California

Making Plans Deliver on Promises in the San Fernando Valley

The Warner Center 2035 Plan was designed to bring growth to Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley. If the opening of a $350-million Westfield Village in September is any indication, it’s succeeding.

November 7, 2015 - The Planning Report

A Rare Interview With One of L.A.'s Most Controversial Developers: Geoff Palmer

Prolific and infamous developer Geoff Palmer rarely gives interviews. So it was an occasion when he appeared before an audience at the Lorenzo, his lavish student-housing complex, to recount the philosophy and practice of his controversial legacy.

November 6, 2015 - The Planning Report

San Francisco Election Results: Airbnb Regulations, Mission Moratorium, Housing Bond

San Francisco voters rejected a moratorium on market rate housing in The Mission (Prop. I) and tighter restrictions on Airbnb (Prop. F), while approving the city's largest-ever housing bond (Prop. H) and a large mixed-use development.

November 4, 2015 - San Francisco Examiner

Oakland

5 Big Ideas for Oakland

People are looking for ideas in the Bay Area. Across the water from the calcified world of San Francisco, Oakland offers the flexibility and energy to build an equitable and dynamic resource that benefits the entire region.

November 4, 2015 - SPUR Urbanist

recycled water sign

San Francisco Leading the Way in Water Recycling

San Francisco's water district has become the first in the nation to require newly constructed large buildings to collect and reuse nonpotable water.

November 4, 2015 - SPUR Blog

Lombard Street San Francisco

Housing and Tech Industry Showdown on the San Francisco Ballot

In tomorrow's citywide election, San Francisco voters are faced with a suite of ballot propositions essentially offering a referendum on hot button issues like gentrification, neighborhood character, and supply vs. demand.

November 2, 2015 - The New York Times

Regional Planning Merger One Step Closer to Reality in the Bay Area

The Bay Area is one of the few metro regions in the U.S. with a separate MPO and COG, but that could change after voting members of both the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments agreed to a merger study.

November 2, 2015 - Contra Costa Times

Vision Zero Hero: L.A. to Hire an Artist for Traffic Safety Work

Applications are due on November 6 for a novel position in the world of traffic safety: artist in residence at the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

November 1, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Will Electric Utilities Disrupt the Oil Industry in California?

A key bill had language allowing public utilities to enter into the electric vehicle charging industry—overlooked by the oil industry and a game-changer for EVs as it tackles one of their most formidable challenges.

October 29, 2015 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Google Self-Driving Car

Humans Faulted in Autonomous Vehicle Accidents

Reports from the California DMV blame human drivers for minor collisions involving Google's self-driving cars. Drive carefully in Mountain View.

October 28, 2015 - Techradar

California Bullet Train

Report: Cost Overruns and Deadline Constraints Plague California High-Speed Rail

At the heart of the financial and deadline challenges facing the $68 billion high-speed rail project are 36 miles of tunneling north of Los Angeles, according to Los Angeles Times analysis that includes interviews with experts on mega-projects.

October 28, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

What Does the Connected Home Mean for Energy Policy?

As cities look to the Internet of Things to reimagine urban infrastructure, one hope is that real-time data collection will help increase energy efficiency at the regional level. Where do homes outfitted with a network of smart devices fit in?

October 28, 2015 - VerdeXchange News

Grizzly Point Berkeley

Can a Single Regional Planning Agency Fix What Ails the Bay Area?

The potential to address the housing and transportation issues of the Bay Area by a single regional agency will be addressed this week.

October 28, 2015 - San Jose Mercury News

LA Metro, Wilshire and Western

Los Angeles' Metro Launches New Phase in Effort to Curb Sexual Harassment

After first launching its program in the Spring, law enforcement and Metro are reminding riders to report instances of sexual harassment on trains and buses

October 26, 2015 - The Source (Metro's blog)

Friday Funny: What if Bisquick Played the Silicon Valley Real Estate Game?

Take everything you know about the design and planning of Silicon Valley's corporate offices—but replace tech with pancakes.

October 23, 2015 - The Onion

Saying Bye-Bye to Fireplaces And Wood-Burning Heaters in the Bay Area

In a Bay Area first, new home construction in most of the region will be banned from having these heating devices installed as the result of a rule adopted unanimously by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District on Oct. 21.

October 23, 2015 - San Jose Mercury News

Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta

California's Bay Delta Explained

As California's drought drags on, the Delta—which provides water to much of the state—has come to symbolize the tension among water users with competing interests. But the strained resource has also prompted ambitious initiatives for sustainability.

October 23, 2015 - VerdeXchange News

MacArthur Park

Why Some BIDs Succeed Where Others Fail

An in-depth study of business improvement districts (BIDs) in two Los Angeles neighborhoods examines the factors behind their success or failure.

October 23, 2015 - Next City

A Case Study of California's Lowest-Ranked Transit Station

Build it and they will come hasn't worked out so well for the Gillespie Field station on the Green Line of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. A recent scorecard rated the station lowest among 489 competitors.

October 22, 2015 - Voice of San Diego

Construction Begins Raising San Francisco Bike Lane

A small section of the well-used, protected bike lane on San Francisco's busy Market Street will be raised just a few inches to increase bicycle safety. Construction began Monday and should take a month to complete.

October 20, 2015 - ABC7

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.