California Planning & Development Report
Los Angeles' Contentious 'Neighborhood Integrity Initiative' Explained
The soul of planning in Los Angeles will be up for vote in the citywide election that will occur on the same day as the U.S. presidential election.
Urban Planning's Broadway Moment
Elizabeth Vaughan, the lead character in the Broadway musical 'If/Then' may be the most famous urban planner in the United States, thanks to the star power of Idina Menzel and a surprisingly accurate portrayal of the planning field.
Planners Need To Be Less Polite Sometimes
It's one thing to oppose development and rail against local planning policies. Plenty of policies, plans, and political processes are pretty lousy. It's another thing to disrupt and dominate a meeting designed to make these processes better.
Planners Feeling Tension Between Disruption And Convention
Cultural changes and 'disruptions' created by the 'sharing' economy are challenging planners just as they're challenging their own competitors. Bill Fulton assesses the brave new world that might liberate planners—or befuddle them.
A Negative Review of 'Vision Zero'
The 'Vision Zero' movement to eliminate pedestrian deaths is fantastic. It is helping cities around the world create better, safer streets. The name and its embrace of absolutes dooms cities to failure.
Is Tactical Urbanism a Thing?
A review of the book by Mike Lydon and Anthony Garcia asks the question. The answer is a clear "yes."
Escaping the Cycle of Inflated Housing Costs
In an insightful article, William Fulton unpacks the supply-demand cycle driving costs skyward in certain areas. To address the problem, new construction needs an unprecedented level of diversity.
Cities Chase Elusive 'Innovation Economy'
In many places, anchor institutions and local industries are old news. New companies, new ideas, and brand-new industries are creating wealth and vibrancy. Professor Enrico Moretti explains how cities can get in on the 'innovation economy.'
How Capitalists View Cities
The Milken Institute Global Conference brought hoards of business leaders to Beverly Hills last week. Sessions included some high praise for cities and buoyant predictions about innovation, development, and accommodating six billion city-dwellers.
Why I'm a Shoupista
Bill Fulton tells the story about how he became a Shoupista—thanks in part to Donald Shoup's love of Hello Dolly!
Op-Ed: Terrorism Fears Cloud Los Angeles Stadium Debate
With as many as a half-dozen groups vying to develop an NFL stadium in Los Angeles, things were bound to get ugly. And they did. A report warns of a possible terrorist attack at one stadium site. The report's publisher? Backers of a rival stadium.
The Da Vinci vs. Slow-Baked Cities
Josh Stephens writes in CP&DR that the recently burned Da Vinci apartment complex will have successors that also turn their backs on surrounding streets—but cities can and should do the difficult, slow work of fostering more inclusive design.
If Millennials Drive Less, it's Not All a Matter of Taste
Bill Fulton writes for CP&DR that while some Millennials may be driving less because they've chosen urban, transit-friendly lifestyles, many more young people are driving less simply because they can't afford to.
Nuances Of NIMBYism
Harvard Professor Naomi Oreskes' recently issued a plea to "stop hating on NIMBYs." But the righteousness of NIMBYism, or the "hatred" thereof, depends, in large part, on whether opposition takes place in an urban or rural setting.
Keeping Cities in the Dark
There's a third dimension to sprawl: all those photons that emanate from street lights, houses, and vehicles. As author Paul Bogard discusses in The End of Night, light pollution is an overlooked menace that presents a new frontier for planners.
So Why Doesn't CEQA Change?
Developers, public officials and others complain about the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). But the law doesn't change because everyone—even developers and public agencies—has something to gain from the leverage it offers.
Homelessness as a Watershed Issue in San Jose
San Jose's attractive urban waterways, especially Coyote Creek, house over 1200 people living in about 66 illicit encampments, all without sanitation. It's clear that clean water and housing needs are connected. What that means is up for debate.
Having No Car, and Plenty of Cars
Bill Fulton writes about the conveniences of not having a car in San Diego—using the infrastructure of cars available to rent, with and without drivers.
Back from the Dead? California Legislature Reconsiders Redevelopment
Via competing bills, California's Legislature is holding a surprisingly quiet debate on what redevelopment was for in the first place and what aspects of it may be worth reviving.
CA Court of Appeals: Some Projects Require 'Urban Decay' Mitigation
When a new shopping center may leave existing retail areas short of business, a California court has ruled that mitigations of "urban decay" must be spelled out up front.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
