San Diego

Tracking the Growth of U.S. Bikeshare Systems

A post on Greater Greater Washington takes inventory of the nation's bikeshare system, finding steady growth in the number of bikshare systems in 2014, but not the explosive growth of 2013.

February 12, 2015 - Greater Greater Washington

Qualcomm Stadium

Debunking Myths about NFL Stadium Construction

Political leaders in San Diego have spent years characterizing the city's NFL team as a regional asset, requiring a new stadium to keep in place. A column debunks some of the logic behind how and why behind some of that reasoning.

January 17, 2015 - Voice of San Diego

Bill Fulton Charts a Path for San Diego's Urban Evolution

William Fulton pens a column for the U-T San Diego assessing the city of San Diego's transition from suburban to urban after 18 months on the job as planning director.

January 6, 2015 - U-T San Diego

Pop-Up Park Shifts Planning Attitudes in San Diego

The short-term Quartyard pop-up park in San Diego's East Village reflects the changing attitudes of the oft conservative San Diego Planning Department.

November 22, 2014 - CityLab

San Diego Rail

Is Racism Behind the Density Debate in San Diego?

A high profile environmental attorney in San Diego called out neighborhood opposition to development that would add density for "selfishness and closet racism."

October 30, 2014 - Voice of San Diego

A Call for Cities to Help Veterans through Homelessness and PTSD

As noted by the Department of Veteran Affairs, even one veteran without safe and stable housing is too many. Ron Littlefield calls for cities to move beyond studies and seek ways to aid returned veterans.

October 5, 2014 - Governing - City Accelerator

Leaving California

Lessons Learned from Decades of California Planning

Since the 1980s, California has been both a beacon of cutting-edge urban policy and an example of the ways planning can go awry.

September 10, 2014 - The Planning Report

Integrating Health, Housing, and Resilience

The Urban Land Institute proposes the blending of solutions in housing and public health as a method of increasing the resilience of cities threatened by natural disasters of all kinds.

September 6, 2014 - Urban Land Institute

California Urbanists Grappling with Infrastructure Post-Redevelopment

An overview of how urbanists in California have shifted their thinking about repairing urban cores. The article is by Howard Blackson III, an urban designer.

August 2, 2014 - UrbDeZine

CEQA Crusader or CEQA Bounty Hunter?

Liam Dillon tells the story of Cory Briggs, a notorious lawyer in Southern California famous for opposing projects under the auspices of the California Environmental Quality Act.

June 13, 2014 - Voice of San Diego

My First Ride

How Well Does Light Rail Attract New Transit Riders?

The answer to the question in the headline is “not very.” Thirty years into the initial experiment, however, light rail has not been the game changer it was hoped to be.

April 13, 2014 - Atlantic Cities

Barrio Logan Community Plan's Political Rift Deepens in San Diego

The city of San Diego adopted the Barrio Logan plan a few months ago, provoking a successful movement to place a referendum on a future ballot. The city’s mayoral race could hinge on the issue, with large military contractors as political donors.

February 3, 2014 - San Diego Reader

Wrestling with the ‘D’ Word (Density)

There are few hot buttons in planning conversation like the word “density.” One writer in San Diego claims that the breakdown inspired by the term originates from concerns with cars, not buildings.

February 3, 2014 - Voice of San Diego

Bridge to U.S. Makes Tijuana's Airport Truly International

To meet demand from passengers seeking an alternative to San Diego's small airport, and circumvent the traffic crunch at two nearby border crossings, Tijuana's international airport will provide direct access from the United States.

January 21, 2014 - The New York Times

Sidewalk Survey is First Step Towards a More Walkable San Diego

Before San Diego can begin to fix its "busted sidewalks and busted sidewalk policies," the city is embarking on a high-tech $1 million effort to assess the quality of its pedestrian infrastructure.

January 13, 2014 - Voice of San Diego

Could a Controversial Project Inspire the Retrofitting of San Diego's Suburbs?

Urbanists hope approving a proposal to allow a 23-acre parcel zoned for 500,000 square feet of office space be developed with 1.4 million square feet of mixed-uses could stimulate suburban retrofits across San Diego.

December 18, 2013 - Voice of San Diego

San Diego's Planning Department Brought Back from the Dead

This week, San Diego's City Council voted to resurrect the city's moribund Planning Department. A government-wide reorganization and energized leadership seem certain to ensure the department won't become a zombie.

October 31, 2013 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

San Diego Incubates Civic Innovation

One of Bob Filner's better ideas during his short time as mayor was to establish a Civic and Urban Initiatives program, a think tank to spur innovation and civic engagement. Thankfully this program will outlive Filner's disgraceful departure.

October 28, 2013 - Voice of San Diego

Bill Fulton On What It Will Take to Rebuild San Diego's Planning Department

Bill Fulton, noted Smart Growth advocate and Director of Planning for the City of San Diego, looks to rebuild a department and pass community plans in the wake of San Diego's leadership crisis. In this interview, he describes the path ahead.

September 26, 2013 - The Planning Report

What Happens to Planning in San Diego Now that Filner is Gone?

Reconstituting San Diego's Planning Department was one of Bob Filner's signature initiatives during his short time in office, and a centerpiece of his promise to 'put the city’s neighborhoods first'. Will his vision outlast his scandalous exit?

August 28, 2013 - Voice of San Diego

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.

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.