San Diego
Former San Diego Planning Director Examines Efforts to Revive the City's Planning Department
Former Planning Director Bill Anderson details the organization, agendas, and partnerships of "best practice" planning departments that San Diego has studied in preparation for the unmerging of its Planning and Development Services departments.
Neighborhoods First (and Goal)
Howard Blackson's words of advice for San Diego's new administration are applicable wherever it is you call home. Neighborhoods first!
San Diego's Redevelopment Undermined by Parking Lot Blight
Now that redevelopment projects in CA are officially dead, a retrospective on one of the state's 'most successful' redevelopment projects reveals an inconvenient truth: demolition for surface parking has undermined much of its accomplishments.
Dare to Live Outdoors
The old cool: Sealing yourself inside suburban air conditioning. The new cool? According to Howard Blackson, it's the joy to be found outside, connecting with one another and the world we share.
New San Diego Office Building Exposes the Fallacy of the Net-Zero Label
Lloyd Alter dismantles the aggrandizement of the new LPL Financial building being developed by Hines in La Jolla, California, which a recent press release touts as the "Largest Net-Zero Energy Commercial Office Building in U.S."
Design to Support the Homeless
How might planners advance the dialogue with politicians and citizens for design that supports the 633,782 homeless people in the US? Howard Blackson offers some insights for San Diego, the 3rd largest population of homeless among US cities.
San Diego's Transit Future Looking Brighter
With two transit-friendly figures elected to the highest posts in San Diego's government and transit advocates having scored a major court victory in upending the region's transportation plan, the city's transit future is looking bright.
Re-imagining the Fiscal Architecture of Our Cities
For Michael A. Pagano, local municipalities went awry in designing fiscal systems during the 20th century by fabricating what he refers to as “a crazy quilt of local revenue.” He proposes some possibilities for getting cities back on track.
Don't Jump on that Trend Just Yet
Howard Blackson's "Next Urbanism Lab" series looks at recent trends and lessons learned for urban designers. While the Bilbao Effect, the Vancouver Model, the High Line, and Active Living may provide seductive role models, local insight is key.
Is Your City an Innovator or a Follower?
Howard Blackson walks through the planning layers of San Diego for a history lesson as well as a look to the Next Urbanism.
Annual PARK(ing) Day Lessons (Re)Learned
Last Friday was annual PARK(ing) Day, and for Howard Blackson, who participated in a pilot park(let) project in San Diego, the reasons to enable context appropriate civic space was underscored again.
On the Importance of Light, Air and Connectivity Above the Street Level
As we increasingly relearn the lessons of city-building, just getting the ground floor right is no longer good enough.
San Diego's Sorry Streets Become Campaign Centerpiece
Facing a staggering backlog of necessary street improvements after years of neglect, San Diego's potholes have emerged as a defining topic in this year's mayoral campaign, reports Tony Perry.
Shoring up the Disappearing Public Realm
As libraries and and post offices are replaced by private development while streets and sidewalks lack funding, what can be done to enliven the public realm?
What's Driving Water Rates and Combativeness in San Diego?
Steven Erie, a professor of political science and the Director of the Urban Studies Program at UC San Diego, discusses how the San Diego County Water Authority's finger-pointing obfuscates the region's discourse on what is really driving water rates.
Scandal Threatens Wal-Mart's Urban Push
A bribery scandal recently uncovered by The New York Times is undoing years of hard work the retailer has engaged in to "polish its reputation and give elected officials, community groups and shoppers a reason to say yes to their stores."
San Diego Cries Foul Over High Water Prices
Allegations of conspiracy and bullying haunt access to water in the arid, Mediterranean climate of San Diego, Adam Nagourney and Felicity Barringer report.
Parsing San Diego's Misguided Waterfront Plans
As Seattle considers ways to improve its waterfront, local architect and urban planner Mark Hinshaw evaluates a conflict brewing 1,250 miles to the south, for a lesson on what not to do with valuable downtown waterfront real estate.
The Growing Appeal of Drinking From the Toilet
Felicity Barringer reports on the growing practice of recycling treated wastewater as drinking water in southwestern cities attempting to address diminishing water supplies.
California Redevelopment Agency Projects To Be Ended
Cities and redevelopment agencies are pushing for legislation that give them a stay of execution. Meanwhile, cities are evaluating which projects will be impacted.
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
