The Ten Urban Design Principles for 21st Century Los Angles are broad and create the framework for the built environment. The Urban Design Principles link policy and the built/open environment. The principles deal with connecting single properties to blocks, blocks to neighborhoods, neighborhoods to communities, and communities to the city. They will establish a design program from which to promote and guide change in urban, suburban and rural neighborhoods unique to our City.

The Urban Design Principles represent a set of values to be expressed in the built environment and set a direction for the City of Los Angeles. These principles are about defining the space between buildings and not just the space within property lines. They are about enhancing the connections to and the transitions between buildings, modes of transportation and the public realm. They are also about the assisting the many City departments and agencies to understand the vision for the City.

Change in a great city is inevitable. It is an ongoing gradual process that comes in many forms. New development brings changes, as do new laws, policies, regulations, development, technology, and shifting economic markets. The City has a responsibility to make the Ten Urban Design Principles for 21st Century Los Angles an active part of the process of dealing with change. With change comes the opportunity to increase our quality of life by nurturing our neighborhoods and providing safe and convenient access throughout Los Angeles. The long-term vitality of a city is dependent on how quickly it can adapt and shape the change. So as the city evolves it is enhanced.

On June 25, 2009, the City Planning Commission approved Citywide Urban Design principles and recommended City Council adopt them into the General Plan Framework in order to bring urban design formally into the City's planning process.