California

Neighbors

Nextdoor Looking to Expands its Influence on Local Politics

A decade into its history, the hyperlocal social media site Nextdoor is looking for feedback and hoping to expand its reach before the 2018 and 2020 elections.

April 11, 2017 - Politico

Corporate Parking Structures

How Apple's Headquarters Got More Parking Spaces Than Employee Spaces

Parking is back in the news, with a high-profile case study: the new spaceship-shaped headquarters of Apple in Cupertino has devoted a larger footprint to parking spaces than office space.

April 11, 2017 - The Economist

Mero Los Angeles

Best Fuel to Power Buses: Renewable Natural Gas or Battery-Electric?

Next month the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority will decide what type of buses to purchase to replace 1,000 aging diesel buses. Two op-eds in the Los Angeles Daily News present alternative viewpoints.

April 11, 2017 - Los Angeles Daily News

Pedestrian Infrastructure

Oakland Hoping to Provide Safer Pedestrian Infrastructure at Construction Sites

"Every reasonable effort should be made to avoid and minimize construction impacts on pedestrian, bicycle, and bus facilities in Oakland," according to a guidance released by the city of Oakland earlier in 2017.

April 10, 2017 - Transport Oakland

Yosemite

A Big Legal Win for the Climate Change Fight in the Golden State

The nation's only state-run cap-and-trade program survived a legal challenge by the California Chamber of Commerce and the libertarian Pacific Legal Foundation when a state court of appeal ruled 2-1 that the program doesn't amount to an illegal tax.

April 10, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

California

California's Record Fuel Taxes Hike Passes Legislature in One Day

On April 6, the Senate and Assembly passed a comprehensive transportation funding package that it had been unable to do for years, thanks to much deal-making by Gov. Jerry Brown. The gas tax will increase by 12 cents per gallon on November 1.

April 9, 2017 - Planetizen

Infill Development is Key to Meeting California's Emission Reduction Law

If California is going to meet the new, steep emissions reductions required by a law passed last September, one of the most effective strategies will be to promote infill housing, according to a new report from University of California at Berkeley.

April 8, 2017 - Builder

Long Beach Viewer

A Glimpse Into The Past On The Streets of Long Beach

Viewers installed throughout downtown Long Beach gives visitors a glimpse into the city's past.

April 8, 2017 - Modern Cities

Gas Tax Increases Have Their Limits

Even if newly revised transportation legislation supported by Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic leaders to raise fuel taxes and fees should pass into law, the funding mechanism may not prove sustainable in the long term.

April 8, 2017 - KPCC

San Diego Metropolitan Transit System

Bus Rapid Transit In Name Only

San Diego provides a case study for how bus rapid transit sometimes fails to meet the standards befitting its name.

April 7, 2017 - Voice of San Diego

Metro Los Angeles

Riders Are Ditching Buses for Trains Along Metro L.A.'s New Gold Line Extension

As ridership on the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Gold Line light rail line continues to grow, duplicative bus lines are suffering.

April 6, 2017 - San Gabriel Valley Tribune

San Francisco

Leading San Francisco Architect Picks a Fight With the City's Planning Department

Architects and planners have to work together, as everyone on both sides of the equation knows. Even though the fields often speak the same language, there still seem to be many moments and ideas lost in translation.

April 5, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

Sutro Tower

Young People Trend YIMBY, Older People NIMBY, in the San Francisco Bay Area

A recent survey found young people are more likely to support development in their neighborhood than their older counterparts in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area region.

April 4, 2017 - San Francisco Business Times

Los Angeles City Hall

Sent A Strong Message, Los Angeles Leaders Respond With Planning Reforms

In the aftermath of the Measure S vote, members of the Los Angeles City Council have responded by pushing for expediting community plan updates and finding a sustainable source of funding for updating the region's plans.

April 4, 2017 - The Planning Report

Gas and Bikes

Gov. Jerry Brown and State Democratic Leaders Agree on Gas Tax Deal

Revised transportation funding legislation is needed to meet California's ballooning infrastructure deficit, but it needs a supermajority to pass, and it contains a fatal flaw for clean air activists.

April 3, 2017 - Streetsblog California

East Palo Alto

Can Silicon Valley Work for Bikes?

America's tech capital might be great at innovation, but innovation in bike transportation hasn't been a priority. Perhaps that's starting to change.

April 3, 2017 - Next City

Frank Gehry

Frank Gehry Archive Acquired by L.A.'s Getty Research Institute

Hundreds of thousands of early papers, drawings, and models are included in the Frank Gehry Papers.

April 3, 2017 - Dezeen

L.A.'s New Planning Framework Starts Now

After the defeat of Measure S, Los Angeles Planning Director Vince Bertoni explains how a slew of new planning reforms will help move the city forward.

April 2, 2017 - The Planning Report

Fake Tan

Researchers Discover New Level of Vibrant: Hella Vibrant

There's more to vibrant than access to fresh-made baguettes and signage with tastefully chosen typefaces.

April 1, 2017 - Planetizen April 1st Edition

Expo Line

L.A.'s Complicated Dance Between TOD and Displacement

As the Los Angeles metro area expands its transit options, transit-oriented development is following suit. In some neighborhoods, lower-income residents are being displaced.

March 31, 2017 - UCLA Magazine

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.