California
The Cautionary Tale of Vallejo
Vallejo, CA declared bankruptcy last spring, felled by fiscal mismanagement and falling property taxes. Cities around the country are looking to Vallejo's example as they teeter near the edge.
Financing Solar Power
Berkeley, CA was one of the first cities to use special utility districts to fund the switch to solar power in their community. Now the man behind the plan is trying to make the financing system national.
San Francisco Weighs Congestion Pricing Options
Officials in San Francisco will be presented with reports today on possible ways to integrate congestion pricing and toll zones into the city. If approved, San Francisco would be the first city in the nation to implement congestion pricing.
'Firescaping' For Fire Safety
The first 'firescape' garden is in Santa Barbara, CA, and stands as an educational tool for landscaping homes for fire protection.
How Much Does Bad Air In LA and Central Valley Cost California?
An economic study has been published showing that the costs of air pollution to the 20 million Californians living in the state’s (and nation’s) two most polluted regions, the LA basin and San Joaquin Valley, to be around $28 billion annually.
Pricing Parking at a Premium
On Tuesday, San Francisco's MUNI approved a pilot program to price 6,000 of the city's parking spots according to popularity.
Would $3 Gas Balance California's Budget?
Energy expert Severin Borenstein suggests a novel strategy to ensure California drivers don't lose their gas-saving habits and vehicle preferences learned when gas cost $4.50/gallon - a 'variable gas surcharge' to stabilize gas prices at $3/gallon.
New Highway Plans Clash With Greehouse Gas Reduction Plans
While the California Air Resources Board is proceeding with implementation of laws to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, highway planners are considering projects to accommodate more cars. Bill Fulton comments.
Officials Working Out Nitty-Gritty of Rail Project
Views are already beginning to clash as the California high-speed rail project begins its development process. But until environmental and design reports are available, many questions are to be left unanswered.
California Not Ready for Climate Change
Authors of a recent study have concluded that California is unprepared to face global warming challenges, and water and electricity agencies in particular have been urged to act immediately.
Planning a Better Public Space in San Francisco
Planners and parks officials in San Francisco are making moves to reimagine currently underused public space in the heart of the city as a new civic park and gathering place.
When Cyclists Hurt Cycling
In this commentary, it is noted that when the Sacramento transportation 1/2-cent sales tax measure was up for renewal in 2004, it was decided not to include cycling improvements after a poll showed it would detract from the measure's passing
Deal Brokered for Biggest Dam Removal Project in U.S.
Officials have brokered a deal to remove dams from the Klamath River in the Pacific Northwest -- a plan intended to counteract sharp declines in salmon counts and appease environmentalists. But the plan is also meeting criticism.
Developers Sweeten Deals With Transit, Carshare Options
New developments in Oakland and San Francisco are luring in eco-conscious homeseekers with free transit passes and discounts on carsharing programs.
Big Box Retail Owners Ask For Stacked Housing
The two owners of a traditional 8-acre strip, big box retail center in San Francisco have asked for an amendment to the neighborhood plan (undergoing revision) to allow them to add housing on top of their stores, thus doubling the height limit.
U.S. Rail Renaissance
California's $10 billion high speed rail bond was not the only transit initiative to pass on Election Day. Over 70% (double the customary rate) of all transportation initiatives passed, including 18 that raise sales or property taxes.
SF's Election Night Revelation
Relative to those in Chicago's Grant Park or New York's Time Square, post-election celebration turnouts in San Francisco public spaces were sparse. But it's not because of urban design--it's the city's character.
Giant Signs Could Be Fire Hazards
Giant 'supergraphics' drape over the sides of buildings in Los Angeles, usually advertising the latest blockbuster. Almost all of the signs are in violation of sign laws, and building inspectors think they may be fire hazards.
A Town Underwater
Almost 90% of the homeowners in Mountain House, CA, a planned smart growth community in the Central Valley, owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth- the highest percentage in the country.
Plenty Green But Too Tall?
In what may prove a decisive test to see the political limits of what green building offers developers, a LEED Platinum, 10-story office building is proposed along San Francisco's tightly regulated waterfront - exceeding the height limit by 40 feet.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
