California
Sickened by Site Visit, Feds Want to Halt Drilling at Central L.A. Oil Field
Sen. Barbara Boxer is calling for an oil field owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of L.A. to suspend operations after EPA officials were sickened during a recent site visit. The field has been the subject of hundreds of neighbor complaints.
When Will Laws and Attitudes Catch Up With Cycling's Growth?
Cyclist deaths are rising across the U.S., but in most cities and states, drivers are rarely punished. As more people embrace cycling and more cities encourage it; it's time our laws, infrastructure, and attitudes are reformed to make cycling safer.
Could California's Largest Casino Transform the State's Relationship with Gaming?
The $800 million Graton Resort & Casino will soon open in Sonoma County for the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria and be the closest tribal casino to San Francisco.
Climate Change Deniers, Take Notice
Save your ink if you're writing a letter to the editor of the Los Angeles Times - deniers have now been warned that the paper won't print letters 'that say there's no sign humans have caused climate change'.
Slow-Growth Santa Monica Poised for Rapid Redevelopment
With 30 projects totaling nearly 3 million square feet of development in the pipeline, L.A.'s famously laid-back neighbor is in for an intense period of growth. Will new development enhance or alter the city's alluring character?
L.A.'s Next Superhighway
Could Los Angeles get a private company to spend $3 billion to $5 billion to connect every residence and business in the city to a fiber broadband network? City leaders seem to think so, and are planning to move forward with an RFP.
Will Mayor Garcetti Be Able to Maintain L.A.'s Multimodal Momentum?
Antonio Villaraigosa’s successes earned him a reputation as L.A.'s transportation mayor. Can Mayor Garcetti weave together high-profile projects with back to basics governance to integrate L.A.'s neighborhood development and transportation planning?
An Urban Resurgence Driven by Tweets
The arrival of "one of the technology industry’s next big things" has been just the medicine needed to help turn around one of San Francisco's most stubbornly downtrodden areas.
Oakland Pulls the Plug on Pedestrianization Project
A pilot project launched in August hoped to follow the successes of similar efforts in New York and San Francisco by turning Oakland's Latham Square into a pedestrian plaza. But after only six weeks, the area has been reopened to autos.
This California Jail is Off the Grid
The Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, California isn’t your average prison complex. Its independent power system, or microgrid, sets it apart from its peers—and saves an estimated $100,000 a year.
TOD in L.A.'s Low-Income Communities Gets $100 Million Boost
With L.A.'s transit system expanding its footprint and growing its ridership, $100 million in development capital from a national philanthropic organization will help fund projects around stations in the city's underserved communities.
At West Coast Climate Pact Signing, Brown Justifies His Support for Fracking
Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown has made climate protection a centerpiece of his policy agenda, yet he has also embraced the controversial technology of fracking to tap his state's huge shale oil reserves by signing SB 4. He explains his position here.
L.A.'s Top Transportation Official to Resign Following Staff Criticism
Jaime De La Vega, the General Manager of L.A.'s Department of Transportation announced his resignation yesterday effective Dec. 1st. During his two years on the job, the department shifted away from an auto-centric focus to embrace alternative modes.
San Diego's Planning Department Brought Back from the Dead
This week, San Diego's City Council voted to resurrect the city's moribund Planning Department. A government-wide reorganization and energized leadership seem certain to ensure the department won't become a zombie.
Brown vs. Brown on the Value of California's Initiative Process
That's Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown and former Calif. Assembly Speaker Willie Brown. In two unrelated L.A. Times articles, Gov. Brown credits the initiative system for making the state governable while former speaker Brown is opposed to direct democracy.
“There It Is — Take It”: The Story of the Los Angeles Aqueduct
The controversial construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct provided grist for famous books and movies, and conflicts that continue to this day. In a multimedia feature, Louis Sahagun explores the history of the project that helped birth modern L.A.
Could a Little Black Box Transform Road Funding in the U.S.?
Southern California's powerful regional planning association is one of the many public agencies across the United States that sees the future of road funding in a new technology called a 'black box'.
L.A. Boulevard's Star Turn Has Neighbors Feeling Upstaged
As Abbot Kinney Boulevard becomes a mecca for the famous, the affluent, and international tourists, locals fear losing their place along "the Coolest Block in America".
San Diego Incubates Civic Innovation
One of Bob Filner's better ideas during his short time as mayor was to establish a Civic and Urban Initiatives program, a think tank to spur innovation and civic engagement. Thankfully this program will outlive Filner's disgraceful departure.
As Electric Vehicles "Lose Their Spark" State Governments Try to Give a Jump-Start
Kirk Kardashian examines the headwinds confronting the much-hyped, but poorly selling, E.V. industry in the aftermath of a disappointing year. Meanwhile California, New York and six other states have announced plans to help energize sales.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
