Blogs I Read: Curbed LA

I chose to be an Urban Studies major in college because a) it was the one program at Cornell that I thought I had a chance of being accepted into as a transfer and b) I genuinely am fascinated by urban development. Despite the fact that I spend a good deal of time supporting historic preservation, I love the excitement of change in a city. And when I want to get my fun fix of real estate and development news in L.A., I check out Curbed LA.

Curbed LA features posts on real estate, architecture, design and neighborhood news, usually with a playful spin. For example, every year, it holds a Broker Boys and Babes contest to pick the hottest brokers in the city. Usually, my favorite posts are the ones that discuss anything having to do with new restaurants (its sister site, Eater LA, covers this exclusively), new lofts/apartment buildings and new retail developments. (Another blog I like, Angelenic, covers the same topics, but focuses mainly on the Downtown area.)

Curbed LA's own description:
"From the studio lots to the downtown lofts. From the beachfront bungalows to the canyon views. From the south bay to the valley, from the westside to the eastside—Curbed LA covers our sense of place, and the neighborhoods we call home."

I spent a lot of time in school studying what gives a city a sense of place and a major factor is a sense of community. Curbed LA and other L.A.-centric blogs help to create that by fostering interest in everything that shapes the city, whether it concerns the built environment or the diverse group of people that live in it.