California

Affordable Housing Buyers Trapped By Association Fees

Even when lower-income households are lucky enough to find an affordable home to purchase, high association fees can put a damper on their initial good fortune.

August 6, 2007 - The San Francisco Chronicle

More Parking Or Transit?

Voters in San Francisco will have to choose between two ballot measures -- one increasing parking in the city, the other funding more transit -- during this fall's election.

August 6, 2007 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Californians Bucking National Trend By Guzzling Less Gas

While American drivers are burning record amounts of gas to feed their motoring habits, a weird thing is happening in the freeway state – Californians continue to consume less gasoline. Sustained high gas prices may play a role by changing behavior.

August 4, 2007 - The Oakland Tribune

Minneapolis Bridge, And Thousands Others, Deemed 'Structurally Deficient'

The collapsed Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis was deemed 'structurally deficient' as early as 1990, as are 77,000 other bridges in the U.S.

August 4, 2007 - The New York Times

California's Best and Worst Downtowns

San Francisco and San Diego are the No. 1 downtowns in California, according to California Planning & Development Report. L.A. is #4, behind Long Beach. Last? Fresno, Fresno, Fresno.

August 3, 2007 - California Planning & Development Report

San Francisco To Vote On Public Transit, Parking

The Board of Supervisors approved a ballot measure that would increase funding the city's maligned transit agency and head off another measure aimed at repealing the city's parking limits.

August 2, 2007 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Congestion Pricing For Los Angeles: An Open Letter To Mayor Villaraigosa

Robert W. Poole of the Reason Foundation argues for HOT Lanes on Los Angeles freeways.

August 1, 2007 - The Planning Report

Two Examples Of Green Building: Fancy And Frugal

While pricey eco-chic homes garner lots of attention, living green doesn't have to mean expensive materials and complicated retrofits.

August 1, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

The Rise Of The Surburban Slum?

William Fulton observes that while high-income households are flocking to the inner-city and gobbling up pricey condos, poor families are having to double and triple up just to afford a home in the suburbs.

July 31, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

A 'Giant Step Forward' For Downtown Los Angeles

City officials are considering ordinances that will allow builders to construct more housing units downtown.

July 31, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

Corruption At The Los Angeles City Housing Authority

A Los Angeles Times investigation reveals a highly-paid manager for the Los Angeles City Housing Authority rigging bids worth nearly $1 million over four years.

July 30, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

Sweeping Survey Of L.A.'s Historical Architecture Launched

An ambitious 5 year project will attempt to catalog all the historic properties in the city using an interactive website.

July 30, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

Flashing Yellow Arrows: Bad Traffic Engineering?

A technologist who focuses on pointing out problems with poorly designed computer software and websites takes aim at a confusing flashing yellow arrow at an intersection.

July 27, 2007 - Missing Features Blog

California Lawmakers Fight Over Land Use Lawsuits

This year's budget dispute is colored by the state's effort to force local governments to reign in sprawl and stop global warming.

July 27, 2007 - AP via Forbes

Toll Schemes Cash In On Congestion

California is full of various plans to solve congestion with toll roads and congestion pricing. But Bill Fulton suggests that none of the plans is radical enough to make a real difference.

July 27, 2007 - California Planning & Development Report

Three Major Redevelopment Projects Move Forward In California

This article takes a look at redevelopment plans for the Los Angeles River, the San Francisco Transbay Center, and San Francisco Bay's Treasure Island.

July 25, 2007 - Architectural Record

L.A. Contemplates Tiny Apartments: Studios or Slums?

To help encourage development around downtown and increase the supply of affordable housing, planning officials in L.A. want to relax the rules governing the sizes of housing units. Critics argue that the plan will lead to the creation of tenements.

July 25, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

Can You Fight Climate Change From Behind The Wheel?

Lauded city official and smart growth champion Rick Cole argues that California can't reach 'green' goals without changing its car culture.

July 24, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

Managing L.A.'s Mounting Waste Flow

Director Rita Robinson discusses the Bureau of Sanitation's pursuit of a cleaner, greener, and landfill-free L.A.

July 22, 2007 - The Metro Investment Report

Mercury Cleanup Plan Approved For San Francisco Bay

The State of California has approved a plan to clean mercury from the San Francisco Bay. Due to the high concentration of the harmful toxin, the extensive effort has a 70-year timetable.

July 22, 2007 - The 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.

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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.