California

An ordinance designed to help stop a Walmart "Neighborhood Market" from opening in L.A.'s Chinatown neighborhood fell short of the necessary votes at a City Council meeting held yesterday, reports Alice Walton.

October 24, 2012 - KPCC

Last week the San Francisco Planning Commission gave final approval for the 1,070-foot Transbay Transit Center tower, reports Mike Billings.

October 22, 2012 - The San Francisco Examiner

With the nation's first, broad application of cap & trade to reduce greenhouse gas emissions set to begin on January 1, The New York Times' environmental reporter Felicity Barringer writes about the key role of carbon offsets.

October 21, 2012 - The New York Times - Environment

Is waste disposal a local or regional issue? A new CA law written by a S.F. lawmaker nullifies a voter-approved Solano County measure that limits the amount of outside garbage their landfill can accept. It is being challenged by environmental groups.

October 20, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal - San Francisco Bay Area

City officials and leaders are considering an adaptive reuse ordinance for industrial buildings, modeled on the one that helped spark downtown L.A.’s residential boom, to help push forward the sputtering vision of a "CleanTech Corridor."

October 19, 2012 - Los Angeles Downtown News

The Clean Water Act turns 40 this week. For Mark Gold, this calls for a celebratory overview of the many environmental successes it has produced, as well as careful consideration of the steps needed for it to be effective in years to come.

October 19, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

In today's news of the ironic, and weird, an L.A. car dealer is developing a mixed-use "town center" adjacent to a future light rail station that will be anchored by their auto showrooms. The twist - they want to get people out of their cars.

October 16, 2012 - SantaMonicaPatch

"You think 50 cents in one week is bad - wait till the state adopts the Low Carbon Fuel Standard", warns one critic, predicting increases three times as much. The regulation was devised by the CA Air Resources Board to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

October 16, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

A joint project by technology company Esri and the city of San Francisco shows the promising confluence of open data and innovative visualization techniques.

October 16, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Exist

It wasn't Angelenos' supposed love of the artificial and exaggerated that brought crowds of people to the city's streets to see Endeavour's slow crawl across town, but an appreciation for authentic spectacle and the pleasures of public space.

October 16, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

The SF Municipal Transportation Agency's Central Subway project, opposed by transit advocacy group SaveMuni, received a Full Funding Grant Agreement from FTA that dedicates $942.2 million to the Caltrain to Chinatown extension of the 'T' LRT line.

October 15, 2012 - RT&S (Railway Track & Structures)

California has relied more on federal subsidies to develop its growing alternative energy industry than any other state in the country. With Mitt Romney seeking to trim such aid, the upcoming election will determine the fate of state energy policy.

October 14, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Joe Edmiston, Executive Director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, embraces the suburban, private yard-quality to Los Angeles living in an interview with The Planning Report, emphasizing the need to balance densification with open space.

October 14, 2012 - The Planning Report

During the first week of Oct, gas prices were falling through much of the country while spiking an unprecedented 50 cents in CA due to some unique circumstances - bad air requiring a unique fuel blend and a 'perfect storm' of refinery mishaps.

October 14, 2012 - San Jose Mercury News

John King looks at how Wright's Marin County Civic Center, which the architect described as a "three-dimensional essay on the relationship between government and governed," has stood the test of time.

October 13, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

Carol Schatz, President and CEO of the Central City Association (CCA) of Los Angeles, discusses Downtown LA's reemergence as one of the hot development and rental markets in Southern California, reflecting a national trend as the economy recovers.

October 12, 2012 - The Planning Report

In the wake of three municipal bankruptcies in California this year, Moody's Investor Services is placing thirty cities on credit review. These are not poor ones either, but in the heart of Silicon Valley and other wealthy Bay Area cities.

October 12, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

Jeremy Rosenberg's latest entry in his "Laws That Shaped LA" column looks at the impact of the Collier-Burns Act, a state law passed in 1947 that allowed the city to become "smothered with concrete and asphalt goliaths."

October 11, 2012 - KCET Departures

Long lagging behind European and East Coast cities, cities in California are poised to adopt bike sharing in a big way. Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Francisco and others are adding the popular short-term rental service to their transportation options.

October 10, 2012 - California Planning & Development Report

An enterprising developer and experimental architect are pushing the boundaries between L.A.'s suburban style of single-family housing and its need for dense infill development on a site in the city's Echo Park neighborhood.

October 10, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper