San Francisco

San Francisco Will Lower Speed Limits on 23 Streets
A 2021 state law allows cities to reduce speed limits next to ‘business activity districts.’

Strategies for Speeding Up Bus Service
A new report will highlight solutions for making bus service faster, more reliable, and thus more attractive to riders.

Report: Trolley Buses Best Zero-Emissions Option for San Francisco
To decarbonize its bus system, a new study recommends adding more substantial battery packs to the city’s historic—and all-electric—trolley bus fleet rather than replacing trolley buses with electric buses that require lengthy charging periods.

Tent Encampments: Will the Legal Restraint be Lifted?
A controversial U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in 2018 that has hindered the ability of western cities to clear tent encampments on public spaces will likely be revisited and overturned by the Supreme Court, predicts a popular CNN host.

San Francisco’s Tunnel Tops Gets Family-Oriented Expansion
Unlike its flashier, selfie-friendly neighbor, the new Outpost Meadow is designed to provide comfortable space for locals.

A Model for Wastewater Recycling in San Francisco
Decentralized wastewater recycling systems take water conservation a step further by reducing the need for external infrastructure and keeping water recycling and reuse -in-house.’

San Francisco Officials Want to Put the Brakes on Self-Driving Taxis
Local officials say autonomous cars are not yet safe enough to be permanently deployed across the entire city.

Few Landlords Pay San Francisco Vacancy Tax
Less than 3 percent of properties potentially subject to a new vacancy tax were filed as vacant in the last year, but empty storefronts in the city persist.

Op-Ed: To Survive, Bay Area Transit Needs Integration
Advocates for ‘seamless’ transit are calling on California state leaders to tie a consolidation study to a one-time injection of funding into the Bay Area’s transit systems.

Recent Retail Closures in U.S. Cities Follow Trends Established Before the Pandemic
While some cling to debatable claims about higher crime rates as the cause for recent high-profile store closures in U.S. downtowns, the real reasons are more realistically extensions of the causes of the “retail apocalypse” from the before times.

Driverless Cars Blocking Buses, Traffic in San Francisco
Footage from buses and trains show self-driving cars from Waymo and Cruise frequently make unscheduled stops, blocking transit vehicles and causing traffic snarls.

Center-Running Bike Lane Pilot Project Approved on Dangerous S.F. Street
A plan to reconfigure Valencia Street between 15th and 23rd streets in San Francisco has been approved despite stiff opposition from community members and bike advocates.

San Francisco Rents Cheaper Now Than in 2020
Though ‘cheap’ is a relative term.

11,000 Housing Units Possible with S.F. Office Conversions, Study Says
A new study by SPUR and the Urban Land Institute’s San Francisco chapter estimates a specific number of apartment units that could be built from vacant office units in the city.

Proposed Pool Would Make an Olympic-Sized Play Area in the San Francisco Bay
The San Francisco Bay is usually an undesirable place to swim, except for a hearty few. A development proposal seeking assistance at the state level would add a pool to the Bay’s waters to make the idea of going for a swim more appealing.

San Francisco Nonprofit Accused of Neglecting Tenants, Misusing Funds
A major housing organization with city contracts is neglecting poor housing conditions in its buildings while amassing lobbying power and political influence.

Backlash to San Francisco Development Spotlights City’s Conflicting Priorities
Residents of the Bayview neighborhood say they support new housing, but object to a proposed building that would replace one of the area’s only green spaces.

The Perilous Future of Bay Area Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit, a hugely successful system pre-pandemic, is now struggling to close a massive projected budget gap, with no certain solutions on the table.

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.

Delays in Power Hookups Force New Buildings To Sit Empty
Hundreds of residential and commercial buildings in the San Francisco Bay Area are vacant, waiting for electric connections from PG&E.
Pagination
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)