Berkeley

This is a panoramic photograph taken on April 1st, 2021, of People's Park in Berkeley, California. During the COVID-19 pandemic the authorities eased restrictions on overnight camping by homeless persons on the grounds of People's Park. The photograph shows the presence of some of the tents set up during this period.

UC Berkeley Commits to Supportive Housing Project in People's Park

The university will work with the city and local nonprofits to provide 42 units of housing and supportive services to unhoused people living in Berkeley's iconic People's Park.

March 11, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

UC Berkeley

U.C. Berkeley To Reduce Enrollment by Thousands, Court Decides

The California Supreme Court ruled against the university in a battle over a proposed enrollment cap, forcing the school to reject thousands of potential new students.

March 3, 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle

A narrow, one-way street is lined with businesses.

Berkeley's Famed Telegraph Avenue Could Go Car Free

Among the options on the table for the Southside Complete Streets Project is a configuration that would turn Telegraph Avenue near the campus of UC Berkeley into a pedestrian, bike, and transit-only plaza.

February 28, 2022 - The Mercury News

Berkeley Hills Bay Area

State Bill Seeks CEQA Exemption for California Universities

A bill introduced in the California legislature would allow public universities to bypass environmental review regulations for student housing projects.

February 27, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

East Bay Area

Report Recommends Affordable Housing for Artists, 'Cultural Workers'

A report providing recommendations for Berkeley's Housing Element update recommends allocating affordable housing and exploring a guaranteed basic income program for creative workers.

February 20, 2022 - Berkeleyside

Students passing through the historic Sather Gate on the University of California, Berkeley campus.

Without New Environmental Impact Report, UC Berkeley Will Enroll Thousands Fewer Students

A high-profile example of the power of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) might cause thousands of students to miss out on a chance to attend the University of California, Berkeley.

February 15, 2022 - Berkeleyside

Accessory Dwelling Unit rendering

A Tour of East Bay ADUs

Now that cities and states are recognizing the potential of middle-density zoning, builders and homeowners are getting creative with Accessory Dwelling Unit designs that minimize costs and maximize comfort.

January 30, 2022 - BuildinganADU.com

Unofficial monument to 25 years of People's Park, Berkeley, California

A Fight For the Future of People's Park

Community groups are fighting a plan to build student housing in the historic People's Park.

November 24, 2021 - Mercury News

 A Richmond-bound (Red Line) train at Downtown Berkeley station in June 2019

Planning Commission Calls for More Density at Berkeley BART Stations

Berkeley planning commissioners recommend taller buildings, more density as the city evaluates zoning changes near BART stations.

November 9, 2021 - Berkeleyside

Students passing through the historic Sather Gate on the University of California, Berkeley campus.

Judge Caps Enrollment at UC Berkeley Pending Environmental Impact Report

An Alameda County judge dealt a stunning rebuke of a plan to expand the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, with housing and new space for the Goodman School of Public Policy.

August 30, 2021 - Berkeleyside

Campanile

One Berkeley Resident's Fight to Desegregate the City

Dorothy Walker has spent decades working to eliminate housing discrimination. In February, the city council finally agreed.

April 1, 2021 - Grist

Oakland California Road

Oakland Wants to Make Space for Fourplexes

The city of Oakland in the East Bay Area is a hotbed of planning and development issues, most notably gentrification and the displacement of communities of color. Now the city is considering a drastic change to its zoning code.

March 18, 2021 - Oaklandside

Grizzly Point Berkeley

Upzoning Catches on in California

Eliminating single-family zoning and other exclusionary ordinances could have major impacts on housing in some of the country's most unaffordable cities.

March 8, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Berkeley Hills Bay Area

100 Percent Affordable Overlay: Next Up for Berkeley's Reform Movement

After moving forward with parking and zoning reforms, the Berkeley City Council is also considering a new Affordable Housing Overlay on a model previously adopted in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

March 5, 2021 - Beyond Chron

UC Berkeley and North Berkeley

History (Un)made: Berkeley City Council Votes to Eliminate Single-Family Zoning

The city that invented single-family zoning in 1916, for discriminatory purposes, will completely remove that exclusionary legacy from its zoning code.

February 24, 2021 - San Francisco Chronicle

East Bay Area

Berkeley to Remove Parking Requirements for Residential Properties

Berkeley is the second city in Northern California to approve landmark zoning reforms so far in 2021.

January 27, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

San Francisco View from Dolores Park

San Francisco Bans Natural Gas Use in New Development

San Francisco becomes the 40th city statewide to legislate a ban on natural gas in development projects.

November 24, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

Moms 4 Housing

Moms 4 Housing Founders Elected to Office in the East Bay

Two leaders of Moms 4 Housing, which has grown to a national housing movement, have been elected to office in Oakland and Berkeley.

November 17, 2020 - Vice

Berkeley Hills Bay Area

Groundbreaking Affordable Housing and Homeless Shelter Project Underway in Berkeley

A new Berkeley development, the largest affordable housing development in city history, is slated to house 200 low-income and homeless residents by May 2022.

July 13, 2020 - The Mercury News

Al Fresco Gelato

Berkeley Could Redefine the Al Fresco Streets Movement

The city of Berkeley is pursuing an aggressive plan to open the streets for outdoor dining as an economic development tool for local commercial businesses.

May 17, 2020 - Eater San Francisco

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

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