California

Pressure is mounting for a decision regarding the future of Crissy Field, an iconic site in the Presidio of San Francisco currently in the final stages of a design competition.

January 9, 2014 - Huffington Post

One of the Obama administration's most promising anti-poverty initiatives will marshal federal grants and expertise from numerous agencies to improve infrastructure, services and opportunities across a wide swath of Los Angeles.

January 9, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

The Google ferry was launched Jan. 6 at the Port of San Francisco for its inaugural trip to Redwood City, where Google workers would presumably be bussed to its Mountain View HQ. No word yet whether it was greeted by protests met by its buses in S.F.

January 9, 2014 - SF Gate: The Tech Chronicles

A $3-billion street repair bond measure being drafted for the November ballot reflects L.A.'s traditional preference for automobiles over other modes of transport. Pedestrian advocates are fighting to fund sidewalk repairs. Will the pols listen?

January 8, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

The infamous shuttle buses using Muni stops in San Francisco to transport workers to companies outside the city will require permits and payments under a new 18-month pilot program.

January 8, 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle

California's embattled high speed rail, which appears to be on life support following a Nov. court ruling, will receive funds from the state's carbon cap & trade program in Gov. Brown's budget to be released Friday. But will it make a difference?

January 7, 2014 - The Sacramento Bee - Capitol Alert

An upcoming report by the Association of Bay Area Governments projects the city of San Francisco to add a record-breaking number of residents by 2040. The SF Examiner is running a week-long series exploring the impacts of the expected growth.

January 7, 2014 - San Francisco Examiner

A ballot measure being proposed by the Sierra Club’s San Francisco chapter would take certain waterfront development decisions out of the hands of the city's Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, and give it to the voters.

January 6, 2014 - Sf Examiner

2013 was a historic year for rooftop solar installation across the United States, and in California in particular. The Golden State added as much rooftop solar capacity as was installed over the prior 30 years combined.

January 4, 2014 - Climate Progress

Launched last summer, the regional bike share program is looking to expand this spring to one thousand bikes in one hundred kiosks, according to Air District officials who administer the five-city, three-county pilot program and view it as a success.

January 3, 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle

As part of its quest to become the "Alternative Energy Capital of the World", Lancaster, California will require all new single-family homes to incorporate solar energy systems beginning Jan. 1, 2014.

January 3, 2014 - The Civic Bee

Los Angeles area officials are discussing options for placing a new transportation funding measure before voters. A similar effort in 2012 failed to pass the necessary 67 percent threshold by less than 16,000 votes (out of nearly 2 million cast).

January 1, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

Building on public lands and tweaking the city's inclusionary housing program are just two of the options being considered by San Francisco leaders and housing advocates to help alleviate the city's growing affordability crisis.

December 31, 2013 - San Francisco Examiner

In contrast to much of the United States, where home sizes are growing again following the recession, developers in Southern California are increasingly building attached homes - reversing the region's history of single-family sprawl.

December 30, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

As young tech talent increasingly calls San Francisco home, some wonder whether investing in large, opulent headquarters in suburban Cupertino is a risky decision for even the most successful tech companies.

December 29, 2013 - Wired

By expanding its transit and cycling infrastructure and creating pedestrian-friendly streets, L.A. is improving access to alternative forms of transportation. But in the city's most walkable area, police are out to prove the car is still king.

December 27, 2013 - The New York Times

After 25 years of scattershot station design, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is bringing rationality and consistency to the design of three new rail projects. A "kit of parts" has been designed by Johnson Fain.

December 23, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's "Great Streets" plan is long on vision, but short on budget details. Terry Sweeney identifies some wealthy locals who should be called on for help.

December 22, 2013 - Future Cities

Will 2013 be remembered as the year that Los Angeles embraced a new urban identity? Cultural, political, and planning and design-related events over the past year seem to suggest the city is experiencing "an urban reawakening".

December 21, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

In case you haven't heard, L.A. gets a lot of sun. While this is great for getting a tan, it presents a challenge for mitigating the heat island effect and rising temperatures. New legislation requires that the roofs of new homes help beat the heat.

December 20, 2013 - Climate Progress