California

California's Deferred Road and Bridge Maintenance Balloons to $77 Billion

In his 2015 state of the state address, Gov. Jerry Brown announced his intention to tackle the Golden State's formidable $59 billion road and bridge deficit. A year later, that staggering figure jumped 30 percent to $77 billion.

January 24, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Students Submitting Ideas for the Hyperloop

As a part of a competition sponsored by SpaceX, university students and independent engineering teams are building scale-model Hyperloop pods.

January 22, 2016 - FutureStructure

Op-Ed: Billionaire's Ballot Initiative in San Diego Trades Revitalization for Tourism

The unlikely alliance of a ballpark billionaire, tax watchdog, and environmentalists in San Diego circulate a planning ballot initiative that makes an all-too-familiar sacrifice: urban neighborhoods.

January 22, 2016 - UrbDeZine

The Dutch Junction Explained

Cars and cyclists have issues at intersections. A new type of intersection design from the Netherlands offers improved protection to cyclists. The solution is based on the four islands near each corner of the intersection.

January 22, 2016 - Huffpost Good News

Eastside Gold Line and Los Angeles skyline

What Will the 'Third Los Angeles' Look Like?

Architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne describes an L.A. in flux, at once beholden to its postwar image and pushing in a new direction. The city, he says, faces existential questions on a scale unmatched elsewhere in the nation.

January 21, 2016 - The Architect's Newspaper

Environmental Groups Sue to Stop Sprawl in the Inland Empire

On the fringes of the built environment in Southern California, comes a turn of events much more common in the urban core: the California Environmental Quality Act has been invoked to put the brakes on a general plan update.

January 20, 2016 - The Desert Sun

facades of victorian style residences in San Francisco

NIMBYs at Center of California's Housing Shortage

Sacramento Bee's political columnist, Dan Walters, writes that NIMBYs are among the main reasons for the state's chronic housing crisis, and one of their main tools is the California Environmental Quality Act, which must be reformed by politicians.

January 20, 2016 - The Sacramento Bee

Green Line, Los Angeles

Targeting Another Gap in the System, L.A. Metro Looks to Expand Eastward

The potential 2.8 mile expansion of the Metro Green Line would connect light rail to the Norwalk MetroLink Station, opening up new transit options to users throughout the region.

January 19, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Idaho Stop—Meet the California Stop

Similar to a local proposal by San Francisco cyclists to reduce priority for for ticketing cyclists for rolling through stop signs, a state senator hopes to do with state legislation for motorists making "California Stops" at red lights.

January 17, 2016 - San Mateo Daily Journal

Lack of Congressional Support Kills Landmark Klamath River Deal

There might not be a drawing board to go back to after an agreement that would have removed four dams along the Klamath River died in Congress.

January 13, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Step Aside San Francisco: The Tech Industry Still Calls the Silicon Valley Home

You wouldn't be alone if you thought the tech industry had shifted its base of operations from the Silicon Valley to San Francisco. A new study of the tech industry's real estate footprint, however, reveals the South Bay's entrenched dominance.

January 12, 2016 - Silicon Valley Business Journal

Oakland Eases Restrictions on Secondary Housing Units

Following the recent example of cities like Vancouver, Austin, and Berkeley, Oakland, CA recently made it much easier for residents to create secondary units, also known as accessory dwelling units.

January 9, 2016 - East Bay Express

Nightime view of San Diego skyline

Big Development Plans Proposed for Downtown San Diego

A local developer has proposed a $400 million development that would add several game-changing uses to Downtown San Diego.

January 8, 2016 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Pave Paradise and Put Up a 16-Mile Parking Lot—An Inventory of L.A. County Parking

A new study quantifies the amount of space devoted to parking in Los Angeles County—a figure that just begs to be visualized.

January 7, 2016 - Better Institutions

San Francisco's Yellow Cab to File for Bankruptcy

San Francisco's largest cab company is planning to file for bankruptcy very soon. The competition from transportation network companies is forcing the company, and likely the industry, to completely restructure.

January 7, 2016 - San Francisco Examiner

San Antonio

Ranking Cities By Infill Developments

A list of the cities doing the most to build infill development, courtesy of Infill Score.

January 7, 2016 - Infill Score

As El Niño Arrives, Los Angeles Needs to Update its Stormwater System

"The hard lesson here is that infrastructure systems built to make cities resilient in one era may not serve them well at all in another era," writes Jon Christensen.

January 6, 2016 - LA Observed

Change of Leadership for Los Angeles' Planning Department

Mayor Eric Garcetti has nominated Vince Bertoni to lead the Los Angeles Department of City Planning. Bertoni is currently the planning director of the city of Pasadena.

January 5, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Qualcomm Stadium

3 NFL Teams File Walking Papers

Three teams will attempt to leave town. Resolution of the contentious political situations could be coming very soon.

January 5, 2016 - ESPN

New Year's Gift for Washington and New York City Commuters

Commuters working in New York City and Washington, D.C. will now enjoy transit tickets and passes purchased using pre-tax income.

January 4, 2016 - Planetizen

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.