California
California and Britain Sign Global Warming Accord
Sidestepping the federal government, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a historic partnership with British Prime Minister Tony Blair to address climate change.
No Free Rides For Public Transit
Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa proposes to waive Metro fees for a week to increase ridership. L.A. Times editorial argues that the idea won't work.
Parking Crunch Coming To Downtown San Francisco
New Bloomingdales and related retail uses planned for downtown San Francisco's extremely dense retail district--with exceptional transit access--is bringing parking worries among merchants and the small minority of downtown shoppers who drive.
Battle Over Gentrification Rages In Los Angeles
A recent op-ed in the Los Angeles Times outlines the issues around "gentrification" using the city's recent wave of downtown redevelopment as a case study.
Bay Area Residents Will Vote On Urban Growth Boundry
After years of debate by local officials, Contra Costa County will be asked to approve an urban limit line intended to preserve farmland and open space.
Will The Bay Area Make Public Transit Free?
With daily ridership up 15% during the Bay Area's recent free transit experiment, some officials are calling for the policy to be made permanent.
In The Heat Of The Night
Urbanized areas are becoming increasingly warm during night, a time most places experience a cool-down. According to climatologists, the more development there is in an urban area, the more heat it retains throughout the day -- and night.
L.A.'s Housing Authority Tackles Public Housing's Bad Image
HUD's Los Angeles Housing Authority is replacing its older, "oppressive", public housing stock with friendlier, mixed-income complexes to ease the city's housing crisis.
Taxpayers Funding Gas-Guzzlers For Public Employees?
Steve Lopez asks why Los Angeles county supervisors use taxpayer dollars for chauffer-driven gas-guzzlers.
Top-Down Greening In The Urban Core
Can cities get back in touch with nature? Planners, developers, architects, and policy makers convened in Los Angeles June 7 to face the challenge and develop a plan of action to help bring life onto the rooftops of L.A.'s downtown.
Hot L.A. Nights Caused By Urban Heat Island Effect
Climatologists blame the urban 'heat island' effect for a rise in Southern California's average evening temperatures, which have hit record highs in recent days.
Many Bay Area Cities Flunk Housing Report Card
A business group publishes its annual "report card" or housing profile for Bay Area communities by comparing local housing permits issued to state-mandated housing goals.
Evicting Homeless For L.A. River Revitalization
For years, drifters and homeless people have been living on some of the small islands of earth that remain in the paved-over Los Angeles River. While they are not a high priority for police, the river revitalization movement wants them gone.
New Towers Designed To Become San Francisco Landmarks
Approved twin towers at the base of the San Francisco entrance to the Bay Bridge are designed to withstand earthquakes and hurricane gales.
Unclogging L.A.'s Streets
With a strong style and a common-sense approach, Gloria Jeff is taking on one of the world's most unenviable jobs: general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.
Some Residents Lament As Developers Reign In L.A.
Los Angeles faces projections of a population increase of up to 5 million people by 2030. The city's residents and planners are trying to come to terms with growth as a necessity, but the city's developer-friendly attitude has angered many residents.
Free-Transit On 'Bad Air Days" Popular, But Funds Exhausted
"Spare the Air" is a program operated by the Bay Area's air district to encourage use of public transit on 'bad air' days. They funded 3 "free transit" days to accompany the warnings. Ridership increased greatly but funding is exhausted too soon.
Bay Area Ends Free Transit Experiment
A popular and successful experiment to boost ridership on 26 Bay Area transit systems on designated "Spare the Air" days ends due to lack of funding, while some believe the plan may have been good for the local economy.
San Diego Reaches Compromise On Inclusionary Zoning
The city will amend its three-year-old ordinance to settle a lawsuit brought by the local the Building Industry Association.
The Most Polluted Places In America – National Parks?
California's Central Valley is known to be one of the most polluted areas in U.S., but few know that the two national parks above the Valley, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, actually have higher ozone concentrations than the flatlands below.
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
