100 Lecture Series

Alissa Walker has been observing Los Angeles as a pedestrian and journalist since before Twitter existed. How people learn about their community has changed, and Alissa now works on a newsletter and podcast to inform Angelenos about transportation, housing, urban design, and governance. Her project Torched.LA covers the civic investments and policy decisions that Los Angeles is making in preparation for its megaevent-hosting era.

Joshua Schank speaks from his book, "New Tricks for Old Bureaucracies," which tells the inside story of how a small team at LA Metro’s Office of Extraordinary Innovation turned big ideas into real change. It is part playbook, part survival guide, and part reality check for anyone trying to make progress inside public institutions.