California

University of California

Homeless People and Expensive Housing Cause an Identity Crisis in Berkeley

The city of Berkeley is suffering the consequences of the urban revival—soaring housing costs and humanitarian crises don't reconcile with the city's famously progressive politics.

March 15, 2017 - The Guardian

Bart

BART's Six-Month Transit Incentive Experiment Reports Mixed Success

The BART Perks pilot program was the first transit incentive program in the country.

March 15, 2017 - CityLab

Feather River

Oroville Dam Repair Costs Still a Confusing Secret

The Mercury News issues a pointed critique of the public relations efforts at the California Department of Water Resources in the shadow of this winter’s Oroville Dam crisis.

March 14, 2017 - The Mercury News

Streetcar

San Francisco's Plans for Market and Van Ness Reach a Crossroads

San Francisco Chronicle urban design critic John King reveals more than one layer of planning significance from a project proposed near one of the city's most prominent, but underutilized, intersections.

March 14, 2017 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Leaving California

A Proposed Legislative Solution to California's Out-Migration Epidemic

The Sacramento Bee follows-up a revealing report on lower income workers leaving California due largely to exorbitant housing costs with an editorial endorsing legislation by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco to address the source of the problem.

March 13, 2017 - The Sacramento Bee

Gentrification

Lessons for YIMBYs From Boyle Heights

In the wake of a very pro-development March election, Los Angeles seems ready to embrace change. But not everywhere. In low-income Boyle Heights, residents have been more militant than most against encroaching gentrification.

March 11, 2017 - CityLab

San Diego Gaslamp District

Making It Easier to Build Won't Help

Here are some observations that may shed light on the mystery of why—despite creating every incentive that planners can conceive—we are failing to produce affordable housing at the level we need.

March 11, 2017 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Bunker Hill

Los Angeles' Iconic Angels Flight Railway To Utilize P3 Model

After appearing in the film La La Land, the world-renowned, iconic, 116-year-old Angels Flight will reopen to the public after a three-year modernization process.

March 10, 2017 - The Planning Report

Bee is For Billboard

Artists Find Alternate Uses for Billboards in Los Angeles

With a surplus of unsold billboard spaces dotting Los Angeles, artists are using the empty spaces as canvasses for new forms of public art.

March 10, 2017 - The Art Newspaper

Electric Cars

Electric Vehicle Fees: Where's the Controversy?

Some may find it silly to get worked up over an annual fee of about $100 to pay for road maintenance when electric vehicle purchasers receive a $7,500 federal tax credit, on top of generous state perks, but electric vehicle supporters object to them.

March 9, 2017 - Vox

Midpoint

California Pushing Out Low Income Residents

California has lost a quarter million low income residents over the last decade, in large part because of the high cost of housing.

March 9, 2017 - The Sacramento Bee

Los Angeles Grand Park

L.A. Planning Referendum, Measure S, Soundly Defeated

Measure S and an oddly timed election brought planning and development to the center of the public consciousness in Los Angeles for a few months. The voters resoundingly supported one side of the issue.

March 8, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

Bus Stop

'Muni Forward' Brings Big Changes to San Francisco's Transit System

The perpetual project to improve transit service in San Francisco has a new chapter.

March 7, 2017 - Hoodline

Pumping Gas

Legal Loophole Will Allow Rollback of Fuel Efficiency Standards

On Tuesday, the Trump administration anticipates unraveling two signature Obama environmental regulations: fuel efficiency standards for model year 2022-2025 light-duty vehicles and beginning the undoing of the Clean Power Plan.

March 7, 2017 - The New York Times

Los Angeles Residential Street

Los Angeles Planning Reforms Respond to Measure S

Councilmember José Huizar weighs the city's new rules against those proposed by the upcoming ballot measure.

March 7, 2017 - The Planning Report

Commuter Rail

Trumps Infrastructure Promises Might Not Include California

Electrifying Caltrain is low-hanging fruit for Infrastructure spending. Unfortunately, the fruit may spoil on the vine because the California GOP and Donald Trump have put the project on hold.

March 6, 2017 - Medium

110 Freeway

In Building Homes Near Highways, L.A. Ignores a Public Health Issue

Los Angeles seems primed for a development boom, but when developments are built near highways there can be serious health consequences.

March 6, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles

Why Elon Musk Is Wrong about His Boring Solution to L.A.'s Traffic Congestion

Herbie Huff of the UCLA's Lewis Center and Institute of Transportation Studies pens a well-reasoned opinion for the Los Angeles Times as to why a market-based strategy to manage demand is the best approach to traffic congestion in Los Angeles.

March 6, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

Echo Park

Los Angeles County Looking for Ways to Fund Stormwater Management

Supervisor Sheila Kuehl made the announcement at the recent VerdeXchange Conference.

March 6, 2017 - The Planning Report

Silicon Valley

California Investing In 'Transformative Climate Communities'

The California Strategic Growth Council has $140 million in cap-and-trade revenue for the new Transformative Climate Community program. The aim of the program is to catalyze environmental and economic investment in disadvantaged communities.

March 5, 2017 - The Planning Report

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.