California
Commentary: LA’s ‘Large Asphalt Repair’ Policy Privileges Drivers, Endangers Others
A new policy to perform spot repairs rather than resurfacing entire streets lets the city skirt requirements to install accessibility and pedestrian infrastructure.
San Diego’s Car-centered Planning is Killing Children
Like most American cities, San Diego’s planning choices hold a gruesome legacy. Why are we okay with that?
Long Beach City College Lets Unhoused Students Sleep in Parking Lot
Almost half of U.S. college students face housing insecurity, and some schools are stepping up to offer stopgap solutions to the crisis.
LA Cites Guerilla Crosswalk Painter With Vandalism
The LA Police Department stopped a group of volunteers who was painting missing crosswalks in a Westwood intersection.
Legal Standoff Over Federal Funding for California High-Speed Rail Heats up
A judge dismissed the Trump administration’s request to throw out a lawsuit brought by the state’s high-speed rail authority.
LA Metro Approves Controversial Dodger Stadium Gondola Plan
The vote came after a contentious meeting in which dozens of speakers, including three city council members, spoke against the proposed aerial taxi.
California Group Threatens to Sue Governor Over Post-fire Duplex Ban
A July executive order prohibits property owners from building multiple units in areas affected by the January Los Angeles wildfires.
San Diego Transit Ridership Rebounds While Fiscal Cliff Looms
The city’s buses and trolleys are close to pre-pandemic ridership numbers but face a $120 million deficit that could require service cuts.
Los Angeles Issues First Occupancy Permit in Pacific Palisades Since Wildfires
Permits in the Palisades are being issued at nearly three times the typical rate as before the wildfires.
Phantom Tollbooths: Caltrans to Remove Bay Area Bridge Toll Booths Defunct Since 2020
The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge will be the first in the Bay Area to eliminate toll booths entirely in favor of open-road tolling using sensors.
San Francisco is out of Land. Amidst Rising Seas, is it Time to Create More?
Creating new land from the sea gets a bad rap. Done responsibly, it can be a climate adaptation strategy, not a real estate play.
Carlsbad, California Could Set Age Limits for E-bikes
Some California jurisdictions say a minimum age limit is necessary for high-powered e-bikes due to the high number of injuries in recent years.
California High-Speed Rail Approves $3.4B Contract for Track Materials
The project is moving ahead despite the loss of $4 billion in federal funds earlier this year.
California’s Carpool Lane Exemption for EVs Dies This Week
The program that allows EV drivers to use carpool lanes alone has issued 1,211,530 stickers since it began in 2000.
San Francisco’s Muni Streetcar has Inspired a new Font
Fran Sans pays homage to the “raw and functional and mechanical” destination display on Muni’s recently retired trains.
How South Gate, California Expanded its Park System Against the Odds
With limited space and funding, South Gate opened three new parks this year through community-driven design, creative partnerships, and persistent public leadership.
Disney Imagineers Join Effort to Rebuild Altadena’s Charles White Park After Wildfire
Disney is contributing $5 million and the talents of its Imagineers to help Los Angeles County rebuild Charles White Park and other fire-damaged Altadena parks.
California Data Reveals that Waymo Cars Spend Almost Half Their Time Driving Around Empty
Although ‘deadheading’ time has gone down, Waymos still spend much of their time creating traffic without passengers.
Commentary: By Quietly Ignoring Fare Evasion, LA Metro Inadvertently Became the Nation’s Largest Free Transit Experiment
Since the agency switched to in-house security, fare enforcement citations have plummeted.
In a Warming World, Water-Based Recreation Isn’t a Luxury — It’s a Necessity
Increasing access to pools, splash pads, and lakes is not just about fun — it is about health, equity, and resilience in a warming world.
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.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
