California
The Battle Against McMansions Continues in Burbank
With a two-year Interim Development Control Ordinance set to expire in March 2017, Burbank, California is working on new design guidelines for single-family homes.
How Detroit Beat the Silicon Valley to the Breakthrough Electric Vehicle
It costs less than $40,000 and gets over 200 miles to a charge. The Tesla Model 3? Yes, and also the Chevy Bolt, which goes to market first. A New York Times technology columnist writes that 'size matters' when it comes to innovation.
Everything You Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask About Prop. 13
A new report from the California Legislative Analyst's Office demystifies the highly consequential and controversial property tax limit enacted by Proposition 13.
Bay Area City Rejects Crude-by-Rail Terminal, Could Set Precedent
Crude-by-rail opponents are hoping that Benicia's rejection of a proposed rail terminal for a Valero refinery will set a precedent: it was enabled by a U.S. Surface Transportation Board decision allowing the city to have the final word.
Safety Gets Top Priority in San Francisco Street Reconfiguration
Pedestrian safety and transit performance won out over parking concerns on San Francisco's Taraval Street.
Planetizen Week in Review: September 24, 2016
More than one city made big planning news this week. You only need two minutes and thirty seconds to find out more.
California Transit Agencies Bring Affordable Housing to Scale
From developer incentives to swapping parking for housing units, two transit systems have come up with plans that tackle the region's housing shortage and its economic inequality. What have they agreed to do, and who will hold them accountable?
Modular Housing for Homeless in San Francisco Hits Roadblocks
Lego-type housing construction has attracted the attention of two separate developers as an efficient means to provide housing for the city's large homeless population but has met objections from labor unions and the Mayor's Office.
Crowds of Pedestrians Prompt Lombard Street Study
San Francisco is looking for ways to manage—and protect—the masses of tourists who want to walk "the World's Crookedest Street."
L.A.'s Grand Central Market at a Turning Point, Faces Gentrification
The historic Grand Central Market has ridden the ups and downs of Downtown Los Angeles better than most retail locations, but can it retain its heart in the face of gentrification.
Sweeping Parking Reform Approved in Oakland
The City Council of Oakland, California has approved a far-reaching reduction of parking requirements.
Climate Equity Agenda Key to Passage of California's Climate Legislation
Environmental advocacy is not enough. Environmental and social justice must play a role in California's legislative effort to battle climate change, opine two professors from UC Berkeley and USC in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Help Wanted: Architects to Solve the Housing Dilemma
The housing crisis is a tough nut to crack. Obstacles of politics, economics, and design all stand in the way of the amount of quality housing for all levels of income that U.S. cities need. Can architects come to the rescue?
Tech Shuttles: The Bay Area's Seventh Largest Transportation Provider
A new survey has found that every day more than 800 tech buses are traveling on the region's roadways, carrying around 34,000 passengers daily
Surprising Ridership Data on Los Angeles Metro's New Expo Line Extension
The light rail extension opened May 20 and is already 70 percent toward meeting its 2030 ridership projection. According to a survey conducted in June by Metro, more than two-thirds of riders were new to the Expo Line.
Zoning Serves Communitarian Interests, Too
Zoning isn’t just a tool of self interest, according to a recent polemic by USC planning professor Lisa Schweitzer.
Washington Adopts 'First-of-its-Kind' Carbon Reduction Rule
The state's unique Clean Air Rule is called 'cap-and-reduce.' Businesses that fall under the cap are required to reduce emissions, just like California's cap-and-trade program. However, they can not be forced to purchase carbon credits.
Study: Transit Not a Panacea for Walkability After All
One of the key assumptions of a new partnership between the planning and public health professions is that transit encourages more active mobility than possible with a car-centric lifestyle. But new research casts doubt on those assumptions.
Why California's By-Right Affordable Housing Proposal Died
California's average home prices are 2.5 times the national average and rising, so why is it so hard to build a political coalition to build more housing, and especially more affordable housing?
Southern California Power Grid Will Soon Back Up on a Tesla Battery
Tesla just won a competitive bid to supply utility-scale power in Southern California—providing security in the event of a catastrophe like the Porter Ranch methane leak.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
