Sonoma County
Another Reminder of the Futility of Carpool Lanes
What's the great 'fix' for the flawed Highway 101 carpool lanes in Marin and Sonoma counties in the Bay Area? Reduce the HOV time by two and a half hours during the peak commutes to enable solo drivers greater access to 52 miles of widened freeway.
When Carpool Lanes Cause Mayhem
A newly widened Bay Area freeway serves as a reminder of the futility of HOV lanes. There are better ways to manage and mitigate traffic.
Bay Area's 'Most Recovered' Rail Line Expands North
Among the San Francisco Bay Area's 27 transit systems, one rail line stands out for recovered pre-pandemic ridership: the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District. Now it's headed 9 miles north to Healdsburg.
'By the Numbers': California Shows How to Reopen Safely
Unlike other states that lifted restrictions statewide after coronavirus cases plummeted, California replaced its regional stay-home order with a county-based blueprint, permitting counties to advance based on performance in three health metrics.
The New Regionalism of the Coronavirus Pandemic
In the absence of federal leadership in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, East Coast states and West Coast counties have collaborated to implement uniform containment strategies to arrest the spread of COVID-19, and it's catching on.
Competing Funding Strategies Promoted for Bay Area Transit Mega-Measure
Two Bay Area transportation sales tax measures affecting three Bay Area counties performed poorly on Super Tuesday, but it hasn't deterred the groups backing a nine-county mega-measure. Progressive groups are proposing non-sales tax alternatives.
Housing Politics: Think Regionally, Lose Locally
Two Bay Area city council members serving on a regional commission suffered the political consequences of supporting a controversial regional housing initiative, not from their constituents, but from their colleagues.
California Population Grows to 39,810,000 in 2017
California added 309,000 residents last year, an 8 percent drop compared to annual increases since 2010. The state added a net 85,000 housing units, accounting for losses to wildfires.
USDOT Awards $96 Million to BRT Projects in Washington, Missouri and Commuter Rail in California
On April 9, FTA awarded $43 million for a new, 12-mile bus rapid transit line in Everett; $30 million to extend BRT 10 miles in Kansas City and $22.5 million to extend a North Bay commuter rail line two miles to a ferry terminal on San Francisco Bay.
Most California Cities Now Subject to State-Mandated Development Streamlining
Given that 97 percent of California cities aren't meeting their housing targets, SB 35, last year's landmark "by-right" housing bill, now applies to projects that contain varying amounts of affordable units.
Wine Country Wildfires Put Spotlight on Transmission Lines
No cause has yet been attributed to California's deadliest wildfires, but the connections to fallen power lines and exploding transformers, maintained by PG&E, have been exposed in a series of reports by the Bay Area News Group.
New Commuter Train Comes Through for Fire-Ravaged Santa Rosa
Sonoma-Marin Rail Transit (SMART) has been operating almost continuously at full schedule, collecting no fares since the epic wildfires began in Sonoma County on Oct. 8. Two stations in the fire-zone are shut down due to lack of access.
Wine Country Wildfires Put Focus on Wildland-Urban Interface
The fires in Northern California have caused at least 21 deaths, with over 500 people missing in Sonoma County. Wired science editor, Adam Rogers, looks at the problems posed when urban development encroaches wildlands.
New Bay Area Commuter Rail Service Begins Today
Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) train is set to start service Friday, running between Sonoma and Marin Counties in the Bay Area. Future extensions are planned that to take it to Larkspur for ferry service to San Francisco.
Opponents of Rent Control Claim Victory in Special Election in Bay Area
Voters in Santa Rosa, California rejected a measure that would have retained the rent and eviction control ordinance that the city council had approved lasted August. The referendum was placed on the ballot by the California Apartment Association.
Tolling May Finance Repair of Bay Area Highway Threatened by Sea Level Rise
Officials have begun tackling the problem of adapting low-lying State Route 37 in the North Bay, closed several times this year due to flooding, to climate change. With no identified funding, a working group is leaning toward road tolling.
Bay Area's Newest Commuter Rail Service on Display
The Northwestern Pacific RR served Marin and Sonoma counties and the North Coast in the 1890s. The route of the new SMART train, while not as long, will run in the same right-of-way, starting next year. One new train was on display in San Rafael.
Legislation Proposed to Ban Sidewalk Tolls on Golden Gate Bridge
If two assembly members from San Francisco and Marin counties have their way, pedestrians and bikers on the Golden Gate Bridge will not be tolled as if they were in a motor vehicle.
County Fairgrounds Provide Overnight Parking for Homeless
The city of Santa Rosa, California, has “cut against the trend” by implementing a safe parking program at the county fairgrounds lot. What has your surface parking lot done for you lately?
Could California's Largest Casino Transform the State's Relationship with Gaming?
The $800 million Graton Resort & Casino will soon open in Sonoma County for the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria and be the closest tribal casino to 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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
