For more than a year now, the Laws That Shaped L.A. column has been chronicling a running list of laws that a range of experts say have made a significant impact on the people and places of this region -- and oftentimes, far beyond.
As regular readers of the column know, the columns are automatically archived beginning with this page: Laws That Shaped L.A. Archives
That automatic archive appears chronologically by the date each column was published.
For readers who are interested in more subject-matter groupings, today we present just such an index. Please note that many columns are cross-listed and appear in multiple subject sections.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
The Roots of Sprawl: Why We Don't Live Where We Work
Why is the Los Angeles Skyline So Bland?
How Bunker Hill Lost Its Victorians
Sprawl: What Happens When You Legislate Against Vibrant Streets
How Downtown L.A. Became a Place to Live (Without Parking)
The Law That Killed The L.A. River
Survey Says: How Thomas Jefferson Made the Streets of L.A.
The Under-Appreciated 1990 Immigration Law That Changed Koreatown
Teddy Roosevelt's Signature Let Los Angeles Grow
How The Westside Became So Crowded
The End of the Road: The Idea That Took A Toll on How We Travel
Why Buildings Turn Their Backs on the L.A. River
Prop 13's Hidden Effects on the Built Environment
How Prop 84 Helped the Homeless and Added Affordable Housing
My Way or the Highway: Why Mega-Roads Rule The City
The Birth of Sprawl: How Ending the Great Depression Meant Inventing the Suburbs
How CEQA Allows Anyone to Thwart Development
In Defense of CEQA, the 'Bill of Rights' for Environmental Democracy
How Rancho Owners Lost Their Land and Why That Matters Today
DESIGN
Why is the Los Angeles Skyline So Bland?
Why Automobiles Look The Way They Do
Why Buildings Turn Their Backs on the L.A. River
Prop 13's Hidden Effects on the Built Environment
How Downtown L.A. Became a Place to Live (Without Parking)
The Under-Appreciated 1990 Immigration Law That Changed Koreatown
How Bunker Hill Lost Its Victorians
ECOLOGY
How Los Angeles Began to Put its Soggy Days Behind
Don't Bury Your Head in the Sand: Why The Clean Water Act Matters
When It Comes To Water, Why L.a. is Better Off Than Texas
When the Eco Zeitgeist Changed
Power Play: California, Electricity and Climate Change
How Yellowstone Led to Los Angeles
Teddy Roosevelt's Signature Let Los Angeles Grow
Why California's Beaches are Open to Everyone
How CEQA Allows Anyone to Thwart Development
In Defense of CEQA, the 'Bill of Rights' for Environmental Democracy
ECONOMY
Proposition 13: The Sacred Cow That Won't GO Away
Prop 13's Hidden Effects on the Built Environment
The Birth of Sprawl: How Ending the Great Depression Meant Inventing the Suburbs
Why California's Beaches are Open to Everyone
How Prop 84 Helped the Homeless and Added Affordable Housing
In Defense of CEQA, the 'Bill of Rights' for Environmental Democracy
The Under-Appreciated 1990 Immigration Law That Changed Koreatown
How Bunker Hill Lost Its Victorians
ELECTIONS
Dr. Strangevote, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Ballot Initiatives
ENERGY
Power Play: California, Electricity and Climate Change
EQUAL RIGHTS
Title IX: Why So Many More Women and Girls Play and Win at Sports
When California Decided Who Could Have Kids and Who Could Not
How World War II Era Internment Camps Changed Little Tokyo, Los Angeles and America
In Defense of CEQA, the 'Bill of Rights' for Environmental Democracy
How Rancho Owners Lost Their Land and Why That Matters Today
Skid Row's Toilet Woes: Where Going to the Bathroom is Illegal
FOOD
When This Law Ended, What Happened to Mexican Immigration?
How Rancho Owners Lost Their Land and Why That Matters Today
FREE SPEECH
Los Angeles and the First Amendment
Why is Civic Activism and Journalism Legal and Who was Jerry Schneiderman?
HOMELESSSNESS
How Prop 84 Helped the Homeless and Added Affordable Housing
Skid Row's Toilet Woes: Where Going to the Bathroom is Illegal
IMMIGRATION & ETHNICITY
When This Law Ended, What Happened to Mexican Immigration?
The Under-Appreciated 1990 Immigration Law That Changed Koreatown
The Immigration Law That Changed Postwar Chinatown
How Rancho Owners Lost Their Land and Why That Matters Today
How World War II Era Internment Camps Changed Little Tokyo, Los Angeles and America
The Immigration Law That Shaped Postwar Chinatown
LABOR
When This Law Ended, What Happened to Mexican Immigration?
PUBLIC HEALTH
How Los Angeles Began to Put its Soggy Days Behind
Why Automobiles Look The Way They Do
The Law That Killed The L.A. River
Don't Bury Your Head in the Ground: Why The Clean Water Act Matters
When the Eco Zeitgeist Changed
Behind California's Ban on Assault Weapons
When California Decided Who Could Have Kids and Who Could Not
When The Olympics and L.A. Youth Sports Changed Forever
Why California's Beaches are Open to Everyone
How Prop 84 Helped the Homeless and Added Affordable Housing
PUBLIC SAFETY
Why Los Angeles Isn't A Beach Town
Behind California's Ban on Assault Weapons
Why is the Los Angeles Skyline So Bland?
Skid Row's Toilet Woes: Where Going to the Bathroom is Illegal
SPORTS
When The Olympics and L.A. Youth Sports Changed Forever
Title IX: Why So Many More Women and Girls Play and Win at Sports
TAXES
Proposition 13: The Sacred Cow That Won't Go Away
Prop 13's Hidden Effects on the Built Environment
TRANSPORTATION
My Way or the Highway: Why Mega-Roads Rule The City
Why Automobiles Look The Way They Do
Free The Jitney! When Buses, Bicycles, Light Rail and Feet Aren't Enough
The End of the Road: The Idea That Took A Toll on How We Travel
How Downtown L.A. Became a Place to Live (Without Parking)
How The Westside Became So Crowded
Survey Says: How Thomas Jefferson Made the Streets of LA
URBAN PLANNING
Why Los Angeles Isn't A Beach Town
The Roots of Sprawl: Why We Don't Live Where We Work
The Birth and Growth of City Planning
Why is the Los Angeles Skyline So Bland?
Does Zoning Matter in Los Angeles?
Sprawl: What Happens When You Legislate Against Vibrant Streets
How Bunker Hill Lost Its Victorians
How Downtown L.A. Became a Place to Live (Without Parking)
The Law That Killed The L.A. River
Survey Says: How Thomas Jefferson Made the Streets of LA
How Yellowstone Led to Los Angeles
How The Westside Became So Crowded
The End of the Road: The Idea That Took A Toll on How We Travel
Why Buildings Turn Their Backs on the L.A. River
Proposition 13: The Sacred Cow That Won't Go Away
Prop 13's Hidden Effects on the Built Environment
How Rancho Owners Lost Their Land and Why That Matters Today
My Way or the Highway: Why Mega-Roads Rule The City
The Birth of Sprawl: How Ending the Great Depression Meant Inventing the Suburbs
Free The Jitney! When Buses, Bicycles, Light Rail and Feet Aren't Enough
How Prop 84 Helped the Homeless and Added Affordable Housing
How CEQA Allows Anyone to Thwart Development
In Defense of CEQA, the 'Bill of Rights' for Environmental Democracy
WATER
Why Los Angeles Isn't a Beach Town
The Law That Killed The L.A. River
Don't Bury Your Head in the Ground: Why The Clean Water Act Matters
Why California's Beaches are Open to Everyone
When the Eco Zeitgeist Changed
Teddy Roosevelt's Signature Let Los Angeles Grow
Why Buildings Turn Their Backs on the L.A. River
When It Comes To Water, Why L.A. is Better Off Than Texas
Top photo: Manipulated image of interchange stretched around the globe. Image courtesy Los Angeles Public Library
Have a suggestion for a Law That Shaped L.A. or someone to interview? Contact Jeremy Rosenberg via: arrivalstory AT gmail DOT com. Also contact or follow Rosenberg on Twitter @LosJeremy
About the Author
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