California

Southern California's Laboratory For Smart Growth

With Southern California's strictest urban growth rules and a commitment to preserving open space and agriculture, Ventura County has become the region's hotbed of smart growth.

January 12, 2007 - The Planning Report

Downtown L.A.'s Revitalization To Spread Southward

Redevelopment officials are looking at the southern frontier of downtown as the next potential neighborhood for revitalization and new transit-oriented development, but some locals are worried about the area's gentrification.

January 12, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

Parking Rage Boiling Over In San Francisco

Anger over parking difficulties in the city has spawned attacks between motorists and enforcement officers, and even led to the death of one resident.

January 9, 2007 - The New York Times

A Real Life 'Italian Job'?

Two City of Los Angeles senior traffic engineers are charged with breaking into traffic control computers and disabling traffic signals at busy Los Angeles intersections.

January 8, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

Small Bay Area Commuter Train Hopes To Revolutionize Passenger Rail

Caltrain, the nation's oldest commuter rail system west of the Mississippi, unveiled a plan to electrify the line that operates 96 daily trains from San Francisco to San Jose using technology that requires changes in federal and state regulations.

January 6, 2007 - Redwood City Daily News

Designing A Better Cell Tower

A 65-ft tower in San Diego is being redesigned as a piece of modern art.

January 5, 2007 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Racheting Up San Francisco's Skyline

Planners and local officials want to see the city's height restrictions lifted and the city's skyline accentuated with new high-rise buildings.

January 5, 2007 - USA Today

Residents -- Not Planners -- Create The City Center In L.A.

There may not be a Times Square, but Los Angeles residents have created their own city centers wherever they can.

January 4, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

San Francisco's Successful Freeway Replacement Story

John King, urban design critic for the SF Chronicle, concludes that the replacement of a 1959 freeway in the heart of San Francisco with an elaborate boulevard is an urban success story, and so does the APA.

January 4, 2007 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Bicycle Activist Works To Overcome L.A.'s Car Culture

Monica Howe, outreach coordinator for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, believes bike culture can transform Los Angeles.

January 2, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles' Most Horrendous McMansion of 2006?

Curbed Los Angeles names its hysterical 2006 winners for "The NIMBY Award", "Dumbest Planning Scheme", "Broker Boys & Babes Awards", and our favorites, the "Most Horrendous McMansion of the Year" and the "Worst Garagemahal."

January 1, 2007 - Curbed Los Angeles

L.A. Testing Universal Fare System

L.A. transit officials hope the new smart card system, in the works for more than a decade, will make riding buses and trains more customer-friendly.

December 31, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

Securing Water Supply Rated Farmers' Most Important Concern

A recent survey of California farmers and members of the state's Farm Water Coalition reveals that the majority of farmers place the highest importance on securing a dependable water supply for the state.

December 30, 2006 - Western Farm Press

Los Angeles Spills Into The Mojave

Residents of the largely rural communities along the Cajon Pass, which connects the desert plateau to the Inland Empire and the rest of Los Angeles, lament the region's accelerating growth and loss of open space.

December 27, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

City Bouts With COG Over Housing Allocation

The Southern California city of Simi Valley is opposing recommendations from a regional association of governments that suggest the city should increase its housing stock. The city council sees the increase as unrealistic, citing a lack of land.

December 25, 2006 - Simi Valley Acorn

A Week Without A Car

A reporter goes a week without a car in the San Francisco Bay Area in this article about the pros and cons of non-car transport. Though the monetary costs were lower, the cost of time was much higher, especially for an inexperienced transit user.

December 24, 2006 - The Contra Costa Times

Legislating A Safer Bike Ride In California

The tragic death of a tri-athlete student while bicycling in southern California has sparked a bill to create a three-foot buffer for any vehicle passing a cyclist – but will it create more problems than it attempts to solve?

December 22, 2006 - The Sacramento Bee

High Cost Of Living Blamed For Slowing CA Growth

The population growth rate has decline for the sixth year in a row in California, causing policymakers to voice concern over a future shortage in the state's educated workforce. High costs of living are blamed for the decline.

December 22, 2006 - The San Francisco Chronicle

'Solar Trees' For Google's Parking Lot

Google plans to turn barren parking into a source for clean energy.

December 21, 2006 - Wired

Could Los Angeles Lead The Way For Transit?

With the city already having pioneered the freeway and car culture 50 years ago, could Los Angeles now lead the United States towards a resurgence in public transit ridership?

December 19, 2006 - The Washington Post

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.

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA

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.