California
Bay Area Not Prepared for Next Big One
As the death toll from Mexico's 7.1 magnitude earthquake on Sept. 19 climbs above 300, the San Francisco Chronicle investigates how well prepared the Bay Area is for an earthquake of comparable magnitude. Not very well.
L.A.'s New Transit Oriented Communities Guidelines Are a Boost for Affordable Housing
The city of Los Angeles is taking substantive action to provide incentives for affordable housing development.
Faster, No Matter the Cost
Kerry Cavanaugh argues that the interests of drivers are standing between California and the policies it should be pursuing.
Cheaper Parking Bathed in Purple in Walnut Creek
A new on-street parking regime comes with a royal purple color scheme in a ritzy suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Bike Center to Salvage Abandoned Building on Closed Military Base—Not So Fast
The bicycle community in San Diego came up with a win-win-win: an innovative bike center in an abandoned building on a closed military base next to downtown and a major biking route. Then came the real world of unreal bureaucratic concerns.
Battle of the Bay: S.F. and Oakland Sue Oil Companies Over Sea Level Rise
Two California cities are going after oil companies with a legal argument that recalls the legislation against big tobacco companies in the 1990s.
Facebook to Expand in San Francisco
While everyone's attention in recent weeks has been on Amazon, another huge tech company has made a big bet on San Francisco.
New California Law Makes Crossing the Street More Legal
Many pedestrians don't realize it's illegal to cross the street while a crosswalk is counting down until a cop is writing them a ticket. A new bill could change that in California.
Mexico City Earthquake Should Raise Questions About Building Safety
The epicenter of Tuesday's quake was in the state of Puebla, 80 miles southeast of Mexico City. Soft soil and unreinforced buildings magnified the damage. The quake comes two weeks after an 8.1 quake struck off the coast of the state of Oaxaca.
Downtown L.A. Sees Vacancies Rise and Homeless Populations Grow
There's plenty of housing available in Downtown L.A. for the wealthy but, while those apartments sit empty, many looking for housing find costs too high to pay.
California's $17 Billion Delta Tunnel Project Had a No Good, Very Bad Day
The first water agency to weigh in on the $17 billion water tunnel project proposed for California's Bay Delta delivered a potentially fatal blow to the project.
'Automated Guideway Transportation' as a First-Last Mile Solution
Mountain View, located in the heart of the Silicon Valley, has commissioned and completed a study into the deployment of automated guideway transportation on two primary corridors.
11 Dangerous Ideas in Water Management
California's historic drought might have been greatly relieved by last year's abundantly rainy season, but there are more drought years to come, along with more questions about how the state will manage its water resources.
Three Transportation Ballot Measures Could Be Headed to Bay Area Voters Next Year
The California Legislature approved bills to allow voters to decide on hiking sales taxes and tolls for regional transportation. Gov. Jerry Brown already signed a bill to allow San Mateo County voters to hike sales taxes for transportation.
Funding for Electric Vehicle Rebates Approved in California
On the final day of the legislative session, the California Legislature approved a budget bill that directs $1.5 billion in carbon auction revenues. A prior post described a bill that would have quadrupled state EV rebates: but it died.
Op-Ed: Given the Chance, Congestion Pricing Would Ease America's Traffic Woes
Amanda Eaken offers up a defense of "Go Zones," otherwise known as congestion pricing. In Los Angeles and elsewhere, she argues, they could thin out traffic.
Critical Housing Bills Pass California Legislature on Final Day
The California legislature ended its season on Friday, handing Gov. Jerry Brown a third major victory. After passing landmark legislation earlier in transportation and climate change, a slate of controversial housing bills await his signature.
From Buses to Trains, Renewable Diesel Catches On in California
For almost two years, MUNI's diesel-powered buses in San Francisco have run entirely on renewable diesel fuel. Diesel-powered Amtrak trains running from San Jose to Sacramento could be next.
Getting Active: More Money for California Bike and Pedestrian Trails
Senate Bill 1 (S.B. 1) will provide additional funding for bike and pedestrian projects. The influx of money means many shelved projects will now go forward.
How Overly Restrictive Land Use Regulations Hurt the Nation's Economy
Two economics professors from the University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley argue that the housing crisis doesn't just affect booming coastal cities. It's a national problem.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
