San Francisco

Controversial Housing Moratorium Proposed for San Francisco's Mission District

San Francisco Supervisor David Campos, who represents the popular Mission District, has proposed a 45-day moratorium on market-rate, multifamily residential development. A ballot measure is possible.

May 12, 2015 - San Francisco Examiner

Bay Bridge Construction Woes Raise Earthquake Safety Concerns

One of the reasons for the $6.4 billion investment in the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge was to ensure the safety of the bridge in the even of a large earthquake.

May 11, 2015 - San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Launching Raised Bike Lane Program

The city's Municipal Transportation Agency will construct a block of raised bike lane on Valencia Street as a showcase for more such projects to come.

May 10, 2015 - CityLab

San Francisco Parklet

Touring San Francisco's Parklet Boom

As the birthplace of the parklets movement, San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area have lots of parklet eye candy to choose from.

May 8, 2015 - SFGate

San Francisco Parking

San Francisco Approves 'Parking Flexibility Ordinance'

A newly approved ordinance in San Francisco will allow new flexibility for the city parking regulations, relaxing parking restrictions in multiple situations that apply all over the city.

April 29, 2015 - SF.Streetsblog

Uber Driver

Uber Now Employs 20,000 in the Bay Area

With over 162,000 full- or part-time "driver partners" nationwide, Uber is an employment giant. The company's 20,000 Bay Area workers place it among the top five regional employers.

April 29, 2015 - SFGate

How Community Benefit Programs Create Value-Added Growth and Protect Public Resources

With redevelopment funding no longer an option, South San Francisco and other cities increasingly are looking to a community benefits platform, according to Murtaza Baxamusa, a planner and urban planning professor.

April 28, 2015 - UrbDeZine

The Castro

Music Clubs in S.F. Fight for Right to Party

Local ordinances typically try to protect residents from excess noise. In San Francisco, though, a city official is proposing policies that would protect the right of musical acts to keep rocking despite the encroachment of new neighbors.

April 23, 2015 - SF Weekly

San Francisco Skyline

San Francisco Seeks Lighter Side of Market Street

San Francisco recently hosted a series of events to make the city's backbone, Market Street, a little more fun. It's the latest of many efforts to revitalize a street that has been problematic even as the rest of the city has boomed.

April 20, 2015 - Next City

More Improvements Coming for Octavia Boulevard in San Francisco

The street that benefitted by one of the most high-profile and successful freeway removals in the country is due for another makeover.

April 15, 2015 - Hoodline

Idiot brigade

More on the Cost of Anti-Growth Policies

As urban centers start making better sense for a digital economy, NIMBY policies might be worth re-examining. In addition to driving up the cost of housing, they may compound inefficiencies and slow down the economy.

April 12, 2015 - The Economist

Study: 8,000 Latinos Have Left the Mission Since 2000

A recent study by the Council of Community Housing Organizations and the Mission Economic Development Agency puts some hard numbers to the displacement forces weeping through a historically Latino neighborhood in San Francisco.

April 5, 2015 - San Francisco Examiner

A Primer on Parklets in San Francisco: Past, Present, Future

The San Francisco Chronicle's urban design critic, John King, knows his San Francisco parklets—from the first ones that started the nationwide urban movement five years ago, to the ones currently in the hopper at the city planning office.

April 2, 2015 - San Francisco Chronicle

Gentrification

Grassroots Activists Take On Evictions, Displacement

On the ground, combating gentrification means putting a stop to cost-driven displacement and evictions. Grassroots organizations in some of the hardest-hit cities have dedicated themselves to that task.

March 31, 2015 - Next City

San Francisco MUNI's New Competition (in the Marina District, at Least)

Live in the Marina District and work downtown or SoMA? You now have more transit choices thanks to two new startups, Chariot and Leap. Think of the two private shuttle services as Google buses for the public, except they are not quite so large.

March 28, 2015 - Ars Technica

Oakland skyline and San Francisco Bay

San Francisco Could Outsource its Affordable Housing

San Francisco has two problems: lack of affordability and lack of space. To alleviate this problem, Oakland is now offering to allow S.F. residents who qualify for affordable housing to move across the Bay.

March 26, 2015 - San Francisco Chronicle

The New Neighbor in the Trendy Mission District: An Innovative Homeless Shelter

Thanks to a $3 million anonymous donation, San Francisco has built a first-of-its kind temporary shelter that will welcome homeless campers along with their belongings and pets.

March 25, 2015 - The Wall Street Journal - U.S. News

Accessory Dwelling Unit

The Trouble with Legalizing Illegal Units

The recent example of a dramatic rent increase in San Francisco may be less about loopholes in current housing laws and more about failing to consider all the implications of rushed legislation.

March 24, 2015 - Reuben Duarte

MonkeyParking App Is Back—This Time It's Legal

The infamous MonkeyParking app that last year ran afoul of public sentiment and the law is back with a new business model that offers residents the chance to auction that most precious of commodities—urban parking space.

March 24, 2015 - San Francisco Magazine

Transit Rendering

Architectural Renderings Depict Only the 'Wired and Young'

John King shares his thoughts on modern renderings. In too many drawings a hipster cult of youth is normalized, and it threatens to paint regular folks and true nonconformists out of the picture.

March 24, 2015 - 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.

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.