California

Lawsuit Targets Granny Flat Law Compliance in California
A real estate group claims the city has been denying and delaying ADU permits in violation of city and state laws.

Adopting an Intersectional Approach to Parks Planning
This approach makes sense because parks are not isolated spaces, and park planning cannot be done effectively or holistically without considering the social, economic, physical, and political context in which parks are located.

An American Lockdown
Words matter. Road safety advocates know that "crashes are not accidents." Similarly, calling coronavirus restrictions "lockdowns," fails to distinguish the severity among public health orders. On January 6, America experienced a true lockdown.

San Francisco's Housing Crisis is Deepening, Despite Falling Rents
Despite the purported exodus of untethered Silicon Valley workers from the Bay Area, rents in the city are still the highest in the United States.

Change of Plans: Transit Funding Priorities Shift in the Silicon Valley
Santa Clara County cities rebel against the agency's proposed plan to spend most of the Measure B funds on a Silicon Valley BART extension.

Elevated Platform Parks Proposed in Draft Los Angeles River Master Plan
The newly released Master Plan includes a few parks that would cover portions of the river to create spaces for parks and recreation.

Citywide Zoning Reforms Approved for Sacramento
The Sacramento City Council took steps toward an updated General Plan that includes a variety of innovative planning proposals, including the elimination of single-family zoning by allowing up to four dwelling units on all residential parcels.

Bike and Pedestrian Advocates Cautiously Celebrate Pasadena's First Bike Lane
Protected bike lanes, like the one Pasadena is installing on Union Street, increase safety for all road users and reduce the likelihood of fatal crashes.

Report: California's Affordable Housing Allocation Favors Wealthy Coastal Cities
A combination of factors including a lengthy appeals process and the cost of construction have led to huge disparities in the number of units allocated to each community.

Amazon and Other Tech Giants Make Billion-Dollar Commitments to Affordable Housing
Some of the world's biggest companies are investing in affordable housing, hoping to stymie the growing crisis their growth has contributed to.

New Urban Reforestation Program Launched to Address Shade Equity Disparities
Los Angeles County partners with The Tree Pledge and the Radical Resilience Lab to strategically plant trees where they are most needed.

How Widespread Is the Coronavirus in Your Metro Area?
Do you know the COVID risk level where you live, work and play? Many COVID data trackers provide county and state-level data, but metropolitan area data had been more difficult to find until now, thanks to Covid Act Now.

19 of 1,036 Majority-Black ZIP Codes Are 'Prosperous,' Report Says
The Economic Innovation Group has released its 2020 Distressed Communities Index.

Public Gardens as Places of Hope and Healing
Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles County offered the "Wishing Tree" for visitors to share their wishes and hopes for 2021. The public response was overwhelming, with over 10,000 notes hung on the tree in a matter of weeks.

How Working From Home Is Changing Where We Live
Remote workers are flocking to small, amenity-rich towns in the West, changing their social and economic landscape.

Draft Los Angeles River Master Plan Revealed
A new draft Los Angeles Master Plan, created by Frank Gehry's firm, lays out a more active, natural vision for the river, in addition to addressing concerns about displacement in communities along the river corridor.

City of Compton Introduces Two-Year Guaranteed Income Pilot
Proponents of universal basic income and general income programs say direct cash payments to low-income residents would reduce inequality and alleviate poverty.

Pasadena Being Held to its Regional Housing Needs Assessment
The city of Pasadena, known for innovative planning approaches to parking and transit-oriented development, is in a pitched battle with regional authorities over how much housing to build in the coming decade.

Affordable Housing for LGBTQ Seniors
LGBTQ elders are more likely than their age-peers to have experienced discrimination, leaving them more likely to be poor and have chronic health problems. LGBTQ-friendly senior housing aims to provide a safe and supportive place to age.

The Best-Selling Master-Planned Communities of 2020
Two industry consulting firms released new reports on the best-selling master-planned communities in the United States.
Pagination
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie