California
Survey Finds Surprising Attitudes toward Increasing Gas Tax
If there's a solid take-away from the California Field Poll, it is not to ask residents how they feel about raising gas taxes, or any one option for that matter. Rather, offer a menu of funding alternatives and the results become more meaningful.
State Gas Tax Update: One Up, One Down
This has been an eventful week for gas taxes. To update two posts that appeared recently, Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa signed legislation that increases the gas tax by 10-cents on March 1. In California, a board voted to decrease the tax by six cents.
Metrolink Crash Would Have Been Much Worse If Not for New Rail Cars
While all four passenger cars derailed in Tuesday morning's crash with a pickup truck, three on their sides, experts indicate that the new cars likely prevented far greater damage. Also covered is the locomotive push-pull issue and grade separations.
Op-Ed: Put Ecosystems Before Agriculture in California's Water Crisis
It's been another dry season in California, and the concerns of the state's many water users are not going away. An editorial by one of the state's largest newspapers favors ecosystem protection over the agriculture industry for the year ahead.
A Planner's look at Public Exercise and Fitness Infrastructure
Los Angeles offers many free or affordable alternatives to private gyms for exercise. Clement Lau, a Los Angeles County parks and recreation planner, goes on to review these resources in Los Angeles' public fitness infrastructure.
Q&A: New Orleans Planning is 'Visionary within the Envelope of Feasibility'
The following interview, as published in the 4th Edition of the Planetizen Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs, features Jason Neville, senior planner for the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority.
Iowa on Verge of 10-Cent Hike in Gas Tax—An Increase of 44.44 Percent
If Republican Governor Terry Branstad signs the bi-partisan bill as signs indicate, the increase will be the most significant state transportation funding legislation since Republican Gov. Matt Mead of Wyoming signed a 10-cent increase two years ago.
Truck Causes Fiery Metrolink Crash in Southern California
All four cars* of a Metrolink train derailed sending 28 people to the hospital, four with critical injuries. The southbound Ventura line train was headed to Union Station Los Angeles when it hit the produce truck at 5:45 AM.
Early Returns for the 'goBerkeley' Market-Pricing Parking Experiment
A three-year pilot program of market-pricing for parking in the university town of Berkeley, California is already revealing surprising realities about parking demand in the city.
A Roadmap for Late-Night Transit Service in the Bay Area
A report called "The Other 9-to-5," released this week by the San Francisco Late Night Transportation Working Group, maps out late night transportation options around the Bay Area and provides recommendations for permanently expanding service.
Worst Droughts in a Millennium Predicted for Western United States
Research uncovers more evidence for possibly decades-long droughts. Climate change is the likely culprit in effects that may challenge infrastructure and agricultural output throughout the century.
Re-Zoning For Walkability
It often seems that streetscapes' appearances and forms are immutable, but Los Angeles is trying something new. Through a herculean effort called Recode: LA, Los Angeles is rewriting its codes and, consequently, may change how its streets look.
Transportation Start-up Fails for Being Too Public-Minded
Night School, planning to use school bus fleets to supplement late-night Bay Area transit, lost the regulatory fights Uber and Lyft handily won.
Political Opposition Surfaces to All Aboard Florida
Florida's private inter-city rail project is getting a taste of California-style rail opposition from two counties that responded to citizens' complaints by voting to allot $4.1 million for potential legal action against rail line.
Annual Fee to Fund Critical Transportation Projects in California
Under the transportation funding plan proposed by Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, motorists would pay an annual road user charge of about $50 to help pay for the $59 billion in deferred highway and bridge maintenance that Gov. Brown noted recently.
The Resurgence of Anti-Homeless Policy and Design
A report by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley tracks the proliferation of vagrancy laws in the Golden State. Meanwhile, The Guardian notes the spread of so-called "defensive architecture."
Deep Cut Proposed for California's Gas Tax
A proposal to cut the gas tax by 21 percent would dig a huge hole in the state's transportation budget. It comes from a requirement in 2010 fuel tax swap legislation that doubled the excise tax while reducing the sales tax on gas by 6 percent.
Leaky Pipes will Cost Los Angeles at least $1.3 Billion to Fix
The Los Angeles Times offers a broadly ranging, interactive feature on the decrepit state of Los Angeles' water infrastructure.
Can Taxis Survive Competition from the Sharing Economy?
Two experts consider the future of cab companies in the age of Uber and Lyft.
Affordable Housing: the Hype and the Hope
Sam Hall Kaplan elucidates the inadequacies of affordable housing policy before introducing a new perspective to the conversation—a new book by Roger Katan with Ronald Shiffman called "Building Together."
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
