California
Streets May Become Temporary Recreational Spaces in San Francisco
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is considering a plan to temporarily close down certain streets to car traffic, creating public space for pedestrians -- similar to the successful Ciclovia that takes place weekly in Bogota, Colombia.
Parking Lot Hotels Serve Homeless
An outreach counseling group in Santa Barbara, California, has worked with the city to set up 12 parking lots where people can sleep in their cars at night -- an act that is illegal on city streets.
Developer To SF: Let's Make A Deal On Affordable Housing
Hoping to head off a competing ballot measure, Miami-based developer Lennar Corp. has voluntarily agreed to set aside 3,200 of the planned 10,000 homes on San Francisco's Hunters and Candlestick Point for low- and moderate-income families.
California Land Conservation Agreement Will Create Sprawl
A recent agreement between developers and environmental groups puts the conservationists in the unfortunate position of not being able to oppose a plan that is the epitome of sprawl, according this editorial.
Los Angeles Announces Plans To Recycle Wastewater For Drinking
Faced with increasing water shortages, Los Angeles Mayor Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has announced plans to recycle the city's sewage water to replenish drinking water qualifiers.
L.A.'s Subway Planners Thinking Bigger Is Better
The city is already struggling to fund its planned $5 billion subway extension. But planners think adding a spur through West Hollywood could convince federal officials to chip in more funding for the project.
Friday Funny: San Diego Maximum Security Zoological & Convict Reserve Opens
Facing a tight budget, officials in California have found an innovative way to mix uses and save money -- by combining a zoo and a prison into one efficient facility.
New Train Tunnel Ads Irk Riders, Draw Revenue
Flashing lights on the walls on train tunnels that display a 15-second video to passengers have been introduced in L.A., bringing new revenue to the area's transit agency, but bothering some riders. Some say the ads intrude on public space.
Bankrupt City Could Serve As Model
The northern California city of Vallejo has declared bankruptcy, becoming one of few cities and the largest in the state to do so. Other struggling cities are watching closely to see if the strategy helps to save the city.
Neighborhood Zoning Offices Give Residents Help And Answers
Following the lead of law enforcement, San Diego's code enforcement department is opening storefront offices where residents can come in with questions and complaints.
A Congestion Pricing Plan For America's Most Famous Bridge
Plans call for raising the tolls on the San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge depending on the time of day, but commuters have so far reacted negatively to the plan, arguing there are too few alternatives.
Street Signs And Traffic Islands As Art?
A Los Angeles activist and artist has taken to placing street signs mimicking the city's no parking signs on traffic islands, declaring them parks.
Behind the Scenes of Los Angeles
In this travelogue, Dwell tours the often-overlooked infrastructure that keeps the metropolis of Los Angeles running.
New Urbanist Town Designed For Ultimate In Green Living
A planned New Urbanist development in Northern California wants enable its eventual residents to live within their prescribed ecological footprint.
Major Land Deal To Protect 240,000 Acres In Southern California
The developer of the Tejon Ranch agreed to a plan to put permanent conservation easements on almost 375 square miles of ranch lands and wilderness 60 miles north of Los Angeles, in exchange for rights to develop 10 percent of its land holdings.
California Housing Construction Crashes
There is very, very little new housing construction in most of California, where the number of housing starts is down 75% from the boom year of 2005. One result is layoffs for planners, building inspectors and plan checkers.
Potential Reservoir Of Urban Open Space
What do you do when 96 football fields worth of space opens up in a major metro area?
A City Serious About Recycling
With 70 percent of its waste already diverted from landfills, San Francisco continues to push forward with new laws and programs to increase recycling.
Monied Interests Triumph in L.A.
In two separate examples, a Los Angeles Times columnist shows how stakeholders with money tend to win the support of local politicians more often than the less fortunate.
Red Tape Holds Back Drivers Using Biofuels
Environmentalists say laws have yet to catch up with greener fuel alternatives for cars.
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
