San Francisco

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.
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.

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.

Google to Launch Rideshare in Bay Area
The service would operate through Waze, and take a different approach than Uber or Lyft.

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.

Planetizen Week in Review: August 20, 2016
Climate change dominated the news this week, as flooding wreaked unfathomable havoc on the state of Louisiana.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
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.

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.
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.
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.
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