California
Trump Budget Would Cut PILT Funding to Rural Communities
Sparsely-populated rural counties with large amounts of public land stand to lose the most if the Trump Administration succeeds in cutting funding to the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program.
Light Rail Stations to Charge for Parking in Southern California's San Gabriel Valley
The popularity of the Gold Line extension in the San Gabriel Valley to the east of Pasadena requires a new approach to parking. It's hoped that parking fees will decrease demand for parking at stations along the route without affecting ridership.
Seattle Tackling Equity Challenges With Global Lens
Seattle is faced with an affordable housing crisis that has led the new Planning & Community Development Director Sam Assefa to look globally for solutions.
Workers Returning, Carefully, to the Scene of Epic Landslide on the California Coast
Engineers are searching for solid ground along the California coast at the scene of a massive landslide that wiped out California Highway 1 near San Luis Obispo.
Climate Change Is Shrinking the Colorado River
Documenting the effects of climate change on the West's most vital source of water.
Los Angeles' New Tower and the Silly Rules That Govern Building Height
Los Angeles' new Wilshire Grand tower is tall and impressive. But, in reality, it's about 100 feet shorter and perhaps less impressive than the arbiters of skyscrapers say it is. Whatever the definition, it might be time to quit venerating height.
Feds Change Course, Approve $15.5 Billion California Water Project
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service gave a crucial green light for the intensely controversial and ambitious California WaterFix project, which would pump water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Subsidized Carpool Rides: There's an App for That
Contra Costa County, California, located in the East Bay Area, is looking for new incentives to get commuters to carpool through the congestion region. If only there were an app for that.
Cities Seeking New Weapons in the Battle Against Waze-Induced Traffic
Los Altos, California has erected a new roadblock in its ongoing effort to keep drivers from cutting through residential neighborhoods, beckoned by the popular navigation app Waze.
Three Bay Area Counties May Decide Whether to Support Caltrain with Sales Tax Measure
The oldest commuter rail line west of the Mississippi is also unique in another way—it lacks a dedicated source of operating revenue. Legislation has been introduced to allow Peninsula counties to vote to increase sales taxes by 0.125 percent.
Amid Controversy, More Density Urged Along San Diego Trolley Extension
In 2021, San Diego will open a northern trolley extension connecting its downtown and Golden Triangle. However, much of the route in between is barren and inaccessible. AIA-SD urges density and more effort to win over opponents.
April FHWA Report Shows Americans Continue to Drive More
There is good news in the most recent Federal Highway Administration Travel Trends report—if you look hard enough.
An Expanding Vision for San Francisco's Treasure Island
San Francisco is starved for ideas for ways to meet growing demand for housing, and skyrocketing prices. Here's a big idea: how about building space for some 20,000 new residents on Treasure Island, located in the middle of the bay?
Prop. 13 Will Blunt the Property Tax Windfall as Boomers Transfer Property to Millennials
The benefits of Prop 13's limit on property taxes will pass from generation to generation in California, at the expense of state and local coffers.
New Tallest Building West of the Mississippi Now Open
Friday was the first day the public could walk into Los Angeles' new iconic skyscraper. The Wilshire Grand is noteworthy for more than just its height.
Business Owners Vote to Fund Sacramento Streetcar Operations
The two-thirds threshold proved to be no obstacle for Sacramento streetcar proponents in a special election held June 21, when at least *250 businesses owners voted to tax themselves to fund operations of the proposed streetcar.
Los Angeles Councilmember Chooses the Side of Traffic Safety
Los Angeles Councilmember Mike Bonin sent a clear message to commuters upset about traffic calming projects in his district: "We don’t have to lose one more precious life."
San Diego, Marin County Heading the Opposite Direction on Housing Policy
The mayor of San Diego has acknowledged the ongoing crisis of housing affordability by pushing to make it easier to build housing at higher densities and with less parking. Marin County…not so much.
New Projects to House Homeless in San Jose
The Bay Area is home to a large homeless population, and San Jose is doing more to create resources for the homeless than other cities in the area.
Southern California City Pins Hopes for Transformation on General Plan Update
The struggling, industrial South Bay city of Carson wants to shake its image as the site of Los Angeles' landfills and waste treatment plants. It has embarked on a $1 million overhaul of its general plan, despite having a $4.1 million budget gap.
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
