California

Los Angeles Finds a Communal Way to Enjoy The World Cup

Jeremy Rosenberg of Next American City examines how the people of Los Angeles get together to watch the world cup, in the absence of any primary public meeting space.

June 16, 2010 - Next American City

Strife in the City of the Future

Joel Kotkin describes the plight of a Los Angeles economy that has lost "one-fifth of all its employment since 2004." Once a hopeful generator of new jobs and technology, the area has suffered the most of all the Sunbelt metros.

June 16, 2010 - New Geography

Living in a Jumbo Jet

A new home in Malibu, CA is being constructed using the parts from a Boeing 747. The client asked the architect to use recycled materials as much as possible, and the plane parts were relatively affordable.

June 16, 2010 - Fox News D.C.

New Bike Lanes Hope To Eliminate 'Dooring' Factor

Actually, dooring (motorist or passenger exiting car opens door on passing cyclist) might still occur, but the driver would have to watch for passing cars, not cyclists, as the bike lane would be placed between the parked cars, buffer and the curb.

June 15, 2010 - San Francisco Examiner

L.A.'s Bold Transit Moves

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's plan to cram 30 years of transit projects into one decade is gathering steam in Washington -- and other cities are watching closely.

June 15, 2010 - Next American City

The San Francisco of Fill-in-the-Blank

San Francisco is often upheld as a model for other global cities, with places such as Brighton, Port-au-Prince, and Geneva being compared to the city by the bay.

June 14, 2010 - The New York Times

Road Diets: Making Streets Slim Down Is Good For Pedestrians, Businesses And Even Traffic

Cities are greatly in need of slimming down their roads, says architect Michael Bohn. A recent project in Long Beach, California shows how curb extensions and street furniture can have a huge impact on the economics of downtowns.

June 14, 2010 - Michael Bohn

Landscaping Opportunity at The New Bay Bridge

John King is encouraged by the nascent plans for a "fantastical" new landscape at the eastern end of the Bay Bridge. The Bay Area has a chance to create something as "lasting and bold" as the high line in New York or Chicago's millennium park.

June 13, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

City Wants $630,000 to Study Streetcar Plan: Student Does It For $987

Daniel Jacobson, an undergrad at Stanford, developed a thorough study recommending everything the City of Oakland would need to build, run and finance a streetcar through its downtown.

June 11, 2010 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Want to Prevent Crime? Apply Women and Children

Peter Vaernet, aka the "Mad Viking", transformed a pocket park known for drugs and violence into a safe, active place by bringing lots of women and children into the park.

June 11, 2010 - Boing Boing

L.A.'s '30/10' Plan Moves Ahead

At first considered a long-shot, the idea being pushed by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to fast-track 30 years worth of transit projects into 10 is gaining support at the highest levels.

June 10, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Santa Clara Residents Back Stadium Spending

Residents in Santa Clara, California have approved a measure that would direct $937 million in funding towards the creation of a stadium intended to lure the San Francisco 49ers football team.

June 9, 2010 - Sa Francisco Chronicle

Sit/Lie Proposal Shot Down in San Francisco

A controversial plan being pushed by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom to ban sitting or laying on public sidewalks during certain hours of the day has been voted down by supervisors.

June 9, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

Talking Design with Rios, Clementi, Hale

A varied involvement in architecture, landscaping, planning and product design has allowed the practice of Rios, Clementi, Hale to weather the recession. The designers describe to Marissa Gluck how they have navigated a path through divergent fields.

June 9, 2010 - The Architects Newspaper

TOD in Peril on Route 66

A planned extension of Los Angeles' Gold Line light rail out through the Route 66 towns of Azusa and Glendora was sold as a way to bring transit-oriented development to struggling towns. With the economy down, will it still work?

June 7, 2010 - Pasadena Star News

The Evolving Nature of Cities

Brookings says that the old distinctions no longer apply; we're headed into an era of "Next Frontier", "New Heartland" and "Diverse Giant" metros.

June 7, 2010 - Smart Planet

San Francisco Considers Demand-Based Parking Prices

San Francisco's transportation agency has proposed the installation of parking meters in a handful of neighborhoods that dynamically change their prices according to the time of day and the related demand.

June 3, 2010 - San Francisco Examiner

Crunching the Numbers on L.A. Traffic

At the Automated Traffic Surveillance and Control center (ATSAC) near City Hall in Los Angeles, a team of engineers watches traffic flow all over the city, sucking in tons of data to improve transit and automotive circulation.

June 2, 2010 - GOOD Magazine

Pint-Sized Apartments Hit So Cal

Manhattanites are no stranger to 350 sq ft apartments, but Southern Californians? Tiny apartments in Santa Monica are popular, increasing access to amenities in a very expensive market.

June 2, 2010 - Kansas City Star

Modernism, Architecture and Segregation

Essayist and photographer Aisha Sloan revisits the Los Angeles neighborhood of her childhood to examine Modernist architecture and its correlation to segregation.

June 1, 2010 - Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built & Natural Environments

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.