Los Angeles faces rapid, continuous growth in the new century. Even though today's vital infrastructure and systems are pushed beyond capacity, the greater metropolis will receive an additional two million people by 2005. To prepare for this tremendous growth, the city must reconsider its planning strategies as well as the revitalization of the downtown core--the geographical and symbolic heart of Los Angeles and, potentially, the connective tissue for all of the city's cultures. By applying original thought and creativity to the challenges of the downtown area, we can begin to plan now for the real consequences of Los Angeles's future growth. Conceived by Richard Koshalek, "L.A. Now "is a collaborative design initiative to focus creativity on downtown Los Angeles and provide the foundation for its future development. "L.A. Now "brings together the work of UCLA architecture students under the direction of studio leader Thom Mayne (Morphosis), CalArts Graphic Design students, and Art Center film and photography students and others in two distinctive, lavishly illustrated books. The first volume, "L.A. Now, "offers a virtual snapshot of Los Angeles at the beginning of the twenty-first century. A rich amalgamation of recent data, text, graphic design, and photography, this book documents the city's radical heterogeneity, hybridity, and fragmentation into four sections: Los Angeles, habitat, people, and money. Cover Photo Credit: Mark Lipson