San Francisco

Fall Sprawl

If Housing Affordability Is Top Concern, Let Metro Regions Sprawl

Research from BuildZoom, a San Francisco-based contractors' website, shows that housing affordability increases with a region's ability to build outwards, as opposed to upwards. Densification largely has not accompanied efforts to curb sprawl.

September 16, 2016 - The Wall Street Journal

Indicators of a Sustainable Urban Future.

Parking lots hurting for cars, garages being converted to storage, corporate headquarters moving from edge city to center city—these are some of things happening in U.S. cities that hold promise for change, writes former SPUR ED Jim Chappell.

September 12, 2016 - UrbDeZine

San Francisco

San Francisco Working on a New 'Subway Vision'

Planners in San Francisco have completed a public outreach process called Subway Vision. The goal is to create a framework for subway expansion in the city.

September 9, 2016 - KQED

Traffic

Google to Launch Rideshare in Bay Area

The service would operate through Waze, and take a different approach than Uber or Lyft.

September 7, 2016 - Ars Technica

Brooklyn

Op-Ed: Stay Expensive, New York—It Helps the Rest of the U.S.

Here's a controversial assertion: expensive, desirable cities are doing everyone else a favor by forcing people to move.

August 24, 2016 - Bloomberg View

Hurricane Katrina

Planetizen Week in Review: August 20, 2016

Climate change dominated the news this week, as flooding wreaked unfathomable havoc on the state of Louisiana.

August 20, 2016 - Planetizen

San Francisco

HUD Rejects San Francisco's 'Neighborhood Preference' Plan

The federal government has decided that a policy recently approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors would have the exact opposite effect of its intentions.

August 19, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Stockton Street

Opposition to Pedestrian-Only Street Proposal Surfaces in San Francisco

The same political force that helped bring the Central Subway in San Francisco is now opposing a proposal that grew in the project's wake—turning Stockton Street into a permanent pedestrian space.

August 11, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Traffic Cones

Traffic Safety Advocates Taking Action Into Their Own Hands

The San Francisco Transformation Agency is tired of watching cyclists and pedestrians die while the city promises more Vision Zero improvements.

August 10, 2016 - KQED

The Mission

Supervisor Calls for Halt to Construction in San Francisco's Mission District

The ghosts of the Mission Moratorium have returned to San Francisco, after a local supervisor has called for a halt to three projects while the city crafts legislation to regulate development in the neighborhood.

August 9, 2016 - Mission Local

Denver International Airport

Many Cities Now Facing the Challenges of Prosperity

It might be possible for San Francisco residents to feel like the challenges of homelessness, gentrification, and a tech boom, all colliding at once, are unique to their city. Other cities—Denver for example—are facing the same challenges.

August 3, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

One of San Francisco's Toniest High Rises Has a Sinking Feeling

Home to some of the city's most famous athletes and industry chiefs, the Millennium Tower could soon be home to a protracted and expensive legal battle.

August 2, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

McCoppin Hub

San Francisco Debates an Anti-Homeless Fence

The deployment of so-called defensive architecture is in the news again. This time the controversy is in the public realm, as San Francisco considers a fence to keep homeless out of McCoppin Hub.

July 29, 2016 - Curbed SF

San Francisco Approves Accessory Dwelling Units

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has approved legislation that will allow the construction of accessory dwelling units, potentially adding thousands of units to the city's housing supply.

July 28, 2016 - San Francisco Examiner

San Francisco

San Francisco Shifts Maintenance Burden for Street Trees Back to the City

Three proposed legislative measures would undo one of the more obvious signs of the recession, and return the responsibility for street trees to the city.

July 20, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Tech Shuttle

Better to Appease Irate Neighbors Than Decrease Car Commuting

A San Francisco Chronicle editorial supports the decision by the Municipal Transportation Agency to 'bow' to complaints from residents about the large tech buses by reducing their stops in their neighborhoods even if it means increasing car trips.

July 14, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Google Bus

Facebook: Solo Commutes Increasing After Loss of Tech Shuttle Stops

Public pressure led the city of San Francisco to cut and relocate tech shuttle stops. Now the cities at the other end of the commute might be dealing with the consequences of those decisions.

July 11, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Homeless Encampment

Voters to Decide Future of San Francisco Homeless Tent Encampments

Unable to pass the measure themselves, four San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a ballot measure for November that would let voters decide on the removal of tent encampments in the city providing that housing is offered.

June 23, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Los Angeles

West Coast Cities Redefining Height With Batch of New Skyscrapers

The title of tallest building west of the Mississippi, property of the U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles since 1989, will soon go to another building. What does that say about the post-recession of West Coast cities?

June 22, 2016 - The Architect's Newspaper

Bus Lane

San Francisco Transit-Only Lane Controversy Heating Up

Public opinion is split on the red transit-only lanes found around San Francisco. Next week, the public will get a chance to air their grievances, or defend their territory.

June 17, 2016 - Curbed SF

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.

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.