California

With Los Angeles embarking on the "largest transit expansion in the United States," a new report looks at ways the city can preserve critical affordable housing in areas ripe for transit-oriented economic development.

June 13, 2012 - Better! Cities & Towns

With a year-round temperate climate and a history of widespread urban agriculture, it's a shame that Los Angeles now finds itself ranked 43rd amongst America's 50 largest cities for their support of local food. Can L.A. turn back the clock?

June 13, 2012 - Good

Due to its successful application in cities such as London and Singapore, congestion charging has become the favored approach for changing driver behavior. However, a professor at Stanford University may have found a nicer way to change habits.

June 12, 2012 - The New York Times

Prospective buyers in the recovering housing market are finding a much harder time than expected to purchase a home, as a shortage of good properties for sale drives cutthroat competition.

June 11, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

The high cost of driving in Los Angeles has led some residents to swap their cars for bikes, buses, and the subway. This change has inadvertently allowed them to find freedom in their lives and a better connection with the City of Angels.

June 8, 2012 - Good Cities

Lucrative for homeowners and industrial customers who can afford them, solar panels are not without their own issues. The equity issue - whereby the claim is made that poorer customers subsidize the utility costs of wealthier ones, is investigated.

June 7, 2012 - The New York Times - Business Day

Twitter’s move into San Francisco this month is part of a new trend of tech companies setting up in the city, causing rents to skyrocket, and forcing lower-income residents out.

June 7, 2012 - The New York Times

Marissa Gluck attributes downtown L.A.'s resurgence to some unlikely community development partners - our four-legged friends.

June 6, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

With Governor Brown and federal leaders pressuring state legislators to approve construction of the key first step in the $68-billion bullet train plan, a new survey from USC and the L.A. Times shows that California voters are backing away.

June 5, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Facing a staggering backlog of necessary street improvements after years of neglect, San Diego's potholes have emerged as a defining topic in this year's mayoral campaign, reports Tony Perry.

June 5, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Karen E. Klein profiles Propel Fuels, and their ambitious plan to lead the nation in providing alternative fuels to would-be consumers at their "gas station of the future," the first of which opened last month.

June 4, 2012 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Stalled for years by the recession, Sam Allen looks at the prospects for the revival of ambitious plans to remake L.A.'s Grand Avenue.

June 4, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Gov. Jerry Brown is asking the state legislature to alter the state's environmental law (CEQA) in order to begin construction of the high speed rail project in the Central Valley. It is aimed at heading off lawsuits intended to delay the project.

June 4, 2012 - San Jose Mercury News

LA Councilmember Paul Krekorian discusses reducing the city's budget deficit, the impacts his decisions will have on core services and civil servants, and the tolls that come with taking on a budget crisis during a period of fiscal austerity.

June 3, 2012 - The Planning Report

Joseph Strauss' dream of spanning the Golden Gate is remarkably similar to Gov. Jerry Brown's of spanning the Golden State with high speed rail, and providing fresh water under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Public opposition is the common link.

June 2, 2012 - KTVU.Com

May 31, 2012 - Alesia Hsiao

Madeline Janis, former commissioner on the board of L.A.'s Community Redevelopment Agency, argues that American job creation should be a top priority when awarding transit contracts.

May 31, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Carren Jao reports on recent steps the City of Los Angeles is taking to expand is woefully under-built solar power capacity.

May 30, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

San Francisco is expanding a program of traffic light synchronization for cyclists, which is patterned after successful applications in Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Portland.

May 30, 2012 - SF.Streetsblog

Dan Rosenfeld looks at two recent projects in L.A. that incorporate public art components and finds that "investments in public art may provide the highest financial returns of any funds committed to an aspect of a transit project."

May 29, 2012 - Urban Land