California
Silicon Valley's Beleaguered Transit System Getting an Overhaul
Strapped for cash and faced with rapidly declining ridership, the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is reorganizing its service in the hopes of stopping the bleeding.
The Great Highway Should Be Better, Not Bigger
San Francisco's Great Highway is losing great chunks of asphalt to the ocean. A new plan intends to change that.
$2.5 Million is Too Much for a Teardown
Palo Alto has become so expensive, plots of land with derelict houses sell for millions of dollars. Mathew Yglesias argues allowing small municipalities to make their own zoning laws is partly to blame.
A Planner's View of the Los Angeles Riots
Parts of Los Angeles erupted in flames 25 years ago this week. The causes were varied, but the results were geographic. Planners and community development efforts tried to help, but their effects have been lost in the wind.
EVs Not Exempt From California’s Transportation Infrastructure Plan
Governor Jerry Brown and the California Legislature reached a historic agreement to raise the gas tax, but electric vehicle owners will now be required to pay a yearly fee, Will this impact EV sales in the US's best market?
Taking Back Highway Airspace: It's Happening
Building over highways is not a particularly new idea, but it has been a rare novelty. Former SPUR director and development consultant Jim Chappell sees a brighter future for highway caps parks and projects.
City of Los Angeles Tops 4 Million in Latest State Population Report
As usual, California's fastest growing counties were inland, far from coastal job centers. The big surprise was that the fastest growing city was an affluent Silicon Valley suburb that had been sued in 2012 by affordable housing advocates.
BART to Open Extension to Milpitas Station in December
Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) officials are optimistic that a new BART station, with connections to VTA light rail, will open ahead of schedule.
After Measure S: Los Angeles Leaders Ponder Growth and Equity
The controversy over the recent ballot initiative known as Measure S has Los Angeles thinking: How can the city accommodate new housing supply without disenfranchising communities?
Study: House Sizes Increase at the Expense of Tree Canopies
A research study has found that increasing house sizes in the Los Angeles area have drastically reduced the number of trees shading the region's landscapes—regardless of geographic location of socioeconomic status.
San Francisco Preserves Affordable Housing At Risk of Gentrification
A loan program helps non-profits procure affordable apartment buildings that might otherwise be snatched up by speculative developers.
President Trump Signs Executive Order to Reverse Obama's Coastal Drilling Ban
So much for that so-called "permanent" ban that President Obama enacted by President Obama in December to end oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Ocean and off the central-northern Atlantic coast.
California Lawmakers Continue Push For More Affordable Housing
The author of California’s successful accessory dwelling unit legislation last year discusses this session's efforts, as well as the role of the state in determining local housing supply.
Proposed New Zoning Around the Los Angeles Expo Line
Los Angeles' proposed transit neighborhood plan for the Expo Line corridor includes minor changes, but nothing earth-shattering. Many of the line's stations remain underutilized.
How the San Francisco Branch of Sierra Club Advocates NIMBYism
Despite the pro-infill position of the Sierra Club's national organization, San Francisco's branch advocates to preserve the buildings that are currently there at the expense of density and subsidized housing.
The Costs of California Building Codes
Reconciling accessibility and safety with costs and innovation in the Golden State.
Op-Ed: Affordability Depends on Market-Rate Housing
California State Senator Scott Wiener argues that advocating for subsidized affordable housing isn't enough. Anyone concerned with ending the state's housing crisis needs to get behind market-rate development.
A Timeline of CEQA-Circumventing Court Rulings
The California Environmental Quality Act is generally considered a major obstacle for development. In a few cases, however, the law's definitions have been used to clear the way for development in environmentally sensitive areas.
The Environmental Trade-Off for Raising California's Fuel Taxes
Come November 1, gasoline and diesel taxes will increase by 12 and 20 cents per gallon, respectively, in California, providing badly needed revenue to repair roads, bridges, and improve transit, but truck pollution loophole will still foul the air.
What Would Delivery Robots Mean for Public Space?
If companies like Startship and Marble get their way, sidewalks will play host to hundreds of rolling delivery bots. It's one solution to "last-mile" logistics, but are pedestrians prepared to give way?
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
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Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
