San Francisco

New Auto Restrictions On San Francisco's Market Street Go Into Effect Today

Private autos will have restricted access to a congested stretch of downtown San Francisco's main drag, Market Street, beginning August 11, in an attempt to make the street safer for non-motorists.

August 11, 2015 - San Francisco Chronicle

Sutter Street from above

Who Should Pay for Congestion in Booming San Francisco?

Facing record-level population growth and a booming job market, the city of San Francisco wants luxury developers to pay into the public transit system.

August 9, 2015 - CityLab

Corruption Investigation Rocks San Francisco City Hall

Corruption charges tainted the San Francisco political ranks this week, with implications of corruption and bribery in the land use and construction process, among other charges, reaching the Mayor's Office and many others.

August 8, 2015 - San Francisco Examiner

San Francisco Bikers Score a Point for the Idaho Stop

Last week, along a popular San Francisco bike route, a group of protestors took to their bikes to advocate for new laws, such as the Idaho Stop, that make it easier to bike in the city.

August 4, 2015 - SF Weekly

No Luxury Condos

What's the Matter With the Planning Process?

Current planning models places housing affordability and preservation fundamentally at odds with one another. We must be willing to re-evaluate our processes if we are to truly move forward.

August 4, 2015 - Reuben Duarte

America's Hidden Pothole Tax

A new report from TRIP has been released showing which regions have the worst maintained roads. United States drivers on average pay an annual 'hidden pothole tax' of $515, double that in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Highway funding expires July 31.

July 27, 2015 - Reuters

Pittsburgh Bridge

New App Plots the Most Beautiful, Walkable Route

Interested in finding the road less traveled by? Walkonomics has launched in seven cities around the globe.

July 25, 2015 - ASLA The Dirt

SF Cable Cars

New Streetcar Line Set to Open August 1 in City by the Bay

As Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez of the San Francisco Examiner explains, the 'E' Line has only been over three decades in the making. Credit goes greatly to former mayor, now U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein, and the tireless work of committed advocates.

July 19, 2015 - San Francisco Examiner

New Research on Airbnb's Impact on the San Francisco Housing Market

The San Francisco Chronicle published a large, magazine-style feature detailing the impacts of Airbnb on the city's housing market.

July 14, 2015 - San Francisco Chronicle

Report: San Francisco Bleeding Affordable Units

San Francisco loses eight affordable units for every ten it creates according to a new report by the San Francisco Planning Department.

July 9, 2015 - San Francisco Business Times

Surprise Survey Finding on Density in the Bay Area

San Francisco and the Bay Area, known for their exorbitant housing prices and not unrelated, strong NIMBY attitudes, could be softening their opposition toward increasing density in their neighborhoods.

July 6, 2015 - San Jose Mercury News

Self-Driving Car

Self-Driving Cars as Public Transportation

No one in the business doubts that autonomous vehicles will have some role to play in the future of transit. But right now, questions abound and answers are still only speculative.

July 6, 2015 - the transport politic

California First: Carbon Fees Used to Fund Affordable, Transit-Oriented Housing

On June 29, the California Strategic Growth Council awarded $121.9 million in Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds to help build 28 affordable housing developments on major transit lines. Funding originates from proceeds of the cap-and-trade market.

July 6, 2015 - PR Newswire

No Luxury Condos

Unpacking the Idea 'More Housing Equals Lower Prices'

It makes economic sense: increase supply in desirable areas to match demand. These articles look at some of the factors complicating that story in on the west coast.

July 4, 2015 - City Observatory City Commentary

Recommendations for Improving the Bay Area's Busiest Commute

One of the nation's busiest commute corridors will get a lot busier in coming decades with no large infrastructure investment in sight. SPUR has some ideas about how the East Bay to San Francisco corridor can be improved right now.

July 2, 2015 - Medium

SF Cable Cars

A New Take on the Gentrification of San Francisco

The latest installment of a series titled "Field Notes from Gentrified Places," written by Vinson Cunningham, focuses on the city of San Francisco.

June 30, 2015 - McSweeney's

Bike Shed Netherlands

Faced With Flocks of Tourists—Town Will Charge for Bike Parking

Sausalito will charge for bike parking, instead of limiting the number of bikes entering the city's downtown, mostly from San Francisco by biking across the Golden Gate bridge and often taking a Golden Gate ferry back.

June 23, 2015 - Marinscope

How NIMBYism Contributes to San Francisco's Housing Shortage

A pattern of opposition to housing projects that leads to the underdevelopment of land has contributed to a housing shortage in San Francisco, writes planning consultant Jim Chappell.

June 18, 2015 - UrbDeZine

Vintage Taxi

Uber Vehicles are Not Taxis, Even When They Want To Be

A June 16 vote by the San Francisco MTA to improve safety will allow taxis, along with bicycles and Muni buses, but not ride-hailing services to make turns onto the downtown's main thoroughfare, Market Street, has upset San Francisco-based Uber.

June 18, 2015 - San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Skyline

San Francisco's Intractable Housing Dilemma

Blogger Shane Phillips writes that San Francisco has two possible responses to its housing crisis: increase supply to accommodate newcomers, or hunker down and promote only subsidized housing. Both, he says, are lousy. Other coastal cities, beware.

June 14, 2015 - Better Institutions

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.