California

Big Ads are Hazards to Safety, Business

Outdoor signs, some of them quite large, have gone up around Los Angeles despite a 90-day moratorium on them. Tenants of buildings with such multistory "supergraphics" draped over their windows share their grief.

January 21, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Carbon Emitters Anonymous

Berkeley, California has launched a citywide program that offers support to residents who wish to reduce their carbon footprints. Like Alcoholics Anonymous, these support groups are "part social, part confessional and partly about accountability."

January 21, 2009 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Key Highway Lawsuit Settled In California

One down, nine to go - that's how many hwy projects Gov. Schwarzenegger wants exempted from environmental review in order to be 'shovel ready' for the Obama stimulus. Hwy 50 was settled to the delight of enviros who negotiated a big win for transit.

January 19, 2009 - The Sacramento Bee

States Prepare To Raise Gas Taxes

Plummeting gas prices, roads in disrepair, and soaring state deficits have caused some state politicians to, gasp, attempt to raise gas taxes - last raised over 15 years ago in some states.

January 17, 2009 - The New York Times

Cars Are Here To Stay, Transit Is Not The Answer

UC Davis Professor Daniel Sperling, a transportation expert and member of CA's ARB has co-written "Two Billion Cars: Driving Toward Sustainability". In this radio interview, Sperling describes cleaner auto technologies but dismisses transit's role.

January 16, 2009 - NPR: 'Fresh Air'

Seeking Sponsors As Infrastructure Dies

This piece from New Geography looks disparagingly at an idea in San Francisco to allow corporate sponsorship of the Golden Gate Bridge in order to raise money for infrastructure projects.

January 15, 2009 - New Geography

Restoring the San Joaquin

One of the largest and most complex river restorations in the West, on the San Joaquin River, should pass the Senate later this week- but not without controversy.

January 14, 2009 - The Modesto Bee

No Superfund Status for Rocketdyne Site

California has rejected a proposal to list a polluted nuclear testing facility as a federal Superfund site. State officials believe they can clean it up more quickly and thoroughly.

January 14, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

'Green' Governor Fast-Tracks Highway Construction

Environmentalists reject CA Gov. Schwarzenegger's attempt to waive new highway construction projects from environmental review to qualify for Obama's stimulus package, offering 'fix-it-first' construction and public transit projects as alternatives.

January 13, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

SF's Parking Experiment to Test Shoup's Theories

San Francisco's federally-funded parking experiment SFPark will be a live test of the theories of dynamic parking management popularized by Donald Shoup.

January 12, 2009 - Streetsblog San Francisco

Critics May Miss The Green Point of the SmartCode

Communities aren't going to get a green code implemented, or any code, without that code appealing to developers, says Sandy Sorlien. They're building our new sustainable places and infilling our old ones.

January 11, 2009 - Sandy Sorlien

California's High Speed Rail Struggles Through Recession

The economic recession is hurting the California High Speed Rail Authority, the lead agency developing the high speed rail network for which the state's voters approved $10 billion in bonds in 2008. With no buyers, the bond money is unavailable.

January 11, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

L.A. Subway Construction Timeline is "Unacceptable"

It will take more than two decades to expand Los Angeles' Subway to the Sea by 10 miles, according to an MTA timeline. The mayor's office and transit activists are pushing for it to get done more quickly.

January 8, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

One Victory for the City in Billboard Battle

A federal court has knocked down a previous ruling that Los Angeles' billboard ban is unconstitutional.

January 7, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

TOD at Hollywood & Western, 10 Years Later

Stephen Box, a bicycle advocate in Los Angeles, reviews the famous TOD project at the intersection of Hollywood and Western 10 years after it opened. Is "It's Not As Bad As It Used To Be" enough?

January 6, 2009 - SoapBoxLA

Importing the Tijuana Model

Architect Teddy Cruz is creating new models of affordable housing using the shantytowns of Tijuana as his inspiration.

January 6, 2009 - GOOD Magazine

'Instant Cab Culture' Unlikely in L.A.

The city of Los Angeles has instituted an experimental program encouraging people to hail taxi cabs rather than call ahead, an effort the city hopes will create a "cab culture". This column is skeptical about how much impact the plan can have.

January 5, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Rand: Best Congestion Strategies Are Price-Based

In 2008, RAND Corp. conducted a study on mitigating traffic congestion in Los Angeles. They studied two types of strategies: conventional, e.g. signal timing, and market-based, e.g. increased the price of driving. The results were surprising.

January 2, 2009 - Gristmill Blog

Bell Tolls for California Cities and Their Creative Borrowing Schemes

Cities in California have been finding creative ways to generate funding and financing in recent years. Now, it seems lenders are coming to cities to collect on loans and many are left scrambling to pay up.

January 2, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

California's Biggest Land Use Story Is Not The Housing Market

The deepening of the housing market crisis is certainly a big deal in California. But the land use story of the year was the Legislature's passage of a measure mandating regional planning.

January 1, 2009 - California Planning & Development Report

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.