California

The Changing Demographics of the Suburbs

Anaheim, home of Disneyland, is the latest suburban enclave in California to become majority Latino. According to one expert, the shift is due to "two things: Latinos moving in and non-Latinos moving out."

May 11, 2009 - The Los Angeles Times

BART Planning Huge Investment in New Cars

BART is set to embark on a $3.4 billion project to replace its existing trains with 700 new cars that will carry more people, move passengers through stations faster, and meet the needs of suburban and urban riders.

May 10, 2009 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Bay Area HOT Lanes: Will They Work?

An 800-mile HOT lane 'network' proposed for the Bay Area is now a bill in the state legislature. The MPO estimates it will reduce congestion and emissions while raising funds for transit. U.C. Berkeley's Pravin Varaiya insists it will lose money.

May 7, 2009 - East Bay Express

California Population Growth Continues To Slow

California's population growth slowed to 1.1% according to the state Dept. of Finance, down from 1.3% last year. Current population is 38.3 million. The LA Times looks at southern CA growth while the SF Chronicle reports on Bay Area growth.

May 7, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

In A Sign of the Times, Failed Development Demolished

A stalled housing development in a Los Angeles exurb meets the wrecking ball as completing the development became too unaffordable.

May 6, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Cities Search for Neighborhood Stabilization Tools

Cities struck by the foreclosure crisis are implementing a number of measures to help prevent foreclosures and stabilize neighborhoods already racked by vacancies.

May 5, 2009 - The Planning Report

Drive-By Art

Art 'on the scale of architecture' is cropping up in Los Angeles, enticing passing drivers out of their cars and onto the street. Chris Burden's 'Urban Light' installation at LACMA is a notable example.

May 5, 2009 - The New York Times

Cities Get 'F' For Air Quality

The American Lung Association has failed 2/3rds of California's counties in a recent study of levels of smog and soot.

May 4, 2009 - San Jose Mercury News

Breaking Silos in the City

May 4, 2009 - Nate Berg

California Cities to Sue Over High Speed Rail Route

A group of cities in the San Francisco Bay Area are going to file a lawsuit next month over the chosen route for California's planned high speed rail route between the Bay Area and Southern California.

May 3, 2009 - The San Francisco Examiner

The Los Angeles Traffic Problem, From Above

Photos of LA from above showcase the city's traffic patterns.

May 2, 2009 - GOOD Magazine

Building the Smart Grid Smartly

In the sixth of a ten-part series, National Public Radio investigates the sustainability of smart grid technology in the places where its likely to be applied.

May 1, 2009 - National Public Radio

San Francisco's Bike Sharing Program Slow to Get Rolling

Environmental review processes and logistical issues are delaying the creation of a bike sharing program in San Francisco, announced in February by Mayor Gavin Newsom. Set to start with 50 bikes, some have criticized the program for aiming too low.

April 30, 2009 - The Contra Costa Times

Battle Brews Over "Significant" Hotel's Fate

Now that Los Angeles' Century Plaza Hotel has been listed as one of the nation's most endangered historic places, preservationists argue the irony behind developers' plans to demolish the building to "green" the area.

April 30, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Salamander Could Stymie Development

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering listing the Tehachapi slender salamander as an endangered species, which could cause problems for large developments in California like the massive Tejon Ranch project.

April 30, 2009 - The Los Angeles Times

Opportunity Arises to Revise California's Prop 13

Proposition 13 has long been associated with California's budget woes and "fiscalization of land use" policies. Meant to apply primarily to residential property, commercial property owners have benefited more. 'Split role' could correct the problem.

April 29, 2009 - Sacramento Bee

Setting the Record Straight on SF Design

This piece offers seven misconceptions about architecture in San Francisco. The first: "This is a liberal city where anything goes."

April 29, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

From Grimy to Green

Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has unveiled plans to turn an industrial parcel of land near downtown into "the global capital of clean technology."

April 29, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

CA's Low Carbon Fuel Standard Regulation Is Approved

CA's Air Resources Board approved another 'first' - a low carbon fuel standard that will play a key role in meeting the state's aggressive climate action plan by reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuels. Winners and losers are created.

April 28, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

Bay Area Adopts Regional Transportation Plan

On Earth Day, the Bay Area's MPO- the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, formally adopted their Regional Transportation Plan that includes a controversial 800-mile High Occupancy Toll lane network that is dependent on the passage of legislation.

April 27, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

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.