California

California State Capital

Statewide Rent Control, Eviction Protections Adopted in California

It's been a historic year for rent control on the West Coast, as California joins Oregon as the first states to approve statewide rent control laws.

September 13, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

CEQA Droput

Kanye West's Unpermitted Vision for Housing Utopia Has Been Demolished

Kanye had 45 days to submit plans for the unpermitted buildings built on his property in Calabasas, California. Instead, the rapper tore the buildings down.

September 13, 2019 - TMZ

Metro Bikes

California Adds Bikeshare and E-Bikes to its List of Dirty, Old Car Replacement Options

The Clean Cars 4 All program provides incentives for low-income Californians to replace old, polluting cars with an electric car or a transit pass. Now residents can also choose electric-assist bikes and bikeshare as a mobility option.

September 12, 2019 - California Bicycle Coalition

Oakland California Road

California Cities That Plan Housing Might Now Have to Build it

If Gov. Gavin Newsom signs the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 as expected, downzonings, density reductions, housing construction moratoriums, and housing caps will become illegal.

September 11, 2019 - The Orange County Register

Google Transit Village

Google's San Jose Transit Village Plans Revealed

Google's plans for the Diridon Transit Village are much more clear.

September 11, 2019 - The Architect's Newspaper

Downtown Los Angeles

Los Angeles Could Broaden Homeless Sleeping Prohibition to a Quarter of the City

There won't be many places left to sleep for the massive population of homeless living in the city of Los Angeles.

September 11, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Eastside Gold Line and Los Angeles skyline

Anti-Development Forces Strike at L.A.'s Transit Oriented Communities Program

There's a new front in the city of L.A.'s ongoing conflict between anti-development forces and efforts to add density at and around transit.

September 10, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Welc_me to Fabulous Las Vegas

California to Las Vegas High-Speed Rail: Expected for Construction in 2020

Virgin Trains USA, formerly Brightline, is making progress on long-anticipated plans for a high-speed rail connection between Las Vegas and Victorville, California.

September 9, 2019 - ABC News

Lombard Street San Francisco

Urban Congestion Pricing Might Finally Come to California

If Gov. Gavin Newsom signs legislation by San Francisco Assemblyman Phil Ting, motorists who want to drive the 'world's most crooked street,' a huge tourist draw, will be forced to participate in a pilot 'reservation and pricing program.'

September 9, 2019 - California Assembly Press Release

A Rainbow Halo to Memorialize the Location of Traffic Fatalities

A Vision Zero program in Los Angeles is memorializing the tragedies of traffic collisions at 100 locations around the city.

September 8, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

NIMBY Sign

New Research Ties Lack of Density to Lack of Affordability in California

New research using the Terner Center California Residential Land Use Survey also connects demographic trends to housing development opposition.

September 6, 2019 - Terner Center for Housing Innovation

Interstate 580

Counties Outside of Bay Area Eye Transportation Mega Measure in 2020

Northern San Joaquin Valley transit officials are eying a $100 billion Bay Area transportation measure to potentially fund a $1 billion rail tunnel for two commuter railroads to bring workers to the East Bay and Silicon Valley.

September 5, 2019 - The Sacramento Bee

Los Angeles River

L.A. County's Sustainability Plan Crafted With a Little Help From University Friends

Los Angeles County's new, ambitious sustainability plan was crafted in collaboration with the significant resources available in the region, including one of the nation's finest public universities.

September 4, 2019 - UCLA Newsroom

Los Angeles, California

Dodger Stadium as Civic Space with a New Front Door

Janet Marie Smith, famous for helping plan Camden Yards in Baltimore, discusses how Dodger Stadium's 'new front door' will optimize transit and pedestrian access while preserving the field's historic character and sweeping 'postcard views.'

September 4, 2019 - The Planning Report

Bike and Bus Lane

Lack of Traffic Safety Enforcement Blamed for Vision Zero Failures

Education, engineering, and enforcement are the three "e's" of Vision Zero in San Francisco. A lack of on of those "e's"—enforcement—might explain why more people are dying on the city's streets this year that any year since the city adopted Vision Z

September 2, 2019 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Solar Power

Union Opposition Puts Brakes on 'Record-Cheap' Solar Installation

Under a proposed 25-year solar contact, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power would pay record-cheap prices for 400 megawatts of power. But the utility declined to approve the deal after a utility workers' union raised concerns.

September 1, 2019 - The Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Downtown Historic Core

L.A. Times Editorial Supports Redevelopment 2.0

California's redevelopment program was killed during the budget fallout of the Great Recession. Now more state politicians see how tax increment devoted to development investments could be one tool int he state's affordable housing crisis.

August 31, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Surplus State-Owned Land

Where State-Owned Properties Could Make Way for Affordable Housing in California

A recently published mapping project is the first step toward California leveraging some of it surplus land for the purposes of developing affordable housing.

August 30, 2019 - California Department of General Services

Accessory Dwelling Unit

Appetite for ADUs Rises in San Jose

San Jose has issued a steadily-rising number of ADU permits in recent years. Now, Mayor Sam Liccardo has implemented measures to ease the process for homeowners who want to build granny flats.

August 30, 2019 - The Mercury News

California Governor

Governor Calls for 1.3 Million New Homes in Southern California

Local governments in Southern California have chafed at a call from Governor Gavin Newsom for 1.3 million new homes over the next decade. The Southern California Association of Governments has proposed only 430,000.

August 30, 2019 - The Los Angeles Times

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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.

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