California
Op-Ed: San Diego Should Look to Beaches to Increase Density
San Diego should look to its beach communities and its major intersections to achieve its housing and Climate Action Plan goals while minimizing community polarization, writes urban planning consultant Howard Blackson.
California's Ambitious Transportation Projects Designed to Include Communities
Unprecedented transit build-out in California could transform the state. Now leaders are working to ensure the infrastructure connecting major cities also benefits the communities it touches along the way.
Why the Bay Area Outshines L.A.
Los Angeles' relative economic stagnation from 1980 onward was as much a choice as was the Bay Area's meteoric rise. According to planning scholar Michael Storper's account, Los Angeles' culture—not any policy or industry—is to blame.
U.S. Cities Cracking Down on Homelessness
Three major American cities this week—San Francisco, Dallas, and Los Angeles—responded to the growing number of homeless living on the streets with sweeps, arrests, and seizures, respectively.
City Hall 'Outsider' on Opening Up L.A.'s Development Process
Los Angeles is experiencing an elevated anti-growth conversation and suspicion of insider dealings at City Hall. In the midst of this, a councilmember known as an "outsider" aims to reconcile his constituents with the city's development processes.
New Republican Majority Flexes Muscle on Southern California Air Board
The long-time executive director of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Barry Wallerstein, may be removed to make the powerful regulatory agency more business-friendly. The board meets in closed-session on Friday.
A Tale of Two Cities: San Jose and Flint
The fixed costs of infrastructure projects leave cities like Flint struggling to pay their bills with fewer people pooling their resources.
2015 Sets New Record for Vehicle Miles Traveled
2007 had set the prior record, which sparked the term, "peak miles driven" or "peak car." Historically low gas prices and an improved economy have fueled more driving, resulting in a record of 3.148 trillion miles driven last year.
Dreaming of a Bike Path on the Western Span of the Bay Bridge
Arup released some very exciting renderings of a proposed pedestrian and bike path on one of the most picturesque and heavily-trafficked spans on the West Coast.
Bill to Phase-Out Coal Power Advances in Oregon
A bill to phase out coal-powered electricity by 2030 is advancing in the legislature. It would also double the state's renewable portfolio standard to 50 percent by 2040 for Oregon's two largest utilities.
Gehry Partners Opens Up on Los Angeles River Progress
When Frank Gehry's involvement in the L.A. River restoration was announced in August 2015, the firm had already been conducting research on the project for nearly a year. For some time after that, details were scant and speculation abounded.
San Francisco Offers to Refund $6 Million in Overpaid Parking Tickets
You might not believe it, but the city of San Francisco is offering refunds after realizing it overcharged on parking tickets.
Op-Ed: San Diego's Draft Downtown Mobility Plan Suffering From Suburban Myopia
San Diego's Draft Downtown Mobility Plan is laudable but consists of basic generalities and vanilla concepts, ignoring how an urban environment functions, writes Jimmy Parker, former president of the city's most urban business district.
California's Gas Tax Continues to Plummet
Last February, the state Board of Equalization voted to reduce the gas tax by 6-cents. On Tuesday, it voted 3-2 to continue the decrease by 2.2 cents. The vote is required by an arcane rule that translates into tax *decreases when gas prices fall.
Tiny Homes for the Homeless Run Afoul of the City of Los Angeles
The city of Los Angeles is putting an end to a crowdfunded, unpermitted program to build and deliver tiny homes to homeless people living on the streets of Los Angeles.
Renewable Biogas Can't Compete with Cheap and Plentiful (Fossil) Natural Gas
Unlike Europe where renewable energy is heavily subsidized, very few biogas projects that convert farm waste to energy using anaerobic digesters are being built in the U.S. State incentives are instrumental due to high capital and maintenance costs.
Competing Land Use Initiatives on the November Ballot in Los Angeles
Move over "Neighborhood Integrity Initiative." The "Build Better LA" initiative will compete for the soul of the city in the November election.
Ten States Could Hike Gas Taxes this Year
With gas prices the lowest since 2009, ten state legislatures and governors consider raising state gas taxes, though many are accompanied by fiscally questionable tax shifts. Some tried and failed last year. All of the proposed increases are modest.
Sacramento Region Approves New Transportation Plan
The Sacramento Area Council of Governments put the finishing touches on the 2016 update to the Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (2016 MTP/SCS) last week.
A Change of Direction for California High-Speed Rail
In the face of political opposition and mounting construction costs in Southern California, the state High-Speed Rail Authority has chosen to build north from the Central Valley to San Jose rather than south from Fresno to the San Fernando Valley.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
