California

Market Crash Leaves L.A. Flush With High-Priced Plots

Bought at the height of the real estate market and intended for conversion into high-priced luxury apartment buildings, empty plots of land are littered throughout Los Angeles, undeveloped and quietly back on the market at greatly reduced prices.

April 20, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Saving Modernism in Palm Springs

Palm Springs is seen as a haven for Modernist architecture, but so far no local buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places.

April 19, 2010 - American Institute of Architects

The Suburb That Never Was

California City, California was designed to be the state's next great metropolis. But today it's hardly more than a dream. Geoff Manaugh reports on this modern-day ghost town.

April 19, 2010 - GOOD Magazine

Portland the Weird

The Economist looks at Portland's "weirdness" with an arched eyebrow, and asks, is this the next great model for the American city?

April 18, 2010 - The Economist

Conservation Efforts Straining Water Infrastructure

Water conservation efforts that limited when Los Angeles County residents could water their lawns may have caused a spate of water main bursts last summer and fall.

April 16, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Radical Growth Management

Who should pay for growth? In the crunchy enclave of Bolinas California, newcomers pay a steep entrance fee. Fair or not, it's a good anecdote to share among planners and budget analysts.

April 15, 2010 - New York Times

Ambitious Plan for San Francisco's Treasure Island

Plans for a re-envisioned Treasure Island are reaching the approval stage. John King takes a close look at the ambitious plan, which includes lots of protected open space and a 650 ft. tower.

April 14, 2010 - The San Francisco Chronicle

'49 Cities' That Made a Difference

"49 Cities" is a touring exhibition that looks at the relationship between urban design and the success or failure of cities, from Levittown to ancient Rome to Le Corbusier's Radiant City.

April 14, 2010 - SF Gate (part of San Francisco Chronicle)

The Age of Infrastructure

Alex Marshall argues that the previous decade saw a dawning awareness of infrastructure and the importance of investing in it, in the United States and around the world.

April 11, 2010 - Citiwire.net

Bay Area Rediscovers the Creeks Under The Streets

A new proposal in Berkeley to daylight a portion of Strawberry Creek is the latest in a lineage of small interventions to bring buried portions of the urban watershed to the surface.

April 10, 2010 - Streetsblog San Francisco

Bay Area Commuter Railroad On Life Support

Caltrain, the Peninsula railroad that dates back to 1863 serving points between San Francisco and San Jose, could potentially cease operations or at the least, cut all non-commute service.

April 9, 2010 - Santa Cruz Sentinel

China Tells CA: We'll Build Your Trains

A number of foreign countries and firms are jockeying to build high-speed rail in California, but the Chinese government is proposing that they cover some of the financing as well.

April 8, 2010 - The New York Times

Cramming Three Decades of Transit Improvements into One

Despite a less-than-stellar reputation of public transit, Los Angeles has plans to expand its system of light rail and BRT over the next 30 years. But now momentum is growing to fast-track that work into the next 10 years.

April 8, 2010 - Good

State Seeks 1.5 Million Missing People in 2010 Census

How many people live in California? The current count could be off by 1.5 million people, and a lot is riding on the results of the 2010 Census. Josh Stephens talks to planners and state leaders about the flaws in the Census and how they'll shape state policy.

April 8, 2010 - Josh Stephens

Does Land Conservation Drive Housing Costs?

A new study in the San Francisco Bay Area says no, that had there been no controls in place there would be only 6.5% more housing built over the past 50 years.

April 7, 2010 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Want Your TOD To Work? Add Parking

A panel of experts at a ULI Los Angeles came together to talk best practices for transit-oriented development. Their recommendations include better security, improved connectivity, and yes, more parking.

April 6, 2010 - The Ground Floor (ULI)

Guerrilla Sharrows

In Los Angeles, wheat-pasted posters that indicate bike lanes have been cropping up on utility boxes all over the city.

April 5, 2010 - GOOD Magazine

Residents Get More Say in Redevelopment

A scandal over bonuses and the recession leads to change in project to redevelop Southeast San Diego, but some critics want to see more construction, not just kumbaya.

April 5, 2010 - San Diego Union Tribune

Neighborhood to City: Project Is Too Suburban

Here's one you don't find often - a neighborhood may sue the city of Sacramento for approving an infill project they categorize as 'too suburban and car-oriented', while the city council woman extolls the infill qualities, citing SB 375 and AB 32.

April 4, 2010 - The Sacramento Bee - City News

General Plans Getting Increasingly Specific

As cities like Long Beach and Santa Monica get more focused on urban design, their general plans become more and more proscriptive.

April 3, 2010 - The Architect's Newspaper

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.