California

Mayor's Legacy: Revitalized Streetscapes

As San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom prepares to leave for Sacramento to become Lt. Governor, he praises the latest road diet plan - reducing busy Cesar Chavez St. from 6-4 lanes with landscaped median and bike lanes and views it as part of his legacy

January 7, 2011 - San Francisco Chronicle

California's Slow Speed Amtrak Trains See Ridership Gain

It's not just the High Speed Rail project making news these days in California. The three 79 mph, state-subsidized inter-city lines: Capitol Corridor, San Joaquin, and Pacific Surfliner (nation's second busiest), all registered riderships gains.

January 7, 2011 - San Francisco Chronicle

$130m Museum Slated for Downtown L.A.

Eli Broad, a powerful force in the Los Angeles art world, today unveils the design for a $130 million building that will house his personal contemporary art collection. Broad hopes it will help be part of a revitalization of downtown L.A.

January 6, 2011 - The Los Angeles Times

The End of Prop. 13?

California Governor Jerry Brown is settling into his new office by taking on one of the state's most controversial laws: the property tax increase limits enforced by Proposition 13.

January 6, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

Re-Engineering California's Water Supplies

In California, some worry that the state's aging delta levees are in extreme danger of being destroyed by earthquakes. And as environmental concerns rise, the state is considering plans to re-engineer its water supplies to prevent another "Katrina".

January 6, 2011 - Miller-McCune

Governor Considers Cutting Redevelopment Agencies

California Governor Jerry Brown has announced plans to reduce the state's budget gaps by possibly eliminating a wide array of projects and agencies, including the state's redevelopment agencies.

January 5, 2011 - The Sacramento Bee

Learning From the Schwarzenegger Era

This op-ed writer does not look kindly at the 7-year legacy of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. As Gov. Jerry Brown addresses the $28 billion budget deficit left by his predecessor, Joe Mathews considers Schwarzenegger's legacy.

January 5, 2011 - Los Angeles Times - Opinion

A Perfect Storm For Bad Roads

Winter storms have combined with bad road engineering, geography, funding shortfalls and inequities in Sonoma County, California. drivers and cyclists can expect an unusually rough ride this year and more to come.

January 4, 2011 - The Press Democrat

New Rallying Cry Opposing CA High Speed Rail: "Not Through My Farm"

When CA High Speed Rail Authority officials chose the initial Central Valley, 65-mile stretch to begin construction (extended to 123 miles thanks to OH and WI), they were not expecting to encounter the opposition they've seen elsewhere - wrong!

January 3, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

Reacting, Not Planning, in L.A.

Recently released plans for a possible new football stadium in downtown L.A. show how the city tends to react to developers rather than guide them, according to this criticism.

December 31, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Poor Side of Town is Usually the East Side

The reason? Dan Zambonini proposes that the prevailing winds in most U.S. cities run westerly, so pollution from industrial smokestacks would blow through the eastern neighborhoods.

December 31, 2010 - The Januarist

Native Americans Vs. Solar Power

Regulators have approved the construction of 9 large solar power plants in California, but many are facing opposition from local Native American tribes who say that the environmental and cultural impacts were not fully considered.

December 30, 2010 - Grist

New Governor Moves Into Mixed-Use

California's Governor-elect Jerry Brown will be living part-time in the first modern mixed use project in Sacramento. Jerry's new neighborhood has a WalkScore of 95 and is walkable to the Capitol building.

December 27, 2010 - California Planning & Development Report

S.F. to Shutter Lone Fossil Fuel Power Plant

After years of debate, San Francisco plans to close the diesel- and natural gas-burning Potrero Hill Plant, one of the dirtiest facilities in California, by January 1, reports John Coté.

December 24, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

Ohio and Wisconsin's HSR Loss is California's Gain

By refusing federal stimulus funds for high speed rail projects in their states, incoming Republican governors in Midwest gifted California over $600 million in new funding for the state's planned 800-mile network, says the Fresno Bee.

December 23, 2010 - The Fresno Bee

Status Quo Sprawl Lives On in Fresno

The approval of a massive shopping center in Fresno, California, highlights the city's inability to move beyond its sprawl-centric tendencies, according to this piece from The Fresno Bee.

December 22, 2010 - The Fresno Bee

The Walkable City of Death

San Francisco, one of the nation's most walkable cities, has one of the country's highest rates of pedestrian deaths.

December 21, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

Downtown L.A. Stadium Plans Fall Flat

Proposed designs for a possible football stadium in downtown L.A. leave a lot to be desired -- both architecturally and urbanistically, according to this review.

December 19, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Signage Issues Resolved, Skyscrapers Get Approved in L.A.

Previous renderings of the building proposed for the two-tower, 42-story building on L.A.'s Wilshire Blvd. showed almost the entire structure wrapped in advertising. With a more modest space for signage, the project gets the thumbs-up.

December 18, 2010 - Curbed LA

The Tension Between Density and Place

Looking at a battle earlier this year over a proposed 430-ft. high skyscraper in San Francisco, John Parman says the problem with dense buildings is that they need to work with the surrounding place types.

December 17, 2010 - Living Urbanism

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.