Orange County

Bay Area Highway

Winners and Losers of the California Primary

With national media focused on individual candidates, propositions that dealt with park and water bonds, transportation spending, cap-and-trade, and rainwater may have been overlooked. Plus, a measure to increase bridge tolls in the Bay Area.

June 7, 2018 - The Sacramento Bee

Virginia Freeway

Popularity of Express Lanes Spreads Beyond Virginia

Dan Vock of Governing takes a broad look at congestion pricing, beginning with the success of Virginia's 66 Express Lanes, the ones where tolls initially topped $40. Notwithstanding complaints, managed lanes are spreading, but challenges remain.

April 3, 2018 - Governing

Homeless

Protests Push O.C. to Kill Its First Real Plan to Help the Homeless

The affluent county finally authorized a concrete plan to address a housing crisis, but forceful opposition from residents put them 'back to Square One.'

March 29, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Interstate Highway

A Traffic Solution 'Straight Out of the 1950s'

That's how the Los Angeles Times editorial board characterized the $6 billion plan by Los Angeles Metro to widen the 710 freeway. "A waste of money," they assert. Key to the solution is how to deal with goods movement from the seaport complex.

February 26, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Gold Line Preview

Southern California's Declining Transit Ridership, Explained

More Southern Californians are purchasing motor vehicles, particularly those who were previously transit-dependent, which largely explains the region's declining transit ridership, according to a newly released study.

February 9, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Orange County to Remove 1,000 Homeless People From the Santa Ana River

Responding to local homeowners and politicians, Orange County will clear homeless encampments from a riverbed and stormwater channel under its control.

January 20, 2018 - KPCC

Streetcars Coming to the OC

The conservative bastion of Orange County will soon begin on construction on the mode of transit favored by the Obama Administration: the "modern streetcar."

January 16, 2018 - OC Register

User Fees and Sales Tax Dollars Finance $1.9 Billion Four-Lane Freeway Widening

A 16-mile express lane and general purpose lane will be added in each direction of the San Diego Freeway in Orange County. A $629 million TIFIA loan will be repaid by toll-paying motorists, while all taxpayers pay most of the remainder.

August 5, 2017 - Daily Pilot (Los Angeles Times)

OCTA Bus

Calls to Cut Service for Orange County Buses

Orange County is dealing with falling transit use, and its transit authority is looking for ways to stay afloat.

June 3, 2017 - Voice of Orange County

Ghost Bike

Op-Ed: 'Share the Road' PSAs Aren't Enough to End Bike Fatalities

An op-ed wonders when enough bike fatalities will be enough.

May 14, 2017 - The Orange County Register

Freeway Construction

PIRG Releases Third Highway Boondoggles Report

A new report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group and the Frontier Group indicates that highway boondoggles have been getting bigger, more costly, with the benefits more limited. Nine projects are analyzed in "Highway Boondoggles 3."

April 20, 2017 - Illinois PIRG

Lyft

Can Rideshare Catch On Where It's Easy to Drive?

In medium-sized cities and suburban areas, it's simply easier to drive your own car in most cases. But shared rides might still have a chance to catch on.

March 24, 2017 - Mobility Lab

Carpool Lane

California's Newest Express Lanes Opened Monday in Riverside County

Two new express lanes in each direction of the 91 Freeway in Corona dubbed the Corona Crawl opened for traffic on March 20. The lanes connect to the 91 Express Lanes in Orange County, providing 18 miles for carpoolers or those willing to pay a toll.

March 22, 2017 - ABC7 Eyewitness News

LEGO Land

Legoland Proposal Splits Community

A new Legoland theme park proposed for the town of Goshen, north of New York City, has received a mixed response from the community.

January 5, 2017 - The Chronicle

Lake Mission Viejo

Orange County's Water Supply Is Ahead of the Resilience Curve

The Southern California county has long been a pioneer in water management.

December 3, 2016 - The Planning Report

Desalination

What Happened to all those Desalination Plants Proposed for California?

Less than a decade ago, "desal" proposals in California numbered over 22, but only one major one was built—in Carlsbad, serving the San Diego region. A newly released study by the Pacific Institute explains why.

November 2, 2016 - KQED Science

Modular Housing for Homeless in San Francisco Hits Roadblocks

Lego-type housing construction has attracted the attention of two separate developers as an efficient means to provide housing for the city's large homeless population but has met objections from labor unions and the Mayor's Office.

September 22, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Bike Lane

Conventional Bike Lanes Left These Cities Wanting More

A case is made in the Orange County, California, city of Garden Grove for protected bike lanes. And a new protected bike lane opens in Southern California's bike infrastructure capital, Long Beach.

August 15, 2016 - KPCC

Fire

Orange County Fire Chief on Southern California's Year-Round Fire Season

California has suffered at least 700 wildfires since the beginning of 2016, and that number is only expected to rise this summer. Orange County Fire Chief Jeff Bowman explains what California must do to combat unprecedented risks.

June 23, 2016 - The Planning Report

W-S_125_pipe_yard

Feds Approve New Natural Gas Pipeline Despite Corruption Probe

Federal regulators approved a pipeline critical to a natural gas power plant currently embroiled in a federal corruption investigation.

May 19, 2016 - Politico New York

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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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.