Bay Area

A toll payment facility in Florida.

Tolling All Lanes

Bay Area transportation planners are studying a radical idea to reduce traffic congestion and fund driving alternatives: tolling all lanes on a freeway. Even more radical, the plan considers tolling parallel roads.

March 21, 2023 - San Francisco Chronicle

Vacant storefront on a New York City street with For Lease sign

Pandemic-Era Economic Growth in Metropolitan Areas

The world has gone through three turbulent years of Covid-19. The Brookings Institution continues its analysis of inclusive economic growth in 192 metropolitan areas in the U.S. during this period with the publication of Metro Monitor 2023.

March 14, 2023 - Brookings

Coronavirus and Urbanism

Austin Scores Highest on Pandemic Recovery; Bay Area and Baltimore Lowest

The Bay Area Council and CBRE created an economic tracker to measure how well the nation's 25 largest metropolitan areas have recovered from the public health restrictions imposed on their regions at the onset of the pandemic.

March 5, 2023 - Bay City News Foundation

Aerial view of Oakland, California with bay in background

Bay Area Cities Largely Miss Housing Element Deadline

Only four Bay Area cities have won the state’s approval for their housing elements, which are required to meet the state’s ambitious housing production targets.

February 12, 2023 - Globe St.

Aerial view of coastline with homes in Encinitas, California

State Estimates Show Third Year of Population Loss for California

Demographic data from the California Department of Finance released last month shows a third consecutive year of population loss, mirroring Census data. Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties saw the highest numeric losses.

February 5, 2023 - San Francisco Chronicle

Blurry close-up of people eating at restaurant table with white wine glass in middle

How the Restaurant Scene Became a Symbol of Gentrification

While redevelopment-related displacement is the result of broader market forces and policy decisions, restaurants and cafes have become an emotionally charged flashpoint for the debate over gentrification.

December 20, 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Apartments

A Who’s Who of Bay Area Real Estate

An analysis from the San Francisco Chronicle identifies twelve of the biggest and most influential owners of rental properties in the San Francisco Bay Area.

September 22, 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle

Two yellow pipes for natural gas or oil agains ta backdrop of snow

The Big Divide Between Big and Little Oil on the New Climate-Energy Law

President Joe Biden signed what he called “one of the most significant laws in our history” last Tuesday. The energy provisions in the law that benefit oil and gas extraction exposed different perspectives within the industry on the law.

August 22, 2022 - Bloomberg News

Concrete dam of almost dried, low water level Stevens Creek reservoir in San Francisco Bay Area, California.

Desalination and Water Recycling Needed to Increase Bay Area Water Supply

In an ongoing drought exacerbated by climate change, the Bay Area needs to look toward two technologies to secure adequate drinking water supply: desalination and wastewater recycling, according to an analysis by the San Francisco Examiner.

June 9, 2022 - San Francisco Examiner

Natural Resources Conservation Service's Wetlands Reserve Program

Bay Area Developments at Risk From Sea Level Rise

A controversial proposed housing development in Newark exemplifies the struggle between increasing housing supply and protecting vulnerable shoreline communities from flooding.

December 17, 2021 - KQED

Beg Button

'Beg Buttons' Quietly Appearing at East Bay Crosswalks

Critics of pedestrian crosswalk buttons say the devices, meant to help improve bus speeds, give pedestrians the 'absolute lowest priority' on city streets.

December 9, 2021 - Streetsblog San Francisco

San Francisco Bay Area

Opinion: To Meet Climate Goals, Bay Area Needs More Transit-Oriented Development

The region's transit-oriented development (TOD) plan requires a significant update to achieve the density and housing goals laid out in the MTC's 30-year vision.

November 18, 2021 - SPUR

BART Train

Northern California Rail Plan Promises Improved Service, Reduced Traffic

The Link21 program proposes a new transbay tunnel and other improvements to the Northern California megaregion's commuter rail system.

November 16, 2021 - San Francisco Examiner

A restaurant in Singapore places tape on seats to maintain distance between diners during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Pandemic Geography: What's Going on in Singapore?

With 82% of its population fully vaccinated, mostly with mRNA vaccines, COVID case incidence on Nov. 1 is the same as Wyoming, where 44% of the population is fully vaccinated. Hospitals are feeling the strain, and deaths are at their highest level.

November 2, 2021 - Reuters

South Bay Area

Wealthy Bay Area Communities Fight Housing Targets

Some California cities and counties are appealing regional housing allocations, which could have a meaningful impact on how and where development occurs over the next decade.

August 16, 2021 - The Mercury News

Social Distancing

Vaccinated Californians Estimated to Account for 20% of Current COVID Infections

State and national health authorities are unusually tight-lipped when it comes to so-called vaccine breakthrough infections, so one Bay Area newspaper editorial page editor did the math himself.

August 12, 2021 - The Mercury News

Stanford

Opinion: Build Density in Palo Alto–and Lots of It

To keep up with demand and slow the astronomical rise in housing costs, Palo Alto and other Silicon Valley cities must overcome local opposition to density and high-rises.

August 9, 2021 - San Francisco Chronicle

Silicon Valley

Bay Area Workers are Moving Back

Many of the tech employees who left Silicon Valley during the pandemic are making their way back to the Bay Area–and so are higher rents.

July 27, 2021 - New York Times

San Francisco Bay Area

A Daring 50-Year Vision for the San Francisco Bay Area

The SPUR Regional Strategy sets a new standard for planning advocacy, not only for the depth and breadth of its vision, but for its skill in execution.

May 24, 2021 - San Francisco Chronicle

COVID Testing

'By the Numbers': California Shows How to Reopen Safely

Unlike other states that lifted restrictions statewide after coronavirus cases plummeted, California replaced its regional stay-home order with a county-based blueprint, permitting counties to advance based on performance in three health metrics.

March 4, 2021 - The Mercury News

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

HUD’s 2023 Innovative Housing Showcase

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

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The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.