The Contra Costa Times

Funding from the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program is finding a lot of use in foreclosure-swamped California's San Bernardino County. But one city is deep in debate over how those funds should be used, and which areas should be saved.

Environmental review processes and logistical issues are delaying the creation of a bike sharing program in San Francisco, announced in February by Mayor Gavin Newsom. Set to start with 50 bikes, some have criticized the program for aiming too low.

Plans for a "new urbanist/smart growth" development on the waterfront of the San Francisco Bay Area town of Hercules has received unanimous approval from the city council, eliminating the need for inclusion on the November ballot.

Bay Area political columnist Dan Borenstein examines long-term transportation data and concludes that driving will only increase unless politicians make driving more expensive and transit cheaper, a solution he regards as unlikely at best.

With increasing congestion and freeways built out just about as far as they can go, transportation planners in the San Francisco Bay Area are considering plans to put on-ramp metering lights on many of the area's most congested stretches of freeway.

A transit center proposed for the East San Francisco city of Hercules is being criticized for moving away from its original plans for a pedestrian-oriented layout.

One holdout landowner is preventing the redevelopment of Pittsburg, California's waterfront, but the city is pushing for eminent domain.

The powerful northern California "megaregion" was revealed when it was awarded $840 million by the state Transportation Commission to the amazement and chagrin of southern California, which had been expecting to receive the majority of state funds.

Plans to develop a transit village around one of the San Francisco Bay Area's BART stations is gaining support, but some local officials are voicing concerns over the increased load on city infrastructure and services.

Beavers that have moved into and made a home of part of a creek in the Bay Area city of Martinez will be allowed to stay, despite the flood threat their dam poses to the city's downtown. Many are calling the beavers the city's new tourist attraction.

The key to meeting carbon reduction goals lies in reducing transportation emissions through changing land use. But to do so requires air resources boards and the many metropolitan planning organizations to play key roles.

Complaints over parking have led the city of Martinez, California, to realize an affordable housing complex built for seniors has been renting at market rates for years.

Wal-Mart has dropped plans to build a "supercenter" store in the East Bay city of Livermore, which has joined many other Northern California cities that have used local powers to prevent the retailer from moving in.

The City of Richmond, California, has received a grant from the California Endowment to include a Public Health Element in its General Plan -- one of the first in the state.

The Pittsburg, California, City Council has unanimously approved an extension of the city's urban growth boundary to include 1,600 more acres of foothills. This extension was approved by voters in 2005, but some argue the initiative was deceptive.

A reporter goes a week without a car in the San Francisco Bay Area in this article about the pros and cons of non-car transport. Though the monetary costs were lower, the cost of time was much higher, especially for an inexperienced transit user.

Plans for a statewide system have been in the works for almost a decade, but doubts remain about whether taxpayers will ever want to foot the bill.

High school students in Northern California step into the shoes of city planners this fall, as they redesign a fictional neighborhood in a decaying town.

The controlled growth initiative in Solano County, California, is one of many currently on the ballot in the Bay Area which aim to promote smart growth.

As both a major target of terrorism and a valuable evacuation tool, disaster planning officials are taking a closer look at the vulnerabilities and possibilities for mass transit.