California
BART's Oakland Airport Connector Now in Service
Depending upon which Bay Area newspaper you read, the new 3.2-mile Oakland Airport connector, an elevated, driverless tram that takes eight minutes and costs $6, is either a huge success or a $484 million boondoggle. It began service on November 22.
South Park Neighborhood in Downtown Los Angeles Partners for Greener Alleys
The South Park BID and LA Sustainability Collaborative came together to organize the "Green Alleys in South Park Visioning Report," with plans to connect its next steps in sustainable action to city, development, and third-party projects.
Bus-Friendly Signaling, Bulbouts Coming to Haight Street in San Francisco
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority approved a collection of changes to San Francisco's famous Haight Street. The proposal provoked political debate that expresses the complexity of multi-modal transportation planning.
Utility Customers Owe $3.3 Billion for Shuttered California Nuclear Plant
The California Public Utilities Commission has ruled on the issue of who should pay the remaining costs after a radiation leak forced an early end to California's San Onofre nuclear plant in 2012.
Key to Good Planning? Coordination
Coordination is required to get urban planning projects from concept to construction, according to Los Angeles County Planner Clement Lau.
Bridging the Gap in the Los Angeles River Greenway
A new trail segment along the Los Angeles River breaks ground in a park-poor neighborhood as part of the countywide Los Angeles River revitalization.
Pop-Up Park Shifts Planning Attitudes in San Diego
The short-term Quartyard pop-up park in San Diego's East Village reflects the changing attitudes of the oft conservative San Diego Planning Department.
Inglewood Mayor Rebrands a City Once Known for Crime
James Butts is committed to turning Inglewood around, with economic investment and property development now on the rise.
Friday Eye Candy: SPUR's Urban Cartography Exhibit
Allison Arieff provides a glimpse to the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research's new exhibit featuring interesting maps of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Los Angeles Prepares for its Next Major Earthquake
Dr. Lucy Jones advises the city known for seismic activity on how to avert economic disaster when a natural disaster inevitably strikes.
Settling the Dust in the Owens Valley
After years of feud between Los Angeles and the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, a more sustainable deal has been reached to eradicate the toxic dust storms plaguing Owens Valley.
Retail Development, Housing Units to Replace San Francisco's NFL Stadium
A new retail center planned for the location of the former home of the San Francisco 49ers will serve as a hub of activity for 12,000 housing units in the planning pipeline over the next ten to 20 years.
Cities Dominating the Economic Recovery
The affordability crisis and congestion are just two of the signs of the dominance of cities in the economic recovery, according to an article in the Washington Post. In fact, outside of cities, it doesn't look much like a recovery at all.
Who's Right in the Informal Housing Debate?
When Los Angeles County Planner Jonathan P. Bell wrote about informal housing in the region, several commenters responded. So Bell decided to answer questions and critics.
Can a Net Zero Cottage Work in the Suburbs?
In its first year alone, Zero Cottage has produced 22 percent more energy than it consumes. But can such an urban project be replicated in a suburban setting?
Citing High Rate of Adoption, Los Angeles Considers Expanded Freeway Toll Lanes
The use of toll lanes on two of the Los Angeles region's freeways has proven popular enough that county transportation planners are considering expanding the system.
An Unintended Consequence of Unbundling Parking from Housing
Transportation and affordable housing advocates advocate unbundling parking from housing to provide an incentive to own fewer vehicles while reducing housing costs and increasing supply. But should parcel taxes be applied to parking spaces?
The Biggest Transportation Winner on the Nov. 4 Ballot
The ballot measure generating the most new transportation funds approved by voters this month was in Alameda County, Calif. Voters chose to double an existing sales tax to one percent and extend it to 2045, raising $7.8 billion over 30 years.
BRT Planned for the Silicon Valley
A region dominated by automobile-friendly infrastructure has released a Draft EIR for a bus rapid transit project connecting central San Jose to Palo Alto via El Camino Real.
Bay Bridge Bike Path: Cheaper is Better
The existing bike path on the eastern span of the Bay Bridge meets an abrupt dead end, though it will be extended to Yerba Buena Island next summer. Plans are underway to extend the path to San Francisco, but it won't be cheap.
Pagination
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association