California

14 Ways San Francisco Has Given New Life to Its Historic Assets

In the current feature story from its 'Urbanist' magazine, the Bay Area planning think tank SPUR looks at 14 efforts to preserve the soul of San Francisco through the adaptive reuse, incorporation and juxtaposition of the city's historic buildings.

July 15, 2013 - SPUR Urbanist

L.A.'s Cash for Cacti Program Ups the Ante

Since 2009, the L.A. Department of Water and Power's Landscape Incentive Program has convinced 850 area property owners to replace their grass lawns with more sustainable plants, mulch, and permeable pathways. Now DWP is upping the ante.

July 11, 2013 - KPCC

New Study Establishes Baseline for Improving Angelenos' Health

Published on the last day of the Villaraigosa administration, the "Health Atlas for the City of Los Angeles" analyzed 100 different health outcomes citywide to inform the drafting of a new Health and Wellness Chapter for the City’s General Plan.

July 10, 2013 - Daily News Los Angeles

Landmark Ruling Liberates California GIS Data

The California Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Sierra Club's quest to have publicly held GIS data made available for a nominal fee under the California Public Records Act.

July 10, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Proposals for S.F.'s Crissy Field Unfit for Spectacular Site

San Francisco Chronicle architecture critic John King bemoans the visions put forth by three finalists vying to redevelop a spectacular site across from the Crissy Field marsh.

July 9, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

Does Bay Area Industry Have a Future?

A new state-mandated plan for the Bay Area may displace the region's goods movement businesses, thereby worsening congestion, increasing air pollution, raising consumer prices, and eliminating well-paying green- and blue-collar jobs.

July 7, 2013 - California Progress Report

LA's Four Epic Planning Mistakes and What They Teach Us

In its history, Los Angeles has made four fateful planning decisions, in the opinion of real estate consultant and developer Michael P. Russell, but much can be learned from these mistakes.

July 6, 2013 - UrbDeZine.com

San Francisco's Hidden Gardens Won't Remain Secret for Long

Curbed San Francisco has compiled a list of 17 of San Francisco's secret gardens and overlooked green spaces. Hidden gems include mini parks, rooftop decks, and a tulip garden.

July 6, 2013 - Curbed SF

L.A. Looks to NYC for Pedestrianization Inspiration

Inspired by Manhattan's pedestrianization of Times Square, L.A.'s city council recently approved $1.8 million in funding to reduce a major downtown thoroughfare's roadway by half to make room for "a massive increase of the pedestrian infrastructure."

July 5, 2013 - LA.Streetsblog

Chalking Vandal Acquitted in San Diego

The streets of San Diego may be safe once again for nefarious chalking after a jury acquitted a local man accused of 13 counts of vandalism for scrawling anti-bank messages on sidewalks.

July 5, 2013 - San Diego Union-Tribune

BART Strike Provides Lessons for Creating a Resilient Bay Area

As news reports indicate, the recent BART strike made a mess out of the Bay Area's morning and evening commutes. For planning think tank SPUR, it has helped to illustrate significant gaps in the region's transportation infrastructure.

July 5, 2013 - SPUR Blog

Gridlock Grips the Bay Area

Long lines for transbay ferries and the limited number of free charter buses operated by BART, packed AC Transit transbay buses, and traffic crawling on the S.F.-Oakland Bay Bridge show the effects of the BART strike on day two.

July 3, 2013 - KCBS

Bay Area Braces for BART Strike

Unless an agreement between two BART unions and management can be reached, the Bay Area may experience traffic gridlock on Monday if the heavy rail network shuts down, leaving riders in S.F, the East Bay, and Peninsula with considerably fewer options

July 1, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

Tommy Trojan

Should USC Axe Its Unique Planning Doctoral Program?

Dr. Clement Lau, a Los Angeles County Planner, describes what the threatened USC Doctor of Policy, Planning, and Development (DPPD) program meant to him and why he thinks it's worth saving.

June 30, 2013 - UrbDeZine.com

Outgoing L.A. Mayor Leaves a City Transported

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has certainly fallen short with some of his ambitious agenda items (including his attempt to take over the city's school district). But when it comes to transportation, the mayor has had a dramatic, and lasting, effect.

June 30, 2013 - Governing

Planes, Trains, and Tourists; Why Can't California Connect the Dots?

Why can't California make it easier for its millions of visitors, and residents, to travel from airports to urban centers via direct rail routes? The state is investing billions in its rail and air infrastructure, but can't seem to connect the two.

June 28, 2013 - Zocalo Public Square

Delayed L.A. Bike Share to Launch Next Year - at the Earliest

It was supposed to launch last year. Then it was going to start this spring. Now, Bike Nation, the supposed operator of L.A.'s citywide bike-share system, is saying the first of its 4,000 bikes won't appear on city streets until "sometime" next year.

June 28, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Online Car Service Battle Lands in Los Angeles

Online car services like Uber and Lyft have waged highly publicized regulatory and political battles in NYC, D.C., and elsewhere. After the city sent out cease-and-desist letters to companies this week, L.A. has emerged as the newest battleground.

June 27, 2013 - Quartz

Three Decades After His Death, Pioneering Architect Remains L.A.'s Hottest Designer

Lauren Beale looks at the work of pioneering architect Paul Revere Williams, the first African American fellow of the American Institute of Architects, whose luxury homes designed for some of L.A.'s most prestigious residents remain in high demand.

June 24, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Tallying San Francisco's Cyclists, Bike-by-Bike

Last month an innovative real-time bike counter debuted along San Francisco's Market Street, which is said to be the busiest bike street west of the Mississippi. Over its first 27 days, the counter tallied nearly 55,000 riders.

June 23, 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.