California
Google and NASA Team Up to Save the World
Futurist Dr. Ray Kurzweil is part of a team of big thinkers on the faculty of Singularity University, a joint project of Google and NASA with a mission to solve "humanity's grand challenges."
L.A. Orders 'Supergraphics' Removed
As part of the city's drawn-out battle with outdoor advertisers, Los Angeles officials have ordered building owners to remove "supergraphic" ads plastered to the sides of large buildings.
Vehicle Retirement Program Considered For Stimulus
A program known as ‘cash for clunkers’ is being considered for inclusion in the Senate stimulus package to make the U.S. auto fleet more fuel-efficient and stimulate demand for new, cleaner cars. Will the older vehicles will be scrapped or resold?
Camouflaging Infrastructure
Artist Joshua Callaghan paints over utility boxes in his community to make them disappear into their surroundings.
Budget Extortion: Environmental Rollbacks Required
Republicans are using the budgetary process to roll-back environmental protections, claim environmentalists in California. The state is due to run out of funds in Feb and issue I.O.U.s unless the $18 billion gap is filled for the current fiscal year
Retiming Streetlights for Bikes
SF Streetsblog looks at cities that have timed traffic lights on busy bike streets to best suit their pace, and argues that Valencia St. in San Francisco is a prime candidate for retiming. (VIDEO)
A City of Leftovers
Tijuana is literally built with the development waste of nearby San Diego, California. This video by Laura Hanna shows how.
The Downtown Shooting Star Sputters
Less than a year ago, downtown Los Angeles was seen as a rising star, on a path towards becoming a vibrant and humming urban core. But the economic dive has stalled many projects, and they could be stalled for quite a while, according to this column.
Streetsblog: Advocacy Journalism and the Reconquering of the American City
The Internet is a trove of great ideas about improving cities. Filling blogs and personal websites, the vast majority of ideas out there are little more than that: ideas. New York City's Streetsblog -- now a growing nationwide force -- is transforming the conversation into action.
How 'Level of Service' Measurements Ruin Cities
"Level of service" is a ranking used by transportation engineers to assess the performance of roads. Streetsblog argues that LOS distorts the development of mobility infrastructure by prioritizing cars over people.
California Towns Bailout Car Dealerships
Too important to fail? Victorville and Norco, CA have approved loans to local car dealers to keep them afloat.
Obama To EPA: Allow CA To Set Its Own Emission Standards
In a move that will disappoint auto manufacturers and labor but was met with great applause by the environmental community, Obama has taken the first step to granting CA's request for a waiver so it can set its own, stricter emission standards.
Richard Meier Church Sent Back to Drawing Board
The Pasadena Planning Commission has again rejected famed architect Richard Meier's plans for an Episcopal church in the city center. Commissioners believe the plan does not fit with Pasadena's historic character.
L.A.'s Billboard War
L.A. is at war with outdoor advertising. Though activists have urged the city to make moves to block video billboards, it's not really clear which side is winning the war, according to this piece from Design Observer.
Cracking San Francisco's Private/Public Spaces
San Francisco building codes encouraged the creation of privately-owned, publicly-accessible spaces across the downtown. These spaces have gone underused and are little understood. A new report from SPUR attempts to clear the fog.
The Tortoise and the Glare
Plans to scrape hundreds of thousands of acres of the Mojave Desert for solar panel installations may endanger wildlife and are pitting environmentalists against each other.
Even for SF, Congestion Pricing "Too Much"
This editorial argues that the San Francisco isn't ready for a complex scheme that the public dislikes, raises little funding, and would send an 'unwelcome' message to visitors.
New Yorkers Stem Tide To Florida
It's one of those good news-bad news revelations: the housing and job crises are causing more people to stay put. NY's out-migration was the lowest since the Census tracked outflows in 1982. More residents left Florida than arrived, a first.
Alternative Energy Grid Vs. Locals and Enviros
PBS' NOW goes to California to look at new state requirements for renewable energy, and the battle over where the new infrastructure will go.
Pagination
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont