California

Bay Delta

'Biological Assessment' Released for Big California Tunnels Project

The plans for one of California's most expensive, and controversial, projects are moving forward as the clock ticks on the Obama Administration's time in power.

August 4, 2016 - The Sacramento Bee

Denver International Airport

Many Cities Now Facing the Challenges of Prosperity

It might be possible for San Francisco residents to feel like the challenges of homelessness, gentrification, and a tech boom, all colliding at once, are unique to their city. Other cities—Denver for example—are facing the same challenges.

August 3, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

One of San Francisco's Toniest High Rises Has a Sinking Feeling

Home to some of the city's most famous athletes and industry chiefs, the Millennium Tower could soon be home to a protracted and expensive legal battle.

August 2, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Vanpooling the Green Way

Vanpooling in a gasoline powered vehicle is heavily polluting, according to Green Commuter, a new car share and vanpooling service that rents all-electric vehicles, such as the Tesla Model X.

August 1, 2016 - Auto Rental News

McCoppin Hub

San Francisco Debates an Anti-Homeless Fence

The deployment of so-called defensive architecture is in the news again. This time the controversy is in the public realm, as San Francisco considers a fence to keep homeless out of McCoppin Hub.

July 29, 2016 - Curbed SF

San Francisco Approves Accessory Dwelling Units

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has approved legislation that will allow the construction of accessory dwelling units, potentially adding thousands of units to the city's housing supply.

July 28, 2016 - San Francisco Examiner

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit Employees Get a Raise—Months Before Operations Begin

The North San Francisco Bay Area has lacked passenger rail for decades—but the process of hiring the staff necessary to operate the line on a daily basis has been complicated by the cost of housing in the area.

July 28, 2016 - Marin Independent Journal

Car Share

Good News on Car Sharing

Car sharing networks that allow the vehicle to be returned to any location were found to have the impact of removing seven cars for each rented car in San Diego in a three-year study released July 19.

July 27, 2016 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

California State Water project

California Studies Standards for Recycled Drinking Water

California is considering piping recycled potable water directly into people's homes.

July 27, 2016 - Water Deeply

Innovations in Street Furniture Reflect New Approach to Public Space

After a tour of Los Angeles street furniture, Alissa Walker offers her reflections on cities' changing approach to public space.

July 26, 2016 - Curbed

Los Angeles 1910

Friday Eye Candy: Tour Downtown L.A. Before Urban Renewal

The New Yorker has produced a video comparing the streets of Downtown Los Angeles on either side of a 70-year span of history.

July 22, 2016 - The New Yorker

How Will L.A.'s New Inglewood Football Stadium Revitalize South Los Angeles?

The Los Angeles Rams COO details both the stadium's sustainable design and the positive impact the privately funded complex will have on Southern California.

July 22, 2016 - The Planning Report

Rural Bus

California's Rural Communities Want Transit, Too

Parts of California’s rural, working-class Central Valley see virtually no transportation investment, leaving many residents stranded in the heat.

July 22, 2016 - KCET Departures

Reimagining LA

Study: Bureaucracy Restricts Housing Supply

A recent study by Trulia concentrates on elasticity (i.e., the rate at which housing stock grows, relative to demand), and arrives at the conclusion that bureaucracy, not regulation, is responsible for rising housing prices.

July 21, 2016 - Trulia

Stockton Foreclosure

Study: Land Use Regulation Restricts Housing Supply

A new paper studies the impacts both of specific land use regulations and land use regulations in the aggregate.

July 21, 2016 - Market Urbanism

New Player Emerges in Car Sharing Services

Arriving just in time in the District of Columbia, as Safe Track disrupts Metro service, General Motors launched 'Maven' to compete with ZipCar, Car2Go, and Enterprise car sharing services.

July 21, 2016 - The Washington Post

San Francisco

San Francisco Shifts Maintenance Burden for Street Trees Back to the City

Three proposed legislative measures would undo one of the more obvious signs of the recession, and return the responsibility for street trees to the city.

July 20, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

'50s Researchers Saw Architects as Key to Understanding Creativity

What would Richard Neutra do with a third arm? UC Berkeley researchers once asked him that and more, for science.

July 20, 2016 - 99% Invisible

How to Develop a 'World Class Waterfront': a Letter to the San Diego Unified Port District

Downtown San Diego’s waterfront is undergoing major changes. Regarding the latest proposal, the San Diego Environment + Design Council has some words of advice in this open letter to the Port District.

July 20, 2016 - UrbDeZine

Cleanest Diesel Locomotives to Join Southern California Commuter Rail Fleet

Forty so-called Tier 4 locomotives, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designation requiring a dramatic reduction in particulate and nitrogen oxide emissions, will be joining Metrolink's fleet covering 512 track miles in six counties.

July 20, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

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.