforcement” at the 2024 APA CA Conference in Riverside. Our session is on September 28th, Conference Day 1, at 1:30pm. Come through.
Session description:
In an era of evolving regulations and shifting political landscapes, code enforcement officers and planners face unique challenges when addressing land use issues related to cannabis operations, massage parlors, and sidewalk vending. This session will explore the delicate balance between upholding local regulations and navigating the complex web of state rights and political sensitivities.
Our expert panel will share insights and strategies from jurisdictions across Southern California that have successfully tackled these challenging enforcement areas. Attendees will gain valuable knowledge on:
– Developing effective communication strategies to educate stakeholders on local regulations while respecting state rights.
– Collaborating with code enforcement and other agencies to address illegal operations and ensure public safety.
– Implementing innovative approaches to code enforcement that prioritize community engagement and voluntary compliance.
– Navigating political pressures and maintaining professionalism in sensitive enforcement situations.
Through interactive discussions and real-world case studies, participants will leave equipped with practical tools and best practices to manage politically sensitive land use issues in their own jurisdictions. This session aligns with the conference theme by emphasizing the importance of adaptability, collaboration, and innovation in the face of evolving challenges in code enforcement.
Latin Labic in Florence-Firestone
Latin Labic placemaking event and expo kermesse Saturday, September 14, 2024 at the Florence-Firestone Community Organization. With Ortopedia Urbana, Urban Beginnings podcast, APA Latinos and Planning, and Place It! Interactive Planning. Everyone is invited! Come through.
Youth Engagement Workshop to Reimagine 710 Freeway Stub
I’m facilitating this Place It! visioning session on Friday 9/6 at Pasadena City College. High school, college & graduate students, and young people come through! Shout out to James Rojas and John Kamp #DreamPlayBuild
IG Live Conversation on Florence-Firestone with Ortopedia Urbana
I’m doing an IG Live Sept 5th at 6pm Pacific with Elizabeth Gómez Ibarra and Ortopedia Urbana. We’ll discuss the social history, planning innovations, and future of the Florence-Firestone community in South Central LA. The conversation is a precursor to our inaugural Latin Labic placemaking event at the Florence-Firestone Community Organization on 9/14! Join the conversation.
Florence-Firestone Resources for CPPURP and UCLA Courses
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:
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