Pacific Surfliner

Blue and silver Pacific Surfliner train at platform in San Diego, California.

Amtrak Introduces ‘Renewable Diesel’ on Pacific Surfliner

The California train will begin using fuel made from used cooking oil and other non-fossil fuel sources.

October 9, 2023 - Smart Cities Dive

Pacific Surfliner Amtrak train on California coast

Sea Level Rise Threatens an Iconic California Train

A scenic Southern California line could require relocation as rising sea levels destabilize the coastal soil that supports its tracks.

October 28, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

BART System

California Awards $500 Million in Grants for Low-Emissions Transportation Projects

The Amtrak route between Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Luis Obispo is one of the projects to receive a boost from the California State Transportation Agency's 2020 Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP).

April 23, 2020 - Mass Transit

Plans Advance for Orange County Streetcar

The $289 million streetcar would serve the cities of Santa Ana (population 329,00), county seat and second densest in California after San Francisco, and Garden Grove (population 170,000) on a 4.1-mile route. Service could begin 2020.

April 2, 2016 - Orange County Breeze

Indiana and California Among States Yet to Decide to Subsidize Amtrak Lines

Ron Nixon provides an update on the implementation of the Passenger Rail Investment & Improvement Act of 2008 that requires states to subsidize shorter Amtrak routes in order to reduce Amtrak's federal subsidy. 28 routes in 19 states are at stake.

May 6, 2013 - The New York Times - U.S.

San Diego Rail

San Diego's Omission from High-Speed Rail: Customary Curse or Blessing in Disguise?

Is California's High-Speed Rail (HSR) a "boondoggle" for the state, as its critics assert, or just a boondoggle for omitted cities? How should such cities deal with omission from HSR? San Diego is a case in point.

April 7, 2013 - UrbDeZine.com

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.

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.