California
Lots of Work Left for San Francisco's Affordable Housing Goals
San Francisco's State of the City address provided an opportunity to check in on the progress of the affordable housing agenda of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.
'Showers on Wheels' and Other Design Interventions to Help the Homeless
Recent years have produced no dearth of design interventions to improve quality of life for wealthy urban dwellers, but some recent efforts in San Francisco are targeted to help the city's homeless population.
Architecture for Humanity Closes—Cites Lack of Funding
A sad day for the mission of using design to benefit the most vulnerable among us, Architecture for Humanity closed its doors earlier this month.
Debunking Myths about NFL Stadium Construction
Political leaders in San Diego have spent years characterizing the city's NFL team as a regional asset, requiring a new stadium to keep in place. A column debunks some of the logic behind how and why behind some of that reasoning.
California High-Speed Rail's Second Construction Contract: $1.36 Billion
A week after the groundbreaking ceremony for California's beleaguered high speed rail project, a second construction contract has been awarded. The rail authority will now build 29 miles north and 65 miles south of Fresno to the Kern County line.
New Methane Emission Regulations Aim for 45 Percent Reduction by 2025
President Barack Obama hopes to add to his "climate legacy" by having the EPA adopt the nation's first regulations to reduce methane emissions, the second most prevalent greenhouse gas emission after carbon dioxide, but far more powerful.
Pitching a Pop-Up Beer Garden for the Giants' Waterfront Ballpark
The San Francisco Giants are proposing a clever scheme to activate the space in one of its ballpark adjacent parking lots. The Yard, as it's called, could be ready by Spring Training.
7 Ideas for Boosting Community Resilience
Resilient communities build on local strengths to anticipate change, reduce the impact of major events, and come back from a blow stronger than ever. Here are seven ideas from cities and towns working to boost local resilience.
Los Angeles Lacks Plan to Address Affordable Housing
The Los Angeles media has recently turned their attention to housing, in a city ranked by some measures as the least affordable market in the country.
Palo Alto Electeds Oppose Dedicated Lanes for El Camino BRT
As the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) considers the environmental analysis for a proposed bus rapid transit lane in Palo Alto, local officials are opposing the version of the plan that would remove parking for a dedicated bus lane.
Three States Hope to Take Advantage of Low Gas Prices to Boost Gas Taxes
A movement at the state and federal levels would take advantage of low oil prices to boost gas taxes to pay for infrastructure. Michigan, Iowa, and Utah proposals, and a change to the federal Corker-Murphy plan, are described below.
How To: Design a User-Friendly Museum Exhibition about Planning
John King writes that the "Gallery + Ideas Forum" at the Presidio in San Francisco provides an excellent model for presenting issues and ideas of planning and urban design to the public.
Milken Institute Ranks 2014's 'Best Performing Cities'
The Milken's Institute report ranked San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City at the top of the performance index for the first time in the list's 15-year history.
The Potential Downside of Railroad Electrification—for Motorists
Electrification of the Caltrain will be great for train riders, the environment, air quality, and public health, but it might worsen traffic congestion between San Jose and San Francisco by increasing the frequency of commuter trains.
Friday Funny: Critics Skewer High-Rise-with-a-Mouth in San Francisco
Kriston Capps shares the creative work of a couple of arm-chair architecture critics who took to Photoshop to express their opinions about the Snøhetta-designed tower proposed for One Van Ness in San Francisco.
Gov. Brown Sets Ambitious Agenda for Environment, Infrastructure Goals in Fourth Term
The California governor began an unprecedented fourth term by laying out goals to reduce carbon emissions and oil consumption, address road and bridge maintenance, build high speed rail, and construct two huge water tunnels under the Sacramento Delta
The Spinlister App: 'Airbnb for Bikes'
A new app is part bikeshare and part Airbnb.
California's High Housing Costs Drives Out-Migration
Same story, different year, though more data provided on which groups are leaving the Golden State: predominantly workers earning less than $50,000 a year. Conversely, those migrating to California from other states had higher incomes and education.
Report: San Francisco's City Parks Worth $959 Million
The Trust for Public Land’s Center for City Park Excellence released a report placing the value of San Francisco's park system at $959 million.
California's 'Hidden Gas Tax' Arrives, Goes Unnoticed
The oil industry was predicting motorist outrage and an increase in gas prices of around 70-cents due to the carbon charge effective in the state on January 1. Some prices increased 10-cents, but went largely unnoticed.
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
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
