California

California Development

Construction Materials Increasing Building Costs

With the price of steel increasing significantly since the beginning of the year, the construction industry has little choice but to build through a more expensive process.

September 15, 2018 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

The Grand Bayway

A Showcase of Innovative Climate Change and Resiliency Design Projects

A competition in the San Francisco Bay Area highlights projects considering new ways to design for impending environmental changes.

September 15, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Jerry Brown

California's Climate Leadership Put to the Test

A three-day global summit on climate action in San Francisco, hosted by Gov. Jerry Brown, is unlike other international climate summits in that it features "non-state actors," such as governors, mayors, and businesses, rather than nations.

September 15, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Bus Stop

Addressing a Bus Driver Shortage in San Francisco

The ongoing quest to fix Muni enters a new chapter, after a driver shortage impacted bus service earlier this year.

September 14, 2018 - San Francisco Examiner

Natural Resources Conservation Service's Wetlands Reserve Program

Proposed State-Level Wetlands Regulations in California: Protections and Complications

The state is seeking to protect wetlands from federal regulation rollbacks, but broader protections could also mean more costly and cumbersome processes.

September 13, 2018 - Water Deeply

California Sprawl

L.A. County Caps Rents in a Temporary Measure

Hoping to provide relief to renters in unincorporated parts of Los Angeles, the County Board of Supervisors has approved temporary rent control for 50,000 older apartments.

September 13, 2018 - The Orange County Register

San Francisco Rail Transit

'100-Year Decision': First Approval for Train Route to S.F.'s Salesforce Transit Center

John Rahaim, director of the San Francisco Planning Department, calls the decision to route Caltrain to the newly opened Salesforce Transit center a "100-year decision."

September 13, 2018 - San Francisco Examiner

Los Angeles Bus Rapid Transit

New Bus Rapid Transit Line Proposed for L.A.'s San Fernando Valley

Measure M, approved by L.A. County voters in 2016, is enabling a slew of transit projects in the San Fernando Valley.

September 12, 2018 - Urbanize LA

Bike Commuting

Chicago and San José Achieve LEED for Cities Certification

The U.S. Green Building Council launched the LEED for Cities program in 2016.

September 12, 2018 - Smart Cities Dive

drinking fountain

Drinking Water Lessons from West Texas

Several cities in West Texas have a long history in wastewater reclamation, even using the water for drinking, due to the Texas drought. El Paso aims to build the nation's largest advanced purification project for direct water reuse.

September 12, 2018 - Quartz

BART Station construction

San Jose BART Extension Facing More Delays

Service on a long-awaited BART extension to the Berryessa district in San Jose may be delayed again due to equipment problems.

September 11, 2018 - The Mercury News

Keep it in the Ground – 2018

As climate hawks gather in San Francisco for the Global Climate Action Summit that convenes Wednesday, Gov. Jerry Brown, host of the summit, is dogged by critics who can't distinguish between oil production and consumption.

September 10, 2018 - CALmatters

Construction

Year One of L.A.'s 'Transit Oriented Communities Affordable Housing Incentives Program'

After one year in action, the Transit Oriented Communities Affordable Housing Incentives Program has enabled a rare feat in Los Angeles: new development.

September 10, 2018 - Urbanize LA

Transit Oriented Development

Transit-Area Tax Increment Financing Bill on Gov. Jerry Brown's Desk

Transit, affordable housing, TODs, active transportation and local governments should all come out ahead should Brown sign SB 961. The bill follows in the path of earlier legislation that created enhanced infrastructure finance districts.

September 7, 2018 - Move LA

Public Art

'Vida' Examines Gentrification in East L.A. But Now Faces Backlash from Real-Life Protesters

A show about the impacts of gentrification in a working-class immigrant neighborhood in Los Angeles is generating controversy among those it represents.

September 7, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Streetcar Graveyard

Friday Eye Candy: All 1,000 Miles of Southern California's Historic Rail Network

An intrepid mapmaker has created a stunning map of the Pacific Electric Railway System, the old public transit system for L.A. and surrounding environs, once the largest trolley system in the world.

September 7, 2018 - L.A. Taco

Scaffolding

In the Midst of a Housing Crisis, Soaring Costs Leave San Francisco Projects at a Standstill

San Francisco desperately needs more housing, but many projects sit unfinished as developers face cost challenges.

September 6, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Freeways

Report: Transportation Emissions Sully California's Environmental Reputation

There's good and bad news from an annual assessment on the Golden State's economy and environment. Gross domestic product per capita increases as emissions per capita decrease, with the major exception of emissions from transportation.

September 6, 2018 - Bloomberg

San Francisco Ferry Building

San Francisco Wants Its Ambitious Zero-Waste Initiative to Go Global

In an effort to address climate change, San Francisco has a plan to get residents and businesses to do more than just recycle and compost.

September 5, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Sacramento

Sacramento Will Lower Transit Fares

Sacramento Regional Traffic has seen a dip in its ridership, so they are making the uncommon move of cutting fares.

September 5, 2018 - The Sacramento Bee

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.

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.