California

Los Angeles River Kayak

Los Angeles Takes On Equity and Resilience With New Parks Funding

City and county leaders shared their plans for millions in new annual revenue at the 2017 VerdeXchange Conference.

March 4, 2017 - The Planning Report

Hollywood Sign

Los Angeles Nixes Transit Station Naming Rights Idea

The critical turning point for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's naming rights proposal can be summed up by an old adage: beggars can't be choosers.

March 3, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

California

San Diego Doubled Housing Units Downtown and Rents Still Increased

San Diego invested $1.5 billion in tax increment to increase housing in its downtown but displaced affordable housing with unaffordable housing. Housing planner, developer and advocate, Murtaza Baxamusa gives some answers and asks some questions.

March 3, 2017 - UrbDeZine

Downtown Los Angeles

Map: The Towers Changing the L.A. Skyline

In Los Angeles, Curbed has declared 2016 "the year of the skyscraper."

March 2, 2017 - Curbed LA

Binoculars Building

Tech Success Contrasts With Immigrants' Peril In Los Angeles

The 800,000 undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles County are at the opposite end of the socioeconomic spectrum from the 1,900 employees at Snapchat. The fate of both populations have deep implications for L.A.'s housing crisis.

March 1, 2017 - California Planning & Development Report

Little Tokyo Los Angeles

How Los Angeles Can Design for Density

Good urban design can make growth more appealing.

March 1, 2017 - Streetsblog LA

Texas Rail

More than Twenty Bills Introduced in Texas Legislature to Stop High-Speed Rail

The California high-speed rail project is not alone in confronting legal and political obstacles. The main issue in Texas that has aroused opposition to the privately financed, 240-mile Dallas to Houston bullet train is the use of eminent domain.

February 27, 2017 - The Texas Tribune

Caltrans Releases Draft Plan on Active Transportation

Public comment is now open on the plan, which aims to make walking and bicycling safe and equitable options by 2040.

February 26, 2017 - Streetsblog California

Newport Beach

Parking Permits Cause Tension in SoCal Neighborhoods

Renters and homeowners are competing for permit districts in some Southern California cities.

February 24, 2017 - KPCC

Idiot brigade

Understanding the Varieties of NIMBYism

"To get beyond NIMBYism, we first must understand it," writes Richard Florida.

February 24, 2017 - CityLab

Metro Buses

Another Year of Falling Ridership for L.A.'s Metro System

Even as extensions to the Gold Line and Measure S seem to paint a brighter future for public transit in Los Angeles, commuters continue to use less public transit, especially buses.

February 23, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

A Legislative Challenge to Ballot-Box Planning in California

On March 7, Angelenos will vote on Measure S, which would enact a two-year moratorium on denser development. State legislation introduced on Feb. 16 would require a two-thirds vote for these types of slow growth ballot measures.

February 21, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

Caltrain

Trump's California Double Play: Potential Fatal Blow to Commuter and High-Speed Rail

In one of her first major decisions, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao deferred a decision on a critical $647 million federal grant to electrify the 51-mile San Francisco to San Jose Caltrain line, which would also be used by high-speed rail.

February 21, 2017 - SF Gate

A More Disorderly Urban Form Praised in UN's Quito Papers

A UN conference in Quito Ecuador in October 2016 looked at housing the world’s growing urban population. The Conference resulted in a document and film advocating a more organic and disorderly urban form.

February 21, 2017 - UrbDeZine

Bike and Bus Lane

San Francisco's Raised Bike Lanes Fail to…Rise

Citing problems with the raised lanes on Market Street, the city walks back plan for raised bike lane on Polk.

February 20, 2017 - CityLab

Empty Retail

Should Online Shopping Change How We Use Ground-Level Space?

Urbanist Jane Jacobs' support for mixed use development has long been seen as the best urban design strategy, but this vision assumed that the retail space under housing could be rented. What if that is no longer the case?

February 19, 2017 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

High-Speed Rail

California High-Speed Rail: Under Construction for Two Years Despite Obstacles

In spite of a host of problems, over 1,000 parcels have been acquired and construction is occurring in nine areas in the Central Valley, centering on Fresno. Limited service from San Francisco to Bakersfield could begin in 2025.

February 17, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

Los Angeles Density

Los Angeles to Update Community Plans Every 6 Years

Los Angeles has approved new rules aimed at increasing accountability in the planning process—and at preempting a more severe approach promised by an upcoming ballot measure.

February 17, 2017 - KPCC

Lake Oroville Emergency

Oroville Dam Crisis Foreseen Over 11 Years Ago

Had federal authorities acted on the motion filed by three environmental groups in October 2005, nearly 200,000 people in three counties would not have been forced to evacuate due to a poorly constructed emergency spillway for Oroville Dam.

February 16, 2017 - The Mercury News

Full House Painted Ladies

San Francisco Can't Agree on Affordable Housing Formula

Mayor Ed Lee comes out against the city controller's proposed percentages for affordable housing, saying the numbers, "…have no relevance to what we economically can accomplish"

February 14, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

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.