California

Sneak Peek of LA's Gold Line Extension

On their official blog, Metro gives a preview of the new rail extension which will extend the line to East L.A. Steve Hymon and Fred Dennstedt share their notes.

October 29, 2009 - The Source (Metro's blog)

Will California Have To Exempt All Stadiums From Environmental Review?

Now that Ed Roski's new stadium in the City of Industry is exempt from CEQA, Bill Fulton wonders whether California can deny the same competitive advantage to others.

October 28, 2009 - California Planning & Development Report

Oakland A Food Hub Once Again

Affordable space, city incentives, and good transport are bringing Oakland, CA back to its roots as a center of the food processing industry.

October 28, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

Thirsting in America's Fruit Basket

To protect the endangered Delta Smelt fish, pumping of water from California's Sacramento Delta has been drastically cut back. Add in the state's three-year-long drought, and the result is a major problem for the state's people and farmers.

October 28, 2009 - The Economist

Flashy Developer Worries Locals

Edward M. Czuker is known for building bold developments. Residents of Playa del Ray are concerned about what his latest project will look like in their neighborhood.

October 26, 2009 - LA Weekly

NFL Cities May Benefit From California Stadium Decision

A recent move that exempted a proposed Southern California football stadium's plans from environmental review may turn out to be precedent-setting for other cities looking to revamp their sports arenas.

October 24, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Discounts for Off-Peak Riders?

NY MTA Head Jay Walder is considering lowering fares for off-peak hours riders in order to encourage people to change their habits.

October 24, 2009 - Streetsblog

Ocean International Airport

With one of the smallest and busiest airports in the country, San Diego is thinking about upgrading its facilities. One idea is to build a new airport on the ocean.

October 23, 2009 - The Infrastructurist

Cleaning Up Trucking in Southern California

The Port of Long Beach has settled with the American Trucking Association to clean up its air, while the Port of Los Angeles is waiting to reach more comprehensive changes.

October 23, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Environmental Laws Bypassed for California Stadium Project

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill that allows developers of a planned football stadium in Southern California to bypass environmental laws and speed up the planning process.

October 22, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Sacramento's Hopeful Catch-22

Policymakers are closer than ever to coming to an agreement on comprehensive water legislation. They've agreed on major parts, but have yet to officially finalize the details.

October 22, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Engineers Sue Metrolink Over Surveillance

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have filed a lawsuit against Metrolink, saying surveillance cameras, which were installed after a deadly crash, are an "invasion of privacy."

October 22, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Schwarzenegger to Receive Park Protection Award

Without even a hint of sarcasm, the National Park Trust is planning to give an award to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for protection of public lands.

October 22, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Concentrated Power in Tiny City of Industry

With only 100 voters and a mayor with strong financial ties to the city, Industry, CA is "disturbingly insular," says the LA Times. And with a proposed $800 million stadium in the works, Industry's concentrated power is called into question.

October 21, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

PAYD FAIL

California has finally begun to encourage insurance companies to offer "pay as you drive" (PAYD) insurance policies. The Natural Resources Defense Council says it's a half baked policy.

October 21, 2009 - Streetsblog Los Angeles

Transit Cheats Plague San Francisco's MUNI

Ever wonder how many people hop on those cable-cars in San Fran without paying the fare? Well, it turns out that transit cheats cost MUNI, San Francisco's transit agency, an estimated, $19 million a year.

October 21, 2009 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Academia and Activism

A profile of Alvaro Huerta, the son of Mexican immigrants who is combining his urban planning studies with social activism.

October 20, 2009 - UCLA Magazine

New Topographics

A photography show in 1975 is credited with changing the way artists looked at landscape, shifting towards looking at the built environment with a less romantic viewpoint. The original show is back on tour and opens at the LA County Museum of Art.

October 20, 2009 - artinfo.com

Environmental Concerns Slow Solar in California

The White House is pushing for more solar power projects nationwide, but environmental concerns are stalling the progress of plans to build solar projects in the California desert.

October 20, 2009 - The Los Angeles Times

The End of Free Parking in Santa Monica

Santa Monica, CA is making the move to market-based parking in order to reduce congestion, reduce pollution, and make alternatives more appealing.

October 16, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

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.