California

Homeless Cars

The Homeless Working Poor

The Salinas Valley in California is an agricultural powerhouse, but homelessness and hunger abound. Finding affordable housing is becoming increasingly difficult, even for people with jobs.

December 16, 2019 - The California Sunday Magazine

Berkeley Hills Bay Area

Navigating California's Housing Insanity

One person’s return to the San Francisco Bay Area meant facing the dystopian realities of the rental market.

December 16, 2019 - Harper's Magazine

Electric Car Charging Stencil

California Climate Program Offers Up to $9,500 Toward Purchase of Used EVs

Lawmakers want to ensure that electric vehicles are accessible to all Californians, particularly lower-income motorists in disadvantaged communities. Unlike other incentive programs, participants must also scrap an older, polluting vehicle.

December 14, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Bus Lane

Watch a New Bus-Only Lane in Action

The Streetfilms team visited to Los Angeles to check out the temporary bus-only lane on Flower Street for lessons in freeing buses from car traffic.

December 14, 2019 - Streetfilms via Vimeo

Oceanside

Public Opinion Souring on Housing in California

New survey data shows more Californians are considering leaving the state in response to skyrocketing housing prices.

December 13, 2019 - Public Policy Institute of California

Tesla

Elon Musk Takes the Cybertruck for a Spin in Malibu

Maybe this should be called a Friday WTF?

December 13, 2019 - Gizmodo

Mountain View, California

First Safe Parking Lot for the Homeless Opens in San Francisco

With more than 1,700 people living out of vehicles on the streets of San Francisco, the city is in the process of opening a new safe parking facility that woll allow 30 vehicles to park for up to 90 days.

December 12, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Los Angeles Architects

L.A. Architects Demonstrate Livable, Affordable, Scalable Density

Architects Angela Brooks and Lawrence Scarpa discuss their new exhibit and the challenges to planning and building affordable, livable density in Southern California today.

December 12, 2019 - The Planning Report

Highway 101 California

Planning for Infill Growth Doesn't Guarantee Development: a Case Study

The city of Santa Rosa has made a concerted effort to plan for new development, but projects have yet to materialize.

December 11, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Hoover Dam Downstream

California's Use of the Colorado River Projected to Hit a Record Low

Water use is going down in California, and the state is leaving more of the Colorado River in the watershed, for now.

December 10, 2019 - John Fleck

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Light Rail Repair Project Falls Short of Promises in Los Angeles

The former Blue Line, now the A Line, with service from Log Beach to Los Angeles, was shut down in segments for ten months (originally scheduled for eight) for repairs. The weeks since the reopening have been marred spotty, slow service.

December 9, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

California State Water Project

New Oil and Gas Drilling in California May Be Subject to Moratorium

Gov. Gavin Newsom pleased environmentalists by doing what his predecessor, Gov. Jerry Brown, refused – halting all new oil and gas fracking and placing a moratorium on another extraction method linked to a massive oil spill in Kern County.

December 9, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

gaslamp Quarter

San Diego Could Eliminate Height Limits Near Transit

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is following up on an idea first pitched during a State of the City address, but with a few teaks.

December 9, 2019 - Voice of San Diego

Commuter Rail

New Train Station in North Bay Brings Commuters One Step Closer to S.F.

The new Larkspur Station on the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) system brings commuters much closer to a ferry across the bay.

December 8, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

On-Demand Shuttle

In Defense of Pilot Projects

An initial lack of success of transportation pilot projects isn't always an indicator of long-term viability in a rapidly shifting transportation landscape, according to this article.

December 7, 2019 - SPUR

Google Headquarters

Google Continues to Expand in San Jose

Google has laid the foundation for four large, and distinct, employment centers in just one city of the South Bay Area.

December 6, 2019 - The Mercury News

Transbay Terminal Construction

Report: Rebranding Needed for Next Phase of the Transbay Transit Center

A team of experts suggests that a rebranding and potentially a new entity to oversee construction will be necessary to finish phase two fo the Transbay transit center.

December 6, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Metro Train Station

Preview L.A.'s New Crenshaw Light Rail Line, Opening in 2020

Curbed Los Angeles takes a tour of the Crenshaw Line, currently doing test runs in Los Angeles and Inglewood and expected to open to the public in summer or fall 2020.

December 5, 2019 - Curbed Los Angeles

Bay Area

Crowdsourcing Ideas for Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Replacement

The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, connecting the East Bay and the North Bay near San Francisco, is 63 years old, but a local elected official is thinking about how to replace it.

December 5, 2019 - The Mercury News

Solar Power

L.A. County Plans for Electrification

Los Angeles County's Minh Le discusses the county's priorities for moving forward with recent technological advancements in solar and energy storage.

December 4, 2019 - The Planning Report

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

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.