San Francisco

Bright green vintage streetcar and cyclist on Market Street in San Francisco, California.

SF’s Market Street Will no Longer be Car-free

The city will allow Waymo robotaxis and ride-hailing app vehicles to drive down the car-free stretch of Market Street as part of Mayor Dan Lurie’s effort to help revitalize local businesses.

August 22, 2025 - San Francisco Chronicle

Aerial of the Hunters Point neighborhood in San Francisco, California with sun setting over the water.

20,000 San Francisco Homes Stalled in Construction Pipeline

Despite getting permits as long as a decade ago, thousands of proposed housing units are still waiting to be built.

August 13, 2025 - San Francisco Chronicle

Black and white photo of San Francisco city hall neoclassical dome with person walking across crosswalk in foreground.

San Francisco Mayor Backtracks on Homelessness Goal

Mayor Dan Lurie ran on a promise to build 1,500 additional shelter beds in the city, complete with supportive services. Now, his office says they are “shifting strategy” to focus on prevention and mental health treatment.

July 9, 2025 - The San Francisco Standard

Dense multistory residential buildings in hilly San Francisco, California.

Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean

Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?

July 7, 2025 - The San Francisco Standard

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

San Francisco Muni bus on street, line 14 with MISSION - Ferry Plaza" on front marquee.

How to Fund SF’s Muni Without Cutting Service

Three solutions for bridging the San Francisco transit agency’s budget gap without reducing service for transit-dependent riders.

June 23, 2025 - San Francisco Chronicle

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Large crowd on street in San Francisco, California during Oktoberfest festival.

The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns

In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.

June 2, 2025 - Robbie Silver

Red SF Muni ticketing machine.

San Francisco Muni Raises Fares a Second Time

A 10–cent fare hike for adults is part of the agency’s plan to chip away at a growing budget deficit.

May 21, 2025 - San Francisco Examiner

Floor-to-ceiling rotating gates at Fairmount subway station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Crime Continues to Drop on Philly, San Francisco Transit Systems

SEPTA and BART both saw significant declines in violent crime in the first quarter of 2025.

April 28, 2025 - Mass Transit

Crowds of people walking and biking along waterfront in Sunset Dunes Park in San Francisco, California on a sunny day.

San Francisco Opens Park on Former Great Highway

The Sunset Dunes park’s grand opening attracted both fans and detractors.

April 22, 2025 - Mission Local

Streetcar and bus stopped at station on Market Street in San Francisco with Ferry Building visible in background.

Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street

If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.

April 16, 2025 - San Francisco Examiner

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Orange and white vintage-look streetcar on Market Street in San Francisco, CA.

San Francisco’s Muni Ridership Grew in 2024

The system saw its highest ridership since before the Covid-19 pandemic, but faces a severe budget shortage in the coming year.

April 4, 2025 - San Francisco Chronicle

White BART trains passing each other on elevated track in Fruitvale, California.

BART Closes $35 Million Deficit

Cost control and revenue generation measures prevented service cuts.

March 27, 2025 - Mass Transit

Close-up on 45 mph speed limit sign with part of Golden Gate Bridge visible in background, San Francisco, California.

San Francisco Turns On California’s First Speed Cameras

The city is the first in the state to use automated traffic enforcement to reduce speeding and traffic deaths.

March 25, 2025 - KQED

Line of tents set up against a fence on a public sidewalk in San Francisco, California with bikes and personal items around.

San Francisco Announces Plan to Overhaul Homelessness Strategy

Mayor Lurie’s three-phase plan promises 1,500 new shelter beds and a restructuring of outreach teams and supportive service programs.

March 20, 2025 - ABC7 News

Black and white photos of couple walking on Great Highway road in San Francisco on the water during the pandemic when the road was closed to vehicular traffic.

Part of San Francisco Waterfront Highway to Become Pedestrian-Only in April

Two miles of the ‘Great Highway’ will be permanently closed to cars, in part due to erosion that makes the road unsafe for vehicles.

March 6, 2025 - Streetsblog San Francisco

People walking on San Francisco street with 'Slow Streets' signs.

San Francisco Slow Streets Bucks Citywide Trend, Reducing Injuries by 61 Percent

Low-cost interventions aimed at slowing traffic are making a major impact on road safety.

March 4, 2025 - KQED

Center-running protected bike lane on Valencia Street in San Francisco, California.

How San Francisco’s ‘People Protected Bike Lanes’ are Moving the Needle on Road Safety

A local bike safety protest has become a global phenomenon.

January 29, 2025 - Streetsblog 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.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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.