California

Downtown Los Angeles As An Architectural Mecca?

Frank Gehry makes like an urbanist in his new plans for Related's high profile, $1.8 billion, nine-acre, Grand Avenue project in downtown Los Angeles. Could LA become an architectural mecca?

May 5, 2006 - The Slatin Report

Communities Uncomfortable With Smart Growth, Higher Density

Planners find it difficult to convince Southern California communities that the region needs higher density and transit oriented development.

May 4, 2006 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Amtrak Capitol Corridor Wildly Succesful Despite Union Pacific Woes

Amtrak's Capitol Corridor, connecting the Bay Area to the state capitol, Sacramento, is the third busiest Amtrak route in the country. Yet it faces formidable obstacles -- because it runs on Union Pacific tracks.

May 2, 2006 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Civil Rights Activist And Los Angeles Planner Chi Mui Dies

Mui, only 53, was one of the few first-generation Chinese Americans to successfully run for political office, becoming mayor of San Gabriel in 2003. He also worked for a number of Southern California community groups on civil rights and other issues.

May 2, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

San Fernando Valley Residents Rally Against Adult Film Industry

Residents on a quiet San Fernando Valley cul-de-sac get some unexpected visitors on Easter Sunday, raising questions about permitting, production, and power under the law.

May 1, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

A History Of Real Estate In Southern California

Los Angeles Times special commemorative edition celebrates 125 years of real estate in Southern California. Includes several articles, photo galleries, and an interactive feature.

May 1, 2006 - Abhijeet Chavan

Unclogging California's Highways

Can California's legislators unclog the political logjam keeping its highways mired in traffic?

May 1, 2006 - Riverside Press-Enterprise

Big Play At Playa Vista

A hotly-disputed, prime piece of land at Playa Vista brings a prime price.

April 30, 2006 - The Slatin Report

LA's Grand Avenue Project: 'Please, Somebody Stop Gehry'

Los Angeles Times readers respond to Frank Gehry's plans for downtown Los Angeles' Grand Avenue project.

April 28, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

Four Californias? An Idea Whose Time Has Come?

A columnist who has advocated for the division of California into several states takes the idea a step further, examining potential political and demographic conditions as he divides California into fourths.

April 28, 2006 - The Lookout

$10 Vehicle Registration Fee Proposed For Bay Area

East Bay Assemblyman Johan Klehs has written a bill calling for new Bay Area vehicle registration fees, in the form of two $5 fees: one for local transportation needs and the other for a regional air and water quality mitigation project.

April 27, 2006 - The Contra Costa Times

Learning About Agriculture Through Farm Water Run-off Testing

Farmers in Ventura County, California, can now split the cost of testing run-off, and recent tests reveal positive surprises.

April 27, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

Gehry To Unveil 'Grand' Scheme For L.A.

The bold designs are part of the ongoing redevelopment of downtown L.A., sparked by Gehry's 2003 Walt Disney Concert Hall.

April 24, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

How Planning Can Redesign Los Angeles

Renowned L.A. Architects Brenda Levin and William Fain call on L.A.'s new team of public officials to envision a smarter, denser, more functional city -- and to implement the policies to make it happen.

April 24, 2006 - The Planning Report

Designing Cities With Latinos In Mind

The Latino Urban Forum embraces, and adapts, the ideals of New Urbanism to prescribe an updated urban vision -- of walkable streets, healthy neighborhoods, and vibrant informal street life -- for Los Angeles' new urban majority.

April 24, 2006 - The Planning Report

How L.A. Reduced Immigration

Why did the percentage of immigrants living in Los Angeles decrease from 1980 to 2000, while numbers across the United States rose dramatically?

April 23, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

California's Central Valley Farmland At The Tipping Point?

Most of the counties and major cities in California's Central Valley are failing to make significant progress at preserving farmland in the nation's most important agricultural region, according to this new study from the American Farmland Trust.

April 21, 2006 - American Farmland Trust

Does The 'Broken Windows' Theory Really Work?

Law professor Bernard E. Harcourt argues that the "broken windows" theory has be en proven not to be an effective crime-fighting technique. But LA Police Chief William J. Bratton, who has built his career on the theory, will not be easily convinced.

April 20, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

$30 Billion Public Works Bond Headed For Ballot In California

Governor Schwarzenegger's $222 billion Strategic Growth Plan was derailed earlier when the legislature failed to agree on a bond package for the June ballot. It now appears that a smaller package will make the ballot in November.

April 20, 2006 - The San Francisco Chronicle

How The Bay Area Is Preparing For The Next 'Big One'

The San Francisco Bay Area is investing in seismic retrofit projects for public infrastructure, such as strengthening hospitals, bridges, overpasses, and water mains. But private residences remain vulnerable.

April 19, 2006 - BBC News

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.

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.