California

Los Angeles River

Los Angeles County: It's Time to Update the Master Plan for the L.A. River

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted this week to begin the processing of updating the 20-year-old Los Angeles River Master Plan.

October 20, 2016 - Curbed LA

Sea-Level Rise

Bay Area to Create Regional Plan for Sea-Level Rise

California wants the region to work together to deal with the impacts of climate change.

October 19, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Sprawl

Gov. Jerry Brown Condemns State School Bond Measure for Promoting Sprawl

Ten newspapers have joined California Gov. Jerry Brown in opposing Proposition 51, a $9 billion bond ballot measure endorsed by both Democrats, including the lieutenant governor, and Republicans.

October 18, 2016 - Planetizen

Replicas of Mid-Century Towns Built to Aid the Memories of Alzheimer's Patients

The Glenner Town Square development in Chula Vista, California will be one of the first "immersive facilities" in the United States, designed to trigger memories for Alzheimer's patients.

October 17, 2016 - CityLab

San Francisco

San Francisco Board of Supervisors Propose 60-Day Hard Cap on Airbnb Rentals

Tensions between Airbnb and the city of San Francisco continue to mount as the city propose further restrictions on the service, even while the current restrictions are being challenged in court.

October 17, 2016 - The San Francisco Examiner

Leonardo DiCaprio

Why the Disconnect on Climate Change and Urban Density?

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is also a committed climate change activist. His documentary on the topic airs Oct. 30 on the National Geographic channel. At the U.N., he asked leaders to take bold action. Yet, as an Angeleno, he opposes increased density.

October 17, 2016 - Curbed LA

Qualcomm Stadium

San Diego Mayor Supports New Football Stadium

San Diego mayor, Kevin Faulconer, calls for voters to support $1.8 billion new football stadium.

October 14, 2016 - Next City

San Francisco Homeless

San Francisco's Anti-Homeless Camping Proposition Has Tech Billionaires' Backing

San Francisco's Proposition Q, up for vote this November, would place additional limits on homeless camping in the city.

October 14, 2016 - The Guardian

Power Lines

Comparing Energy Costs in Cities Around the Country

Residents of Rust Belt cities might pay less for housing, but they pay a lot more for energy.

October 14, 2016 - Redfin

Grass Grift

L. A. company Turf Terminators promised low impact lawns in exchange for city rebates, but delivered shoddy work and hot rocks.

October 13, 2016 - Bloomberg

Transamerica Pyramid

The Iconic Transamerica Pyramid: Now the Second Tallest Building in San Francisco

San Francisco's Transamerica Pyramid, designed by architect William Pereira, is no longer the tallest building in the city. The city's architecture critic expects it will still be the most iconic building in the city.

October 10, 2016 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Office Park

How Office Parks and Corporate Campuses Evolved

The office park has become a suburban given, disliked by some, but once it represented a utopian vision of work away from the city. Here's a look at how the Silicon Valley model developed, and where it might be going.

October 8, 2016 - SPUR

Meadow Wetlands

California Legislation Recognizes Natural Environments as Water Infrastructure

AB 2480, recently signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown takes a small but important step toward making better use of natural systems for water management infrastructure.

October 7, 2016 - American Rivers

Hotel California

Study Finds California's Economy Slowed by Lack of Housing

Reports from UCLA and UC Riverside show California stymied by housing shortage.

October 6, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

San Francisco

San Francisco's Mission Bay Provides a Case Study for Sea-Level Rise

The San Francisco Chronicle's John King continues his ongoing, in-depth coverage of sea-level rise and its potential impacts on local and regional concerns in the San Francisco Bay Area.

October 4, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

facebook

Facebook Campus Expansion Moving Forward in Menlo Park

A proposal to expand Facebook's footprint in the city of Menlo park gained key approval from the city's planning commission recently. The full City Council still needs to approve the plan.

October 4, 2016 - San Jose Mercury News

Klamath River

Major Dam Removal Proposals Move Forward in California and Oregon

The movement to restore the Klamath River by removing four dams has achieved a major milestone in recent weeks.

October 3, 2016 - KQED

San Francisco Mural

Housing Bond Money Doesn't Go Far in San Francisco's Mission District

The limitations of affordable housing funds are apparent in San Francisco, raising the question of where and how the process of building affordable housing can be improved.

October 3, 2016 - Mission Local

Scramble Tokyo

Engineers Scramble for Pedestrian Safety in Los Angeles and Santa Monica

A "good news" story for pedestrians emerges from the streets of Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Traffic signals at heavily used pedestrian intersections have been reengineered to add a 'scramble phase' and the results are startling.

October 2, 2016 - NBC Los Angeles

Driveway Parking Garage

Today in the New Economy: Driveway-Sharing Apps

Two start-ups promise L.A. drivers on-demand parking and electric vehicle charging.

October 2, 2016 - KPCC

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

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.