Mountain View

Large colorful letter G in front of Google campus building in Mountain View, California.

Google Seeks New Direction for Massive Housing Proposal

The company parted ways with its development partner, signaling a shift in strategy for a proposed 15,000-unit housing and office space project on Google-owned land in Silicon Valley.

November 9, 2023 - Fast Company

Google Mobility

Google's Plan for the Future of its Campus Would Shift the Expectations for Corporate Campuses

Fast Company details the ambitions of a plan that would add thousands of homes, open space, and commercial development to the home of Google in the Silicon Valley.

September 25, 2019 - Fast Company

Silicon Valley, facing Downtown San Jose

Two Sides of the California Rent Control Debate, in Silicon Valley and Beyond

In California, rent control continues to be a hotly contested issue at both the local and state levels.

October 3, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Google Headquarters

Google Tax to Appear on November Ballot in Mountain View, California

If a majority of the city's voters approve the city-sponsored ballot measure, business license fees will change from a flat $30 annual fee to a new tax based on the number of employees, with the largest employer, Google, to pay $3.3 million.

June 29, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Seattle, Washington

The 'Head Tax' Failed in Seattle; Cities Still Want the Tax to Support Housing, Transit

If your city was home to some of the wealthiest, largest companies in the country, would you tax them to raise money for more housing and transit service?

June 13, 2018 - The Seattle Times

Retro Streetcar

Tenant Advocates Turn in Signatures for Rent Control Ballot Measure in California

The measure would repeal the 1996 Costa-Hawkins Act that places limits on rent control ordinances. Repealing the act would allow cities with rent control to consider expanding rent control to provide tenants greater protections.

April 28, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Tesla Fatal Crash and Battery Fire Under Investigation

Wei Huang, a 38-year-old Apple engineer, died after his Tesla Model X collided with a highway barrier on a Bay Area highway interchange on March 23. NTSB wants to know if it was operating on Autopilot. It took 5 hours to reopen the freeway.

March 30, 2018 - Bloomberg Technology

Brightline

Fatalities Mount from Brightline, South Florida's New Higher-Speed Train Service

A 51-year-old bicyclist became the second fatality in the first week of revenue service. It was the fourth fatality since the summer for the diesel train, which operates from West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale.

January 19, 2018 - Sun Sentinel

banksy

Anti-Homeless Robot Raises Eyebrows in San Francisco

File under 'high-tech urban dystopia.”

December 18, 2017 - Business Insider

Googpleplex

Mountain View Goes Big on Google Expansion, Approves 10,000 Housing Units

Could the approval of a massive redevelopment plan for Google property in the city of Mountain View pave the way for a new development-friendly approach to planning in the Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area?

December 14, 2017 - The Mercury News

Mountain View

Microsoft Adds to the Tech Industry's Construction Schedule in the Silicon Valley

Microsoft is the latest tech industry titan to announce a major construction project in the Silicon Valley.

December 6, 2017 - The Mercury News

Google Headquarters Expansion Trips Near the Finish Line

Negotiations between the city of Mountain View and tech giant Google over the latter's plans to expand its headquarters recently took a strange turn.

October 4, 2017 - The Mercury News

Moscow monorail system

'Automated Guideway Transportation' as a First-Last Mile Solution

Mountain View, located in the heart of the Silicon Valley, has commissioned and completed a study into the deployment of automated guideway transportation on two primary corridors.

September 20, 2017 - The Mercury News

Shipping Container Housing

Google to Buy 300 Modular Apartments for Employees

Mountain View is an expensive place to find housing, in part because of Google itself. The tech giant plans to do something about the housing crunch, for its employees at least.

June 20, 2017 - The Wall Street Journal

Cupertino

Apple's New Headquarters: Sprawling and Sprawl-Inducing

Apple's new campus contains thousands of parking spaces, but neither transit options nor daycare.

June 16, 2017 - Wired

Construction

A Call for Prevailing Wages as a Housing Solution

An op-ed written by city officials from two South Bay Area cities argues that reform of land use regulations won't be enough to solve California's housing crisis.

May 19, 2017 - The Mercury News

Tenants' Rights

Rent and Eviction Controls on the November Ballot in Six Bay Area Cities

Voters in six Bay Area cities in four Bay Area counties will determine the outcome of eight ballot measures on rent and eviction control. Two of the cities will have city council-sponsored measures competing against voter initiatives.

September 16, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Google Headquarters

Google, LinkedIn Complete 'Blockbuster' Land Swap

Big development news for two of the biggest names in the Silicon Valley.

July 12, 2016 - Silicon Valley Business Journal

Tenants' Rights

On the Bay Area's Peninsula: A Reborn Tenants' Rights Movement

A resurgent tenants' rights movement has found a home south of the traditional progressive capital of the Bay Area.

June 13, 2016 - The New York Times

Mountain View Breaks Rank—Approves Large Amount of New Residential Land Uses

According to a new plan approved by the city of Mountain View, developers could now add a large amount of dense housing on the doorstep of Google's headquarters.

March 8, 2016 - Vox

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.