California

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.

November 22, 2014 - CityLab

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.

November 22, 2014 - The Planning Report

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.

November 21, 2014 - Medium

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.

November 21, 2014 - The Planning Report

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.

November 20, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

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.

November 19, 2014 - SFGate

San Francisco Monopoly

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.

November 19, 2014 - The Washington Post

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.

November 18, 2014 - UrbDeZine

ng1_3717

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?

November 17, 2014 - Build a Better Burb

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.

November 17, 2014 - The San Gabriel Valley Tribune

San Francisco Parking

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?

November 17, 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle

Oakland skyline and San Francisco Bay

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.

November 16, 2014 - Contra Costa Times

Silicon Valley BRT

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.

November 16, 2014 - Human Transit

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.

November 15, 2014 - Contra Costa Times

'Beautification Assessment Districts' Proposed to Fix Los Angeles Streets

In an attempt to fix Los Angeles' buckling streets and roads, the Los Angeles City Council has unveiled a proposal allowing residents to tax themselves for adjacent road and sidewalk repair.

November 14, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

East Bay BRT Project Receives $81 Million in Federal Grants

Don't confuse East Bay Rapid Transit with Bay Area Rapid Transit: one's a bus, the other heavy rail. But calling it a bus does not do justice to what will be the Bay Area's first bus rapid transit (BRT) line composed primarily of dedicated lanes.

November 13, 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle

Anaheim Packing House

'Foodie Districts' and Downtown Revitalization

Anaheim's packing house signals a new trend with deep roots.

November 12, 2014 - John Woodhead

Berkeley Ideas Spark Uncharted Inspiration

A recent festival of ideas called Uncharted proved to be an inspirational, learning experience for Bay Area architect Sandhya Sood, AIA, principal of Accent Architecture+Design. At the end of it, writes Sood, her “brain cells were dancing. Again.”

November 11, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Broadway

$202 Million Streetcar Plan for Oakland's Broadway Corridor

Oakland city officials are considering a streetcar between two of the city's transit and entertainment hubs in the hopes of solidifying the stream of investment coming into the city.

November 10, 2014 - SFGate

San Francisco Voters Increase Height Limits for Waterfront Development

Voters gave Forest City Enterprises' Pier 70 development the go-ahead on Tuesday by increasing height limits from 40 to 90 feet. The 65-acre property will be developed into mixed use, with 2,000 housing units, 30 percent affordable, and open space.

November 9, 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle

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.