San Francisco

Drought

The Evolving Market for Water in an Era of Droughts and Efficiencies

As some areas of the country seek out new sources of water, other areas are trying to protect what they have.

October 21, 2015 - Brookings: The Avenue

Construction Begins Raising San Francisco Bike Lane

A small section of the well-used, protected bike lane on San Francisco's busy Market Street will be raised just a few inches to increase bicycle safety. Construction began Monday and should take a month to complete.

October 20, 2015 - ABC7

Seatle Skyline

Lawyer Sees the 'Ghost of Seattle's Future'

This favorable profile of Jack McCullough, a Seattle lawyer representing developers, highlights his role as a deal-maker. Recent agreements between his clients and Mayor Ed Murray may preserve a path forward for affordable housing.

October 16, 2015 - The Seattle Times

San Francisco View from Dolores Park

Seattle Looks to San Francisco—For What Not To Do

San Francisco has long been the envy of other cities. But in recent years, as real estate prices have skyrocketed and the city's soul seems on the wane, many cities have begun looking at San Francisco as an example of what not to do.

October 14, 2015 - The New York Times

San Francisco Coit Tower Construction

Bay Area Warned: Millennials Will Leave if Housing Prices Don't Change

Millennials in the Bay Area are feeling priced out, and may bolt if they can't find housing they can afford.

October 11, 2015 - Next City

Watch San Francisco's Houses Transform Into Million Dollar Listings

A new study by Trulia quantifies the number of houses that broached the $1 million listing benchmark in the city of San Francisco between January 2010 and September 2015. A pretty/scary infographic illustrates the findings.

October 10, 2015 - Trulia

Report Grades California's Rail Stations on Neighborhood Service

A report by Next 10 takes the form of a scorecard for six light and heavy rail networks. Rail that serves existing urbanized areas scored the highest.

October 7, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Health by Design: Findings from ULI

A new ULI report finds that innovation in placemaking is about the inter-relatedness of health and the built environment.

October 1, 2015 - ULI San Francisco Blog

San Francisco Houses

Density Bonuses Proposed to Spur Affordable Housing in San Francisco

Mayor Ed Lee this week proposed a density bonus policy that would help the city build approximately 16,000 new units of housing, including 5,000 affordable units along select transit corridors.

September 30, 2015 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Coit Tower

Beyond the Big One: Real Recovery in San Francisco

What does it mean to be a Chief Resilience Officer for one America's largest cities? Doggerel spoke to Patrick Otellini, Chief Resilient Officer for San Francisco, to find out what it takes to make a truly resilient city.

September 29, 2015 - Doggerel

Bike Cop

As San Francisco Debates Idaho Stop, Gov. Brown Gives All Cyclists a Break

Regardless of how San Francisco's proposed Bike Yield Law fares, all California cyclists who are ticketed for not stopping at stop signs may have the option to pay a reduced fine if they opt to attend bike school thanks to a new law signed Sept. 21.

September 28, 2015 - Streetsblog LA

Boston Mayor Considering Shoup-Style Makeover for Downtown Parking

Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Chris Osgood, the latter Boston's new "chief of streets," are looking to San Francisco as a model of dynamic parking.

September 25, 2015 - The Boston Globe

Doggie Diner

The Coolest Structures in San Francisco: an Interview with John King

The urban design critic for the San Francisco Chronicle publishes a new book of 50 of his favorite San Francisco structures.

September 22, 2015 - KQED Public Radio

San Francisco Street

Crises and Innovation Converge on San Francisco Planning Director John Rahaim's Watch

The latest installment of the Planners Across America series interviews John Rahaim, planning director for the City and County of San Francisco, about the heightened passions and perpetual controversies of planning in the City by the Bay.

September 21, 2015 - Josh Stephens

Luxury Bus Service Leap Files for Bankruptcy

The privately owned and operated bus service known as Leap never recovered from its brush with regulators in May 2015.

September 17, 2015 - San Francisco Examiner

Semi-Serious Op-Ed Calls for Worker Dorms in San Francisco

A provocative argument or a cautionary tale—an op-ed illustrates the level of conversation surrounding San Francisco's ongoing housing crises and controversies.

September 15, 2015 - San Francisco Chronicle

Lafayette BART

San Francisco Housing Advocates: 'Sue the Suburbs'

Renters' advocates in San Francisco are building a political and fundraising base to legally challenge suburbs that aren't pulling their weight in constructing the housing to meet the demands of population growth.

September 14, 2015 - San Francisco Magazine

San Francisco Monopoly

Where Will Gentrification Happen Next?

This map tool hows gentrification-related statistics by Bay Area neighborhood, helping communities guess where the heaviest gentrification will occur.

September 13, 2015 - Next City

Tech Shuttle Pilot Might Stick Around San Francisco

They're hated by many, blamed for the city's gentrification, but are an integral part of regional transportation, enabling tech employees to work on the Peninsula and South Bay while living in the city. A city-approved pilot may become permanent.

September 10, 2015 - San Francisco Examiner

San Francisco Density

San Francisco Mayor Announces Affordable Housing Plan

Adding new details to a plan that is sure to create controversy, Mayor Ed Lee has a new plan to aadd affordable housing to the city of San Francisco.

September 9, 2015 - The San Francisco Chronicle

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.