California
Los Angeles' Smart Growth Saga
The city is working hard to increase density, but with Angelenos firmly attached to their cars and the region's transit moving at a snail's pace, can smart growth really work in L.A.?
Smart Growth Leaders Still Living Low Density American Dream
While encouraging the city's residents to embrace higher densities and public transit, many of Los Angeles's smart growth advocates live in single family homes and commute long distances in cars.
Roof Tiles Make It Easier For Homeowners To Go Solar
New solar roof tiles allow eco-conscious and well-heeled homeowners to enjoy the benefits of low-cost energy without annoying their neighbors with traditional solar panels deemed unsightly by some communities.
California's Governor Not On Board With High-Speed Rail
While simultaneously touting his 'green' policy agenda, California Governor Schwarzenegger is trying to put the brakes on the state's planned high-speed rail system in favor of traditional highway infrastructure improvements.
Sprawling? See You in Court!
Citing the threat posed by climate change, the State Attorney General of California Jerry Brown has filed suit against a community for failing to rein in sprawl.
Integrating The Farm With The City
The idea of linking agriculture and smart growth is gaining ground in California's booming rural areas.
Sell It As 'Smart Growth'
Savvy real estate developers who can promote their projects as smart growth developments are attracting significant capital from public pension funds -- regardless of the actual merits of the project.
Land Use Policy Paralysis On California Coast
Voters in Monterey County, California, have rejected environmentalists' general plan initiative, and appear to have tossed aside a county-written plan as well. The June 5 election was the latest conflict in the seven-year general plan process.
California Needs To Follow Sacramento's Regional Planning Model
A recent editorial argues that the successful model of regional planning in the Sacramento region known as the "Blueprint" provides an alternative to sprawl that needs to be applied statewide, and identifies current state legislation to do just that.
Transportation Expert Urges Napa To Support Higher Densities To Reduce Global Warming
Transportation expert Reid Ewing appeared in Napa to tout higher densities and mixed-use development. The county is updating it transportation plan and considering a second attempt to pass a transportation sales tax measure.
When TV Meets A Real Place, Prices Can Soar
The primetime Fox television show "The OC" and MTV's "Laguna Beach" may have helped increased real estate prices in Orange County, California.
San Francisco Public Schools' Battle To Survive
With high housing costs driving families out of San Francisco, the city's schools are trying innovative ways to improve education and attract the dwindling number of students.
'Scripted Neighborhoods' By A Developer Who Defines Our Time
Do great civic spaces evolve or can they be invented? A look at the impact of "Disney-esque' developer Rick Caruso, the creator of The Grove, a successful retail complex in Los Angeles.
Iconic Hippie Neighborhood At Gentrification Crossroads
Ex-hippies-turned-homeowners and younger drifters have different expectations from San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury neighborhood.
Urban Parks: For Nature Or People?
After a devastating fire, competing visions emerge for restoring Los Angeles' Griffith Park, one of the largest urban parks in the nation.
California Farmland Mitigation Policies Grow
Cities and counties in California's Central Valley are starting to adopt policies to offset the development of farmland. The new policies require developers to fund or purchase agricultural conservation easements.
California Wine Country Develops Resort Status
The Northern California wine country town of Napa is on its way to becoming a high-class resort, with many housing and resort developers breaking ground on big projects.
After Kelo: New Challenges To Eminent Domain Abuse
New Kelo-fighting measures make their way to ballots.
City And School At Odds Over Massive North San Jose Redevelopment Plan
North San Jose's redevelopment plan calls for 32,000 apartments and 7 million sq.ft of industry along the light rail line, but demand for the latter has dropped. Now the school district wants 4 new schools while the city insists only 1 is necessary.
Climate Protection & Land Use: California Begins To Address The Connection
Land use is finally being addressed in California as an intrinsic part of the state's global warming reduction strategy, thanks to passage of the Global Warming Solutions Act and a recent lawsuit by the attorney general against a sprawling county.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
