California
Section 8 Renters Encounter Resistance
Lancaster, California has experienced a surge of Section 8 renters, and they are facing discrimination from residents and city officials, Jennifer Medina reports for The New York Times.
Reinterpreting the City Clutter of Utility Boxes
Utility boxes are cluttering city streets all over the world. But they're not going away, and cities should start to try to find new ways to blend them into the urban fabric, according to this article from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Hot "High Line" Firm Designing Small Park in Santa Monica
With no "rusting relic" like The High Line's trestle to hang the design on, will James Corner Field Operations create a memorable public park for Santa Monica's coastline?
Surprising Advice for Peninsula Planners
San Francisco Chronicle urban design critic John King cautions against too much redevelopment and not enough preservation along El Camino Real in San Mateo County, where a major initiative is attempting to change much of the corridor's character.
Entertainment Industry is Now an Urban Business
With digital cinematography replacing location shooting and huge soundstages, the entertainment industry is becoming a lucrative, sought-after tenant in downtowns and urban areas.
"Phonehenge West" Relegated to the Dustheap of History
In Antelope Valley, Calif., Alan Kimble Fahey's 70-foot tower - aka "the highlight of his life's labor" - was eviscerated on Friday along with the rest of his 20,000-square-foot quirky concoction. The court found it in violation of local codes.
L.A. Mayor Pushes Bus-Only Lanes
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has announced plans to implement more bus-only lanes throughout the city.
Delighting in Urban Light
Photographer Colin Rich created this mesmerizing video of the endless urban fabric of Los Angeles at night.
Going in the Out Door
Want to speed up your transit? Follow San Francisco's lead and let your passengers enter any door they please, says Yonah Freemark. A pilot program on the J-Church line is testing out the idea.
Los Angeles Retooling its Neighborhood Representation Experiment
After 10 years in operation, the Neighborhood Council system in L.A. represents a great deal of unfulfilled potential, say City Councilmember Paul Krekorian. With that, and the city's dire financial straits in mind, Krekorian is proposing reforms.
Portable Gardens Move Into Urban San Francisco Space
The Yerba Buena District Street Life Plan starts off its 10-year life to improve public space by placing six mobile gardens in parts of the district that have more concrete and asphalt than vegetation, reports John King for San Francisco Chronicle.
Minorities Move Up Social Ladder, Stay in Poorer Neighborhoods
A new study shows how even as minorities move up the social ladder, they tend to live in poorer neighborhoods, reports Joanna Lin for California Watch.
Blacks & Latinos Care More About Clean Air, Climate Change
Fox News Latino reports on a Public Policy Institute of California poll that shows both clean air and climate change rank higher as a concern for Latinos and blacks than fowhites and Asians.
Dam Removal Proposed to Save Salmon
Lawmakers are likely to consider a controversial plan this summer to remove a series of dams on the Klamath River to help restore endangered salmon populations.
Our River, Ourselves
The moribund state of the Los Angeles River reflects the zeitgeist of the city that it runs through, says The Economist. A mile wide but an inch deep, revitalization proposals are too conceptual at best and too feeble at worst.
Fruitful Legal Battles Over Water Supply
In Kern County, Calif., trendy fruits like pomegranate are at the center of a number of contentious lawsuits over water resource management.
San Francisco Plan Had Vision, But Also Missed Targets
A downtown plan created a vision for development in San Francisco, but couldn't guide the social and cultural changes the city would see over the past 25 years.
Considering A Car-Free L.A.
New ideas are emerging to address the mobility issues faced by cities. One specific project focuses on the epicenter of congested America: Los Angeles.
California High-Speed Rail at a Tipping Point
Will the California high-speed rail project move forward, or will politicians pull the plug? The fate of the program weighs in the balance as construction is about to begin.
Souped-Up BART Trains Courtesy of BMW
The nation's fifth-largest rail system Bay Area Rapid Transit will collaborate with BMW DesignworksUSA to update its aging fleet.
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
