California

Oakland Crosswalk Engineering Mistimes Walkability Goals

A well-informed, social media savvy observer is shedding light on a seemingly small change with big impacts on the quality of life available to pedestrians along Oakland's streets.

May 13, 2015 - Gejl Accident Attorneys

Bay Bridge, New Year's Eve

Study: NIMBYs Stunt the National Economy

A new study calculates the national consequences of restrictive housing regulations in three cities: San Francisco, New York, and San Jose.

May 12, 2015 - New York Magazine

Controversial Housing Moratorium Proposed for San Francisco's Mission District

San Francisco Supervisor David Campos, who represents the popular Mission District, has proposed a 45-day moratorium on market-rate, multifamily residential development. A ballot measure is possible.

May 12, 2015 - San Francisco Examiner

Planners Reboot Public Health Efforts in South Los Angeles

A law passed to combat obesity and diabetes in South Los Angeles by slowing the proliferation of fast food restaurants has done little to change the landscape of the area.

May 11, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Metrolink to Relieve Caltrain on the Crowded San Francisco Peninsula

The San Francisco to San Jose Caltrain commuter rail line continues to set ridership records, but capacity has not increased, much to riders' chagrin. Starting today, four train sets will add a sixth car, courtesy of Metrolink commuter rail.

May 11, 2015 - San Mateo Daily Journal

Bay Bridge Construction Woes Raise Earthquake Safety Concerns

One of the reasons for the $6.4 billion investment in the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge was to ensure the safety of the bridge in the even of a large earthquake.

May 11, 2015 - San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Launching Raised Bike Lane Program

The city's Municipal Transportation Agency will construct a block of raised bike lane on Valencia Street as a showcase for more such projects to come.

May 10, 2015 - CityLab

Trees Dying by the Millions During California's Drought

A U.S. Forest Service survey has revealed the high costs of the California drought to one of the state's most treasured features: its sprawling forests.

May 10, 2015 - KPBS

San Francisco Parklet

Touring San Francisco's Parklet Boom

As the birthplace of the parklets movement, San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area have lots of parklet eye candy to choose from.

May 8, 2015 - SFGate

drinking water fountain

The Equity of Tiered Water Pricing

A tale of two water-parched cities, one in California, the other in New Mexico, and the critical role played by tiered water pricing. Long known as an effective economic strategy to reduce consumption, tiered pricing also influences equity.

May 7, 2015 - The New York Times

The Lake Mead Water Crisis Explained

The water level in Lake Mead dropped to an all-time low at the end of April, falling below 1080 feet above sea level for the first time in 78 years.

May 6, 2015 - Brookings

The New L.A. Story: Waze Partners with City; Neighbors Get Upset

A partnership between Waze and the city of Los Angeles has prompted a cry of "not on the street in front of my frontyard!" from residential neighborhoods around the city.

May 5, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

California Water Pipeline

California Drought Watch: Residential Builders Fear Moratoriums

Home builders fear bans on connections of homes to water systems, issued from the state and cities, will increase next month when Gov. Jerry Brown's new water mandates take effect June 1.

May 5, 2015 - The Wall Street Journal

East L.A. Arts

On the Natural Urbanism of East L.A. Artists

The planning process often suffers from a lack of community engagement. According to James Rojas, planners can learn from the on-the-ground urbanism of artists in East L.A.

May 5, 2015 - KCET

Study Finds New Evidence that Place Determines Income Mobility

A new study by Harvard economists provides the best evidence yet that where children grow up matters to the outcomes of their lives.

May 4, 2015 - New York Times

Toll Lanes Continue to Spread on Southern California Freeways

To the chagrin of many Orange County transportation leaders, two express lanes will be added to each direction on a 14-mile stretch of the 405 (San Diego) Freeway, one through conversion, and a general purpose lane funded in part by Measure M added.

May 3, 2015 - KPCC

Court Ruling Makes Tiered Water Pricing Difficult for California Drought Efforts

Pricing through tiered levels (i.e., charging more for customers using higher volumes of water), will be difficult, if not impossible, thanks to the ruling of a California appeals court on April 20.

May 1, 2015 - The California Report

Planning for the Next 20 Years in Unincorporated Los Angeles County

A lot has changed on the ground in Los Angeles County's unincorporated areas since 1980, when the last General Plan directing land use in these communities was written.

May 1, 2015 - The Planning Report

Silicon Valley's Latest Innovation: Recycled Water

A proposed $800 million facility in Santa Clara County will put recycled water on the tech boom's doorstep.

May 1, 2015 - San Jose Mercury News

The Bike Highway That Almost Was

In this excerpt from the new book "LAtitudes: An Angeleno's Atlas," author Dan Koeppel tracks the 1899 Bicycle Highway from Los Angeles to Pasadena to discover why it was never finished.

April 30, 2015 - Gizmodo

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.