The San Francisco Chronicle

Caltrain: Fees Raised, Service Cut

Caltrain officials are planning to cut midday service by half, raise parking fees by 50 percent, and charge more for the monthly Go Pass.

June 8, 2009 - The San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco's Japan Center Struggles to Shake Urban Renewal History

The ongoing effort to improve Japantown shows just how difficult it can be to shed the past.

May 13, 2009 - The San Francisco Chronicle

BART Planning Huge Investment in New Cars

BART is set to embark on a $3.4 billion project to replace its existing trains with 700 new cars that will carry more people, move passengers through stations faster, and meet the needs of suburban and urban riders.

May 10, 2009 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Car-Free on Market Street?

San Francisco's Market Street is heavily used by buses, cars, cyclists, and pedestrians alike. Officials are studying the potential effect of restricting cars either partially or completely, to make it "great once again."

February 25, 2009 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Carbon Emitters Anonymous

Berkeley, California has launched a citywide program that offers support to residents who wish to reduce their carbon footprints. Like Alcoholics Anonymous, these support groups are "part social, part confessional and partly about accountability."

January 21, 2009 - The San Francisco Chronicle

California Not Ready for Climate Change

Authors of a recent study have concluded that California is unprepared to face global warming challenges, and water and electricity agencies in particular have been urged to act immediately.

November 19, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

SF's Election Night Revelation

Relative to those in Chicago's Grant Park or New York's Time Square, post-election celebration turnouts in San Francisco public spaces were sparse. But it's not because of urban design--it's the city's character.

November 13, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

SF Affordable Housing Measure Defeated

Measure B would have allotted $30 million to lower-income residents who currently can't afford to live in San Francisco.

November 6, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Pointing the Finger at Planners

In allowing places to be designed for cars before people, city planners are primarily to blame for creating an "autocentric" America, according to this article.

October 29, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Improvements to SF's Public Transit System in the Works

San Francisco's Municipal Railway transit system will see incremental but major changes in the next five years.

October 23, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

BART Riders May Pay More to Park

To offset delayed transit funds, the Bay Area Rapid Transit District plans to charge those who drive to BART stations more to park. In some places, commuters will be charged to park for the first time.

October 23, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

'Lifestyle Changes' Needed for High-Speed Rail's Success

Critics of California's proposed high-speed rail system say that big cities are too spread apart for it to work as well as it has in Europe and Asia. Additionally, Californians will have to learn to adapt to density and public transportation.

October 22, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Bailout Gives Tax Break to Bicycle Commuters

The $700 billion bailout bill includes federal tax benefits for people who commute by bike.

October 11, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Noise Pollution in San Francisco is A Health Risk, Study Shows

A new study shows that noise pollution on the streets of San Francisco is putting nearly one in six residents at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure and other stress-related illnesses.

October 10, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Battle in SF Over the Meaning of the Word 'Meal'

In order to get more retailers to set up shop in one San Francisco neighborhood, the definition of "meal" must be established to keep out new places that can't serve one.

September 17, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Can 'Green' Cement Eliminate C02?

Cement production is notorious for generating large amounts of C02. Now a Stanford professor claims to have developed a new process that will eliminate the problem.

September 5, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

The 250 Sq. Ft. Condo

Technically these are SROs- Single Room Occupancy units, but it's a spanking new building, cafe below, in the vibrant SoMa district, starting at only $279,000. The catch: some units are only 250 sq.ft.

August 25, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Congressperson Asks Americans To Drive Slower

One of Congress' newest members sees it fitting that Americans should drive slower to save fuel - an appropriate sacrifice for a war she sees partly waged for oil. Her first bill, HR 6458, lowers speed limits to 60/65 mph (urban/rural areas).

August 21, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Golden Gate Bridge Congestion Pricing Replaced With Parking Pricing Plan

The Feds won't agree to a $1 congestion peak bridge toll, so SF planners have proposed peak hour parking fees on corridors leading to the Golden Gate Bridge to satisfy the Urban Partnership Agreement terms to retain the $158 million grant.

August 19, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

The New Urbanist Racetrack

Bay Meadows Racetrack in San Mateo,CA is being transformed into 19 blocks of office buildings, dense housing, parkland and plazas.

August 19, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

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