California
San Francisco’s Big Redevelopment Plan Was Paused for Equity Analysis That Never Happened
Checking in with The Hub, a proposed rezoning that would enable a multi-parcel redevelopment at a conspicuous intersection, two years after the city paused the rezoning for additional analysis (spoiler alert: the analysis hasn’t even started).
California Makes Planning History, Resets the Housing Status Quo
The California Legislature this week approved a historic package of bills, including a bill that allows affordable housing on commercially zoned properties and another that removes parking requirements near transit.
California High-Speed Rail Recommits to Bakersfield-to-Merced Segment
The California High-Speed Rail Authority also certified the Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement for the San Francisco to San Jose section of the route in August.
Los Angeles to Put Mobility Plan to Voters
The city has made almost no progress on the mobility plan it adopted in 2015. Now, voters will decide whether, and how, L.A. will have to follow through.
The Beginning of the End of the Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle?
The California Air Resources Board voted unanimously on August 25 to begin a phased ban on the sale of passenger vehicles powered by gasoline or diesel beginning in 2026 when over a third of new vehicles sold in California must be zero-emissions.
Closing the Homeownership Knowledge Gap
An Oakland program geared at Black homeowners wants to empower households to understand the opportunities in building and renting accessory dwelling units.
Funding for Two Transit Projects Approved for the Valley in Los Angeles
Local funding for a new light rail line and upgrades to the G Line (née Orange Line) bus rapid transit route have been approved for the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles.
Redondo Beach’s Housing Element Failed. Now a Developer Is Planning 2,300 Residential Units.
Anti-housing development planning now has consequences in California.
Bay Area Development Encounters the Limits of the Water Supply
A development battle pitting Contra Costa County against the East Bay Municipal Utility District illustrates the challenges of developing new housing supply in a time of drought.
Two L.A. County Cities Approved Rent Control in August
Bell Gardens and Pomona booth voted to approve rent caps of 4 percent this month in Southern California.
Report: CEQA Lawsuits Challenge Almost Half of All Housing Development in California
A new report details the reach of California’s controversial environmental regulation, and warns of more consequences to come.
Los Angeles Parents Demand Greener Schoolyards
With asphalt temperatures reaching as much as 150 degrees, parents and advocates are asking the city’s school district to provide more shade, trees, and other heat mitigation features on its schoolyards and playgrounds.
World’s First Municipal ‘Heat Officers’ Combat Extreme Heat
As extreme heat threatens infrastructure and public health, municipal ‘heat officers’ work to develop cooling strategies to keep urban residents safe from increasingly hot temperatures.
Inland Port Planned for Mojave Desert
California’s Kern County approved plans to build a 410-acre logistics hub to expand capacity for cargo coming from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Analysis of Downtown Recoveries Reveals Post-Pandemic Winners and Losers
The recovery of U.S. downtowns is happening at widely different paces depending on which city you consider.
Opinion: Los Angeles Transportation Plan Will Increase Driving
L.A. Metro’s plan to add hundreds of miles of new traffic lanes is projected to increase carbon emissions by 10 million metric tons.
Key Warehouse Centers Challenge Distribution Center Expansion
Communities near major e-commerce distribution centers are increasingly resisting new construction, citing air pollution and other public health impacts.
Another Silicon Valley Enclave Resists Multifamily Housing
Ultrawealthy residents have blocked a proposal to build townhouse developments in one of California’s most affluent communities.
Opinion: California Needs an Overnight SoCal-to-Bay Area Train
A red-eye between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area could make train travel a viable options for millions of Californians.
Could Los Angeles Emulate Barcelona’s ‘Superblocks’?
A proposal in the city council could bring the ‘superblock’ model to Los Angeles, opening up neighborhood streets to more biking, walking, and public amenities.
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
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
