California
Two More Road Diets Erased in Los Angeles
Traffic safety projects, and with it the city of Los Angeles' Vision Zero and Great Streets initiatives, have been dealt disappointing setbacks in recent months.

California's New 'By-Right' Housing Law: Will it Make a Difference?
A new law could enable affordable housing projects, if they meet the specified criteria, to bypass the public process that so often blocks their approval.
Google Headquarters Expansion Trips Near the Finish Line
Negotiations between the city of Mountain View and tech giant Google over the latter's plans to expand its headquarters recently took a strange turn.

San Bernardino County Launches New Online Permitting System
The processes for planning and permitting development and construction projects are moving online. A Southern California county provides the latest example.

San Jose Sets Target for 25,000 New Housing Units in the Next Five Years
The mayor of San Jose's newly announced housing plan would include 10,000 affordable units.

Can I Have a Diet Coke With That Ice Cream Sundae?
Essentially that's what UC Davis, Yale, and MIT researchers found among California families who purchase very fuel efficient vehicles—they also pair them with gas hogs. If your family owns two vehicles, do you meet the profile?

The L.A. Metro 'Megaproject' Connecting Downtown and Southeast L.A. County
The West Santa Ana Branch light rail would offer new infrastructure and economic activity to a transit-dependent part of the county.
How to Make NIMBYs Part of the Solution
A look at how to program social equity into the planning process, and balance NIMBY concerns with collective goals, by Howard Blackson, leader of AVRP SkyPort Studios Urban Design practice in San Diego.

California's 15 Housing Bills Won't Do Enough
At a new affordable housing project in a low-income neighborhood of San Francisco, Gov. Brown signed the package Friday that places a $4 billion housing bond on the ballot next year, adds a $75 real estate transaction fee, and streamlines permitting.

California High-Speed Train Behind Schedule in the San Joaquin Valley
$2.5 billion in stimulus money to build a San Joaquin Valley high speed train has been spent, yet the train is still almost a decade from being ready to carry passengers across its entire run.

California Mulls Banning Sales of Cars with Internal Combustion Engines
Eying European and Asian countries that have set, or are considering timelines to ban sales of cars that emit greenhouse gases, the California governor asked his chief air regulator to see why California couldn't follow suit.
12.3-Mile Gold Line Extension Takes First, Tentative Steps in Southern California
One step forward, and maybe two steps back, for a 12.3-mile extension of the Gold Line light rail in the San Gabriel Valley.

Los Angeles Union Station Plan Creates Multimodal Access to Downtown L.A.
When it comes to trains, trams, and buses, L.A.'s Union Station is "the most transit-accessible location in Southern California." Soon, it will finally connect to its own neighborhood.
High Speed Rail Transforming California's Housing, TOD Conversation
The California Legislature took steps to address the state's housing crisis this year, but housing activists might look to the Governor's High Speed Rail project to provide a link to affordable housing in the Central Valley.

A New 'Transit Homeless Action Plan' for Los Angeles
Transit can be a vital resource for the homeless. In Los Angeles, where that population is growing, this is doubly true.

Accessibility Barriers Continue to Plague Some Metro Systems
Most metro systems in the United States tend to score high on accessibility, while European systems have mixed results.

Three New Bridges for Crossing the L.A. River on Foot
A plan for a bridge from Griffith Park to Atwater Village is the latest in a series of proposed pedestrian bridges over the Los Angeles River.

Lessons From San Diego's Hepatitis A Outbreak
Voice of San Diego reports in detail about the months of warning San Diego officials had about the spread of Hepatitis A in public areas around the city. Still, prevention measures took a back seat to bureaucracy.
Bay Area's First Climate Adaptation Project Could Be a North Bay Highway
State Route 37 is a vital highway connecting four North Bay counties plagued by two unrelated problems: chronic flooding during high tides and traffic congestion. Fixing the problem will set a precedent for Bay Area climate adaptation.

Is the Silicon Valley Past its Peak?
A lack of housing is responsible for an expected decline of the Silicon Valley's economic dominance, according to this opinion piece.
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