California

While outgoing Mayor Villaraigosa has made great strides in building L.A.'s public transit and bicycle culture, there's still room for improvement, argues Harris Silver. He suggests 6 ways to further reduce Angelenos reliance on the automobile.

June 9, 2013 - Huffington Post

Famous for renovating well-known historic properties, Los Angeles developer Wayne Ratkovich is taking on a new challenge: transforming a fortress-like enclosed mall that sits smack in the middle of booming downtown L.A.

June 8, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Downtown Redwood City (near San Francisco) has seen an amazing turnaround due to an aggressive program of code reform, strong investments in public spaces, and a strategy of using entertainment as a catalyzing force.

June 8, 2013 - CNU.org

Bruce Katz, president and founding director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, explains how the economies of America's largest metropolitan areas are driving the country's future prosperity.

June 8, 2013 - The Planning Report

Kinder Morgan's proposed $2 billion 'Freedom Pipeline' to transport West Texas oil to California refineries has been rejected - not by a governmental entity as occurred with the Northern Gateway, but by oil refineries opting to ship by rail instead.

June 7, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

In their June magazine, SPUR proposes a bold vision for transforming several San Francisco neighborhoods based on three big moves: tear down the end of Interstate 280, put Caltrain and high-speed rail underground, and redevelop the Caltrain railyard.

June 7, 2013 - The Urbanist

A bill aimed to 'modernize' California's landmark environmental law passed the state's Senate by a vote of 39-0, and its chances of being signed into law appear strong. A bill to revive redevelopment advanced, but seems destined to be vetoed.

June 7, 2013 - California Planning & Development Report

Just last year, the market for electric cars in the U.S. seemed to be experiencing a crisis. But a 'recent spate of cheap lease deals' have customers clamoring for vehicles and dealers turning them away, report Jerry Hirsch and Brian Thevenot.

June 7, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Christopher Alan, founder of Auto Parkit, the only automated parking company in the US competitive with traditional parking, spoke with The Planning Report about how his experience as a real estate developer in LA led to a parking opportunity.

June 6, 2013 - The Planning Report

One of Los Angeles's most congested corridors may have gotten a bit more congested this week - for autos that is - as the first segment of an eventual 12.5 miles of bus only lanes opened along Wilshire Boulevard.

June 6, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

While some state struggle to raise the gas tax by even a few cents a gallon, indexing the excise tax to inflation avoids these costly battles. Kentucky approved such legislation over 10 years ago. On July 1, the gas tax will increase by 2.4 cents.

June 5, 2013 - The Courier-Journal

What's the most productive way to utilize the fertile land that sits above California's vast Monterey Shale oil reserve? The environmental impacts of fracking on California's farmland could derail what promises to be an enormous oil boom.

June 5, 2013 - The New York Times

The arrest of a Vallejo, California man for painting a crosswalk at a dangerous intersection near his home is the latest guerrilla urbanist intervention to run afoul of the law.

June 4, 2013 - CBS Sacramento

A case making its way through the California courts pits Orange County versus the Sierra Club. At stake is the availability of publicly held GIS data at a reasonable cost.

June 3, 2013 - ORCA Litigation & Advisory LLC

In two new exhibits on Los Angeles's modern architectural history - part of the sprawling Pacific Standard Time Presents initiative - the city's infamous infatuation with the automobile is examined and then left behind in the rear-view mirror.

June 3, 2013 - LA Weekly

City leaders from the Mayor on down recognize that infill development is necessary to create a more livable Los Angeles. So why does the public sector allow so many obstacles to stand in the way of small-scale development?

June 1, 2013 - The Architect's Newspaper

Frank Gehry's "selfish" withdrawal from a planned exhibition on contemporary architecture in Los Angeles, part of a citywide reflection on the discipline's recent history, threatens to derail a debate the city "desperately needs", says Sam Lubell.

May 31, 2013 - The Architect's Newspaper

Toyota is set to introduce its first fuel cell vehicles in the U.S. in 2015, which are expected to cost between $50,000 and $100,000. But will the U.S. be ready for it, i.e. will there be hydrogen fueling stations? Yes, say public officials.

May 31, 2013 - Automotive.com

The D.C. Council is going the way of neighbors Virginia and Maryland by approving new wholesale sales taxes on gasoline and diesel. In it's budget approved on May 22, the council swapped the current 23.5-cent excise tax for a new 8.3% fuel tax.

May 30, 2013 - The Washington Post - D.C. Politics

As California rushes to begin building the first phase of its controversial high-speed rail project, the decision to select a builder based more on cost than technical competence is being scrutinized by state and federal lawmakers.

May 29, 2013 - Los Angeles Times