Reparative Planning in Theory and Practice: The Case of The Alliance for Community Transit - Los Angeles

Abstract

This thesis investigates the case of the Alliance for Community Transit Los Angeles as an example of reparative planning ‘in action’. Over the past few decades urban planning not only moved from a technocratic, topdown approach towards a more participatory one but also became more attuned with the harms and wrongs caused by the field in the past. There is a growing body of work on how repair and healing relate to planning theory, however there are few empirical case studies that examine how reparative planning translates into practice. Through this research I explore how a regional coalition of grassroots organizations advocate and plan for equitable development and transit justice in the Los Angeles area, specifically analyzing the tools and methods used by ACT-LA to better understand how these processes can be scaled up and implemented in planning practice to move the field towards a more reparative direction.