California

California Ushers in New Rail Age

A new rail age is dawning in California, thanks to high-speed rail; BART's impending "fleet of the future"; and more, says Projjal Dutta, director of sustainability at NYC's MTA. If successful, this will mean a major reduction of car use and sprawl.

August 14, 2013 - Future Cities

Bay Area Bike Share Prepares for August 29 Launch

Dwarfed by its city counterparts, the Bay Area's 1,000 bikes will cover a larger region (5 cities in 3 counties) with fewer bikes, many placed at key transit nodes. It also distinguishes itself by being a 'pilot program' with multiple public owners.

August 14, 2013 - Environment News Service

Schedule Slippage Casts Doubts on CA High-Speed Rail

With fantasies of a Hyperloop suddenly offering a tantalizing, albeit far-fetched, alternative to the $68-billion project, CA's high-speed rail has apparently encountered more schedule slippage. The delay could cause more obstacles for the project.

August 13, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Hyperloop = Hyperlame?

Last week we looked at the dangers of focusing on transportation fantasies. But alas, entrepreneur Elon Musk's vision for a "fifth form" of transportation is here and we just can't help ourselves.

August 13, 2013 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Controversial Projects Reveal Faults in L.A.'s Seismic Safety Review

Recent controversies surrounding large-scale projects in Hollywood approved without comprehensive seismic evaluations reveal gaps between California construction laws and the City of Los Angeles's ability to enforce them.

August 12, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Death By Auto: Are They Always Accidents?

Sarah Goodyear describes the greater implications of the carnage caused by a motorist intent on mowing down as many pedestrians as possible on the Venice boardwalk in L.A. on August 03. It wasn't the first time a car caused mayhem in a public space.

August 10, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Study Details SFpark's Surprising Results

The preliminary results are in for America's most ambitious experiment in demand-based parking pricing. Among the surprises: the average price at the spaces participating in San Francisco's pioneering program actually declined by 1 percent.

August 10, 2013 - SF.Streetsblog

L.A. County Dealt Another Defeat in Storm Water Cleanup Case

After the U.S. Supreme Court sent a long-running lawsuit over pollution in the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers back to a lower court, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that L.A. County is liable for high pollution levels in the rivers.

August 9, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Lessons for Building a Better City After a Devastating Disaster

With climate change producing more extreme weather, the likelihood of a natural disaster impacting the world's cities is on the rise. New members of the 'disaster club' can look to these three places for lessons for turning tragedy into opportunity.

August 9, 2013 - Governing

Feds Withholding $2 Billion in Funding for CA Transit

The U.S Department of Labor is holding up the distribution of billions of dollars in transit funding destined for San Diego, Sacramento, Los Angeles and other California cities due to a new state pension law's impact on transit workers.

August 8, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Libertarian Foundation Uses CEQA to Litigate 'Plan Bay Area'

The group, Bay Area Citizens, worried about loss of property values and quality of life, will be represented by the libertarian Pacific Legal Foundation, which will use CEQA as the basis of the lawsuit against regional agencies MTC and ABAG.

August 8, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

Rivals Clog Governor's Plan for Solving CA's Water Woes

In a bit of political deja vu, opponents (many from his own party) who once derailed Gov. Jerry Brown's Peripheral Canal waterway plan have lined up to defeat his latest proposal for meeting the state's future water needs.

August 7, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Not All Is Verdant and Rosy With S.F.'s Parklets

The removal of a parklet that had been criticized as 'a haven for homelessness and illegal activity' reflects some of the growing pains experienced by San Francisco as it's sought to encourage the conversion of on-street parking into public spaces.

August 6, 2013 - San Francisco Examiner

High-Profile Hire Shows New Mayor's Commitment to a Sustainable Los Angeles

If the hiring of the city's first Chief Sustainability Officer is any guide, the Garcetti administration intends to make sustainability a priority for Los Angeles.

August 6, 2013 - KPCC

A Look at Roads Not Taken Provides Path for L.A.'s More Public-Minded Future

A new exhibition of the bold designs that were never executed in Los Angeles provides lessons for today's leaders and planners. By imagining a more public-minded path for Los Angeles, it provides the impetus for creating such a future.

August 5, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Governor Keeps BART Trains Rolling

BART commuters were undoubtedly delighted to board trains on Monday morning thanks to Gov. Jerry Brown's last minute action to return BART employees to work for one week while a panel investigates why negotiations have stalled.

August 5, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

Progressive Incoherence in 'Radical' Berkeley

Everybody's a progressive in Berkeley, right? As recent struggles over land use make clear, it depends on what you mean by "progressive."

August 5, 2013 - Dissent

BART Unions Give Notice: Strike on Monday

Same drill, round two. After almost a month of apparently fruitless negotiations, the unions gave a 72-hour notice of going on strike. Unless an agreement is reached, 200,000 Bay Area rail riders will need to find alternatives for the Monday commute

August 2, 2013 - San Jose Mercury News

New Bay Area K-12 Redefines Relationship Between a School and its Community

This summer, a new school will begin rising in the Bay Area city of Emeryville that redefines the relationship between a K-12 school and its surrounding community.

August 2, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

What Happens When a City Turns Out the Lights?

Strapped for cash, cities across the US have decided to save money by turning off street lights. An investigative series documents the effect of all those darkened lights on crime and economic development in San Diego - home to a $30 million backlog.

August 1, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

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.