California
Overcoming Roadblocks to Data-Driven Governance in Cities
Pursuing Mayor Garcetti's "back-to-basics" agenda, the city of Los Angeles' notoriously complex and convoluted bureaucracy has taken big leaps toward data-driven governance—thanks, in large part, to Deputy Mayor of Budget and Innovation Rick Cole.
Two New Ambitious Stormwater Capture Plans Proposed for Los Angeles
The state of California, along with county and city officials, have taken several steps forward on plans and projects that could help Los Angeles wean itself from imported water.
Friday Eye Candy: First-Ever Vertical Street View Scales El Capitan in Yosemite
Google Street View climbed 3,000 feet, straight up, to capture the images for its first-ever vertical street view.
Why Google's 'Sidewalk Labs' Is Such a Big Deal
Earlier in June, Google announced the creation of an "urban innovation company" called Sidewalk Labs. One writer explains the genesis of the company as well as its potential for the future of how cities operate.
Faced With Flocks of Tourists—Town Will Charge for Bike Parking
Sausalito will charge for bike parking, instead of limiting the number of bikes entering the city's downtown, mostly from San Francisco by biking across the Golden Gate bridge and often taking a Golden Gate ferry back.
The Early History of the 'Smart Cities' Movement—in 1974 Los Angeles
An article in Boom: A Journal of California extends the timeline of "smart cities" and "big data" efforts by a considerable amount—all the way back to the late 1960s.
A First: Private Sector Prepares Regional Bike Plan, Backed with Cash
There are intercity Google buses, Google ferries, and now, a Google bike plan to connect neighboring Silicon Valley cities to the growing North Bayshore area of Mountain View. Google is offering $5 million to cities to implement the plan.
No Papal Blessing for Cap-And-Trade
Governments must take correction actions to address climate change, warned Pope Francis in his June 18 encyclical, but cap-and-trade, which places a price on carbon emissions but can lead to speculation, is not one of them.
Streetcar Moving Along in Downtown Los Angeles
The Los Angeles City Council voted to allow the Los Angeles Streetcar project to begin preliminary engineering.
New Designs for Los Angeles Convention Center Expansion Revealed
New renderings for Populous & HMC Architects winning proposal give a close-up look at the new-and-improved Los Angeles Convention Center.
Mapping the Age of Every Building in Los Angeles
Developed using open data from local government sources, built: LA is a mapping tool that displays the age of every building in the county. Much of the area's built environment is surprisingly old.
How NIMBYism Contributes to San Francisco's Housing Shortage
A pattern of opposition to housing projects that leads to the underdevelopment of land has contributed to a housing shortage in San Francisco, writes planning consultant Jim Chappell.
Uber Vehicles are Not Taxis, Even When They Want To Be
A June 16 vote by the San Francisco MTA to improve safety will allow taxis, along with bicycles and Muni buses, but not ride-hailing services to make turns onto the downtown's main thoroughfare, Market Street, has upset San Francisco-based Uber.
Labor Ruling in California Means Big Changes for Uber's Business Model
A California labor commissioner has resolved a long-standing dispute over the employment status of Uber drivers. Uber and other transportation network companies will have to adjust.
Latest Hotbed of High Speed Rail Opposition: San Fernando Valley
Opposition, followed by legal action to the California High-Speed Rail project began in Northern California, spread to the Central Valley, and now has hit southern California, particularly in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County.
Book Review: 'City by City'
A Planetizen review of "City by City: Dispatches from the American Metropolis," edited by Keith Gessen and Stephen Squibb, finds too much to fault in the book's essay about Los Angeles.
California State Supreme Court Upholds Inclusionary Zoning Laws
The California Building Industry Association (BIA) had taken its case to the State Supreme Court, but in the end the court decided that municipalities could require developers to set aide a portion of units for affordable housing.
Residents Want a Say as Los Angeles Neighborhood Changes
The big market forces of Los Angeles long ignored Elysian Valley, colloquially called Frogtown. But now the neighborhood has hip cachet and residents are organizing to have a say as the area changes.
San Francisco's Intractable Housing Dilemma
Blogger Shane Phillips writes that San Francisco has two possible responses to its housing crisis: increase supply to accommodate newcomers, or hunker down and promote only subsidized housing. Both, he says, are lousy. Other coastal cities, beware.
San Francisco to Prohibit Cars From Turning Onto Market Street
The Safer Market Street project is one of a package of traffic safety projects underway in San Francisco to achieve a Vision Zero goal to eliminate traffic deaths by 2024.
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
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
