San Francisco
Where Los Angeles Equals San Francisco's Density
Though the Los Angeles region is very dense, significant barriers to transit-oriented planning remain. Based on this analysis, the lack of a central urban core shouldn't be one of them.
San Francisco Resets the Bar with New Online Approvals Database
The online documentation of the San Francisco Planning Department's approval process received a huge upgrade.
America's Best Bike Lane May Finally Earn the Title
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency voted 6-0 on March 3 to approve a controversial plan to redesign 1.3 miles of Polk Street, one of the most dangerous corridors for biking and walking in The City. It only took 2.5 years.
Why New Sources of Capital Matter for Cites
Cities are becoming the new economic engines due to growing sectors in technology and knowledge production. Yet, cities must recognize with that transformation there comes not only opportunities but also new challenges.
A Roadmap for Late-Night Transit Service in the Bay Area
A report called "The Other 9-to-5," released this week by the San Francisco Late Night Transportation Working Group, maps out late night transportation options around the Bay Area and provides recommendations for permanently expanding service.
Transportation Start-up Fails for Being Too Public-Minded
Night School, planning to use school bus fleets to supplement late-night Bay Area transit, lost the regulatory fights Uber and Lyft handily won.
Making Public Spaces Actually Public
Developers get a lot of milage from building privately owned public spaces—but the public often doesn't. Planners in San Francisco are now requiring buildings to make hidden POPS known, so that the public can actually use them.
Where Have All the Anti-Tech Protestors Gone?
In San Francisco at this time last year, Google bus protestors and Ellis Act rage were making the news everyday. The City seems a little more...adjusted these days.
Auto Use Holds Steady in San Francisco
Even as innovations like ridesharing take hold in tech-friendly San Francisco, the percentage of trips taken by personal auto is stuck at just under 50 percent.
Poll: San Francisco Loves the Tech Industry
San Francisco Mayor Ed lee is so far running unopposed for re-election next Fall, which means that voters won't be offered a chance for a referendum on his support for the tech industry.
San Francisco Outpaces its Greenhouse Gas Emissions Goals
Calling the news proof that "fighting climate change and growing a thriving economy can go hand-in-hand," San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced some substantial progress in greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
San Francisco's Presidio Celebrated for Bridging Nature and Culture
The Presidio is, and will remain, a source of San Francisco's most contentious planning and design proposals. But the reason for the controversy isn't all bad, according to John King: "everyone sees their own potential paradise."
Local Revenue Funding More Bay Area Road Maintenance
The greater Bay Area is enjoying a substantial increase in road maintenance funding from local measures, like bonds, city and county sales taxes, and development fees, part of a growing trend in compensating for a shortage of state gas tax funds.
Golden Gate Bridge Safety Measures Inspire Drivers to Speed
In more proof of how far perceived safety goes in establishing the speed of drivers, the California Highway Patrol is dealing with the unintended consequences of changes on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Lots of Work Left for San Francisco's Affordable Housing Goals
San Francisco's State of the City address provided an opportunity to check in on the progress of the affordable housing agenda of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.
'Showers on Wheels' and Other Design Interventions to Help the Homeless
Recent years have produced no dearth of design interventions to improve quality of life for wealthy urban dwellers, but some recent efforts in San Francisco are targeted to help the city's homeless population.
Pitching a Pop-Up Beer Garden for the Giants' Waterfront Ballpark
The San Francisco Giants are proposing a clever scheme to activate the space in one of its ballpark adjacent parking lots. The Yard, as it's called, could be ready by Spring Training.
Alta Bicycle Share Changes its Name
Alta Bicycle Share is now known as Motivate. So let it be written. So let it be done.
First New U.S. Waste-to-Energy Plant in 20 Years to Open in Florida
Waste-to-energy plants, or incinerators, are classified as renewable power plants by the EPA. A controversial Baltimore plant is under construction as well. More common in Europe, they may be catching on stateside due to low recycling rates.
How To: Design a User-Friendly Museum Exhibition about Planning
John King writes that the "Gallery + Ideas Forum" at the Presidio in San Francisco provides an excellent model for presenting issues and ideas of planning and urban design to the public.
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
