Eric Richardson [Flickr]

A group of planners and planning students stands outside Ralphs, where DCBID VP of Economic Development Hal Bastian talks about the impressive numbers the store has generated.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The California Chapter of the American Planning Association is holding its annual conference in Hollywood this week, and yesterday a group of nearly sixty planners made their way Downtown via the Red Line to come see all that's taking place in the neighborhood.

The group went on a bus tour led by Hal Bastian and Justin Weiss of the Downtown Center BID. With a little under two hours allotted, the buses hurriedly zigzagged across Downtown.

Trying to distill Downtown development into limited time makes one realize just how much is going on across the city center. One can hardly finish talking about one new development before the bus has passed three others.

Ever resourceful, Bastian at one point took the opportunity to quiz his audience about zoning rules, attempting to figure out a creative solution for locating a daycare facility that wants to open Downtown.