California
An Electric Car the CEO Doesn't Want You to Buy
Please, don't buy the Fiat 500 E, stated Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne during his presentation on a Brookings panel on May 20. It's not because it's a bad car—it's because his company loses $14,000 on every sale.
$2.1 Billion in Federal Transit Funding for the 'Subway to the Sea' in Los Angeles
Los Angeles will receive its largest-ever federal grant, $1.25 billion, to help fund the Purple Line subway, aka the "Subway to the Sea." Also on its way is an $856 million loan from the TIFIA program.
Estimates of Recoverable Oil from California's Monterey Shale Reduced 96%
What a revision! The EIA changed the recoverable oil reserves in California's vast Monterey Shale formation from 13.7 billion barrels to 600 million barrels using existing technology. Also, for the first time, a California county banned fracking.
Does the Fire Code Have to Trump Urban Design?
Planners and urbanists are familiar with the many instances when fire and life safety codes conflict with quality urban design. The city of San Francisco is currently embroiled in policy conflict over the width of its streets.
Mileage Fees Make Inroads in California and Michigan
Vehicle-miles-traveled fees made inroads with a potential "no-fee" pilot program in California and a new academic study in Michigan concluding that the state should adopt them. VMT fees may even get some attention in the MAP-21 Reauthorization.
Lessons from San Francisco’s Healthy Corner Store Program
An article from the SPUR's "The Urbanist" shares insight into the work of the Southeast Food Access Working Group (SEFA).
Dispersing Transit Commutes with Financial Incentives and Data
Urban Engines uses real-time transit data, and raffles, to encourage transit riders to commute during non-peak hours.
Texas Outpaces California in Promoting Alternative-Fuel Vehicles
In the state of Big Oil, all types of electric cars, propane, and natural gas fueled vehicles qualify for a $2,500 cash incentive, thanks to a bill passed last year that broadens the current alternative-fueled truck program to light duty vehicles.
San Francisco Initiative Preempts Prop B—Asks Voters for Additional Height at Pier 70
Developer Forest City is getting a jump on the ballot box zoning trend in San Francisco. According to reports, the developer will go to the voters to ask for increased height for a large development at Pier 70 in the neighborhood known as Dogpatch.
How Planning is Preserving Los Angeles' History
Los Angeles is coming of age, and with many cultures inhabiting many waves of development over the course of its settlement, the city's history is deep and rich. Recent articles detail multiple planning efforts aimed at preserving the city's history.
Half the Country Now Facing Drought
On the flip-side of the polar vortex in the climate news department, drought conditions are worsening across the country. In much of the West, the drought means water supply challenges and a growing threat of fire.
Enclosing the Commons: Tech Billionaire Buys Beloved Beach
San Mateo residents sue a Silicon Valley tycoon for buying and closing off a public beach in violation of California Coastal Act.
Do Old Buildings Contribute to Economic Vitality?
Emily Badger crunches the data on the argument by Jane Jacobs regarding the importance of old buildings to the economic health and quality of life of cities—an opinion described by Badger as "received wisdom among planners and urban theorists."
San Francisco: Model for Freeway Removal
Architecture critic John King tagged along with the Congress for New Urbanism. The latter was recently in San Francisco to examine the benefits of freeway removal. The city's prime case study: Octavia Boulevard.
A Political Victory to Protect Wild Coastal Land
Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky discusses how the approval of new plans will preserve a stretch of unincorporated Southern California coastline.
Los Angeles' Promise Zone Treats Schools as Hubs to Strengthen Communities
With the national Promise Zone grant initiative rolling out in Los Angeles, the Youth Policy Institute aims to deploy funds strategically in targeted areas that struggle with poverty.
With Ballot Box Zoning Likely to Pass—What Next for San Francisco?
C.W. Nevius examines the consequences of Proposition B—on the ballot in San Francisco in June.
Making Metro Cool
Michael Lejeune is the creative director for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and as such he's tasked with making transit cool in a city that long worshipped the automobile.
Bi-Partisan Energy Efficiency Bill Stalls while Obama Pushes Initiative
A bi-partisan Senate bill to dramatically reduce carbon emissions by increasing energy efficiency got caught-up in Keystone XL pipeline politics, while President Barak Obama pursued his own energy efficiency agenda at a Walmart in Mtn. View, Calif.
Report: Big Increases Expected for California Property Taxes
A California state law that allowed temporary property tax reductions to homeowners during the housing crash is now swinging back the other way. Some homeowners have seen 20 percent increases in property tax bills.
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
