About
Meredith Drake Reitan is a historian of Los Angeles whose work explores the built environment, urban planning, and the forces that have shaped the city over the past century. Her research examines how planners, designers, and civic leaders have envisioned Los Angeles, and how those visions have affected the people who live here. She serves…
Research
How do planners use language, images, and design to shape cities? What happens when urban visions clash with the lived experience of residents? These questions drive my research on the rhetorical practices of urban planners and their consequences for Los Angeles and other American cities. From the City Beautiful movement to urban renewal to contemporary…
Teaching
My courses challenge future planners, architects, and heritage professionals to think critically about cities, power, and the built environment. Through a combination of theory, history, and practice, students learn to examine how planning decisions shape communities—and whose voices are heard in those decisions. This approach connects ideas to action, understanding that planning is both a…
Meredith Drake Reitan 