California

City Hall

Local Planning Departments Shutting Down in California

The entire state of California is now on a shelter in place order, but planning desks and public hearings on land use issues were already in the process of shutting down.

March 23, 2020 - Lay of the Land

Staten Island Ferry

New York and Illinois Follow in California's Footsteps by Declaring Shutdowns

Governors of three of the nation's largest states, containing the three largest cities, have issued emergency orders to slow the spread of COVID-19.

March 22, 2020 - The Washington Post

Public Transit Ridership

40 Million Californians Ordered to Stay At Home to Contain Coronavirus

The largest state in the country has been ordered to shelter in place.

March 20, 2020 - California Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response

Glendale, California

Economic Argument for Historic Preservation in L.A.: Older Housing is Affordable Housing

Donovan Rypkema and Adrian Scott Fine highlight myth-busting findings on the impacts of historic preservation overlay zones (HPOZs) on affordability, density, diversity, and economic resilience of neighborhoods across Los Angeles.

March 20, 2020 - The Planning Report

UC Berkeley and North Berkeley

The New Regionalism of the Coronavirus Pandemic

In the absence of federal leadership in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, East Coast states and West Coast counties have collaborated to implement uniform containment strategies to arrest the spread of COVID-19, and it's catching on.

March 19, 2020 - CNBC

New York City

Density in the Pandemic Era

High population density is viewed as an environmental benefit in terms of decreasing emissions, particularly from transportation, but from the public health perspective of containing the spread of COVID-19, it might be a significant negative.

March 18, 2020 - The Washington Post

Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services

Parking Enforcement Reduced in L.A., Intact in New York City

The two largest cities are headed in two different directions when it comes to parking enforcement for street sweeping during the coronavirus pandemic—for now at least.

March 18, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

People on Bikes and Pedestrians

Bikes Gain Popularity as People Ditch Subways and Buses

Bike counts and bike share rides are increasing in two of the country's largest cities as commuters look for transportation modes that allow for physical distancing.

March 18, 2020 - The New York Times

Shipping San Francisco Bay

Bay Area Ordered to Shelter in Place

Six Bay Area counties have taken drastic action to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus. "Please read this Order carefully. Violation of or failure to comply with this Order is a misdemeanor punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both."

March 17, 2020 - San Francisco Chronicle

Lafayette BART

Controversial 315-Unit Housing Plan Again Moving Forward in Lafayette

Planetizen has been tracking the development proposal for the Terraces of Lafayette in California since 2015. The saga isn't over yet.

March 17, 2020 - The Mercury News

Coal Railroad

Mountain Coal States vs. West Coast Cities

A legal battle is being waged between the coal-exporting states of Utah, Wyoming, and Montana and coastal cities in California, Oregon, and Washington that pits the power of local land-use authority against the protection of interstate commerce.

March 16, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Hoboken vanity plates

Hoboken First U.S. City to Shut Down Restaurants and Bars and Issue Curfew

Restaurants and bars shut down on Sunday due to the coronavirus. On Monday, a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew becomes effective. According to a Harvard University public health expert, "Hoboken probably is the model we all need to move towards now."

March 16, 2020 - Insider

Transit Ridership

Transit Ridership Dropping Due to Coronavirus; Long-Term Funding Consequences Feared

The effects of a global pandemic on American shores are beginning to emerge for public transit systems. The consequences of a drop in transit ridership could extend beyond the end of the pandemic.

March 12, 2020 - Vice

YIMBY

Scott Wiener Hasn't Quit the Statewide Density Cause Yet

California State Senator has released draft legislation to follow up on the previous SB 50, which in turn followed up on SB 827. The new bill, SB 902, promises a "light touch."

March 11, 2020 - KQED

BART Train

Competing Funding Strategies Promoted for Bay Area Transit Mega-Measure

Two Bay Area transportation sales tax measures affecting three Bay Area counties performed poorly on Super Tuesday, but it hasn't deterred the groups backing a nine-county mega-measure. Progressive groups are proposing non-sales tax alternatives.

March 9, 2020 - The Mercury News

San Francisco, California

Car-Free Market Street Benefits Micromobility, Transit Without Ruining Car Commutes, Studies Say

Multiple studies have quantified the early results from a project in San Francisco that blocked most private automobile traffic from Market Street in the city's downtown.

March 8, 2020 - Populus on Medium

Epdemiology

NIMBY Politics Sway the Fight to Contain Coronavirus

A week after the Orange County city of Costa Mesa filed a restraining order against the federal government and the state of California over the use of a state-owned facility as an isolation site for coronavirus patients, the feds dropped the plan.

March 4, 2020 - Daily Pilot (Los Angeles Times)

San Francisco Skyline

Two Coastal Areas Face Climate Change Threats, but Their Stories Are Vastly Different

In Manila and the San Francisco Bay Area, the severe impacts of rising sea levels are indisputable. But the only similarities are that both places face very uncertain futures.

March 3, 2020 - The New York Times

Watch: How the Road Got Rules

A video explains the origin of the right of way concept that controls the flow of traffic through the public realm.

March 2, 2020 - City Beautiful

San Francisco, California

Latest San Francisco Bike Battlefront: Valencia Street

With most private auto traffic banned on Market Street in downtown, a battle is brewing in the Mission District between Valencia Street merchants, led by a bike store owner, and cyclists who support converting a bike lane into a cycletrack.

February 27, 2020 - San Francisco Chronicle

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.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

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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.