Alissa Walker connects people with where they live through writing, speaking, and walking. As the urbanism editor at Curbed, she authors the column Word on the Street, highlighting the pioneering transit, clever civic design, and game-changing policy affecting our cities.
For her writing on design and urbanism, Alissa has been named a USC Annenberg/Getty Arts Journalism Fellow and Journalist of the Year by Streetsblog Los Angeles. In 2012 her project Good Ideas for Cities was selected for inclusion in the U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. In 2015 she received the Design Advocate award from the LA chapter of the American Institute of Architects. She is also the co-founder of design east of La Brea, a nonprofit that has received two National Endowment for the Arts grants supporting its LA design events.
Alissa lives in Los Angeles, where she is a co-host of LA Podcast, a contributor to the KCRW show Greater LA, and a mom to the city's two most enthusiastic public transit riders.
‘Stay Home?’ 500,000 Homeless Americans Can’t Follow Coronavirus Advice
Washing your hands and stocking up on food isn’t easy to do if you don’t have a permanent address.
In Biden vs. Sanders race, two differing visions for housing
How the U.S. addresses its affordability crisis will be determined by Democratic primary voters.
Fix your intersection, fix your city
Our intersections are too dangerous. Here’s some expert advice for making them safer for everyone.
140 countries just pledged to eliminate traffic deaths. The U.S. did not.
The Stockholm Declaration is the safe streets equivalent of the Paris climate agreement.
Safe streets are the best tool we have to combat climate change
Driving short trips because walking and biking doesn’t feel safe is one reason transportation emissions keep going up.
How your cool new fridge forces you to waste more food
Keeping food cold is a leading contributor to climate change. So why are our refrigerators bigger than ever?
Where the Democratic primary candidates stand on transportation
Michael Bloomberg’s new plan focusing on walking, biking, and transit raises the bar for candidates.
The real reason California’s upzoning bill failed
SB 50 was opposed by wealthy homeowners—but that’s only part of the story.
Design competitions won’t solve your city’s problems
Contests to fix everyday urban issues create spectacles instead of solutions.
Car ads are bad for our cities
Why can car companies drive recklessly on the very streets where people have been killed by reckless drivers?