California

Reflection Canyon, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Desert 5, Humans 0

Look no further than the American Southwest for signs that human ingenuity is no match for the ability of the planet to reassert its power.

July 19, 2017 - Pacific Standard

San Diego metropolitan Transit System

San Diego Activists Plan a Pedestrian Promenade and 'Nudillo'

Activists organized to save their downtown San Diego neighborhoods from the NFL Chargers' stadium proposal. Their defense strategy? A fine-grained community plan with no stadium. In the process, they came upon the idea of a promenade and a "Nudillo."

July 18, 2017 - UrbDeZine

Venice Canals

Venice, California Has Fewer Housing Units Than in 2000

Venice, the famously picturesque neighborhood in Los Angeles, has become a poster child for wealthy urban enclave that has closed its doors to development and new residents—despite a strong local economy.

July 18, 2017 - Fox Business

Court Ruling Sides With Regional Officials Over Statewide Climate Goals

The California Supreme Court sided with the San Diego Association of Governments on July 13 in the first court case to decide how regional planning agencies must meet state-required reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.

July 17, 2017 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Los Angeles

A City With Room for Everyone

A vision set forth for Los Angeles in 1970 still has powerful relevance in 2017.

July 17, 2017 - Gerhard Mayer

Historic Vote by California Senate on Cap-and-Trade Expected Monday

Caling the upcoming vote on AB 398, which has created strange political bedfellows, "the most important vote of your life," Gov. Jerry Brown cast the decision as choosing between "massive new regulations" and market-based mechanisms.

July 16, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

BART Station

Why was BART's Ridership Forecast for Millbrae Station So Wildly Off-Base?

In 1995, planners forecasted that the Millbrae BART Station in San Mateo County, where riders can transfer to/from Caltrain, would attract 16,500 weekday riders. Fourteen years after it opened, ridership is 7,000. Planners were off by 58 percent.

July 16, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

Sierra Nevada

Owens Valley Calls on Eminent Domain to Buy its Water Back from Los Angeles

Call it a reverse Chinatown.

July 16, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

Sea Level

Sea Level Rise Will Displace Communities in Every Corner of the Bay Area

Sea level rise is already flooding communities with such regularity that many residents are deciding to leave. The sea level rise tipping point will expand its reach as the climate changes.

July 15, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

Report Predicts the End of Individual Car Ownership

The first report from independent think tank RethinkXL predicts that by 2031, 95 percent of U.S. passenger miles traveled will be served by on-demand, autonomous electric vehicles owned by companies providing transport as a service.

July 14, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

California North Coast

Trump Budget Would Nix Tsunami Warning System

The difference in lives saved between tsunamis that hit Crescent City, California in 1964 and 2011 was an early detection and warning system. Now it's up to Congress to save the $12 million system from the proposed cuts in Trump's budget.

July 14, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

California Earning Clean Air Despite the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

While premature to claim victory, a report from the San Francisco Chronicle suggests that the California Air Resources Board will prevail in a looming showdown with the U.S. EPA over whether to allow the state to set vehicle emission standards.

July 13, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

Expo Line

Expo Line Between L.A. and Santa Monica Hits 2030 Ridership Projections

Finally, good news regarding public transit ridership in Los Angeles, where the Expo Line connection to Santa Monica has very quickly outpaced its projections.

July 12, 2017 - Urbanize LA

San Francisco, California

Density Debate Fills San Francisco's Balboa Reservoir

Developers, neighbors, and housing advocates are debating the fate of the Balboa Reservoir. Their visions for how many units should be built there range from 680 to 1,245.

July 12, 2017 - Beyond Chron

San Francisco Tunnel Boring Machine

San Francisco's $1.6 Billion Central Subway Project 10 Months Behind Schedule

The $1.6 billion Central Subway project will bring the first subway to San Francisco's Chinatown. After early funding and planning delays, construction had seemed to be moving along swiftly. Now the project is expected to be delayed by 10 months.

July 11, 2017 - San Francisco Examiner

Study Reveals Housing Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples, Transgender Individuals

A study of three of the country's population and cultural centers reveals the kinds of discrimination same-sex couples and transgender individuals are likely to encounter on the rental market.

July 10, 2017 - Urban Institute

Carpool Lane Sticker

Second Attempt at Renewal for California's Clean Air Vehicle Decal Program

New legislation would continue the Clean Air Vehicle program after Jan. 1, 2019 to allow zero and near-zero emission vehicles to continue to qualify for carpool lane stickers in the Golden State.

July 10, 2017 - Santa Monica Daily Press

Closed Beach

Making the Coast Accessible for Black and Latino Californians

A history of segregation and other barriers have made California's beaches and oceanfront disproportionately white.

July 10, 2017 - High Country News

Oil

Interior Secretary Issues Order to Expedite Drilling on Public Lands

Secretary Zinke's order is part of the "energy dominance" agenda of the Trump Administration to make the U.S. a major energy exporter. The order will reduce the time needed by the Bureau of Land Management to process permitting for new wells.

July 10, 2017 - The Washington Post

Facebook Bikeshare

Facebook's Expansion Plans Would Create a New 'Village' in Menlo Park

Facebook has proposed a campus expansion that would take shape as a neighborhood center or village, providing needed community services and amenities in the sprawling Menlo Park.

July 10, 2017 - The Mercury News

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.