San Francisco

Will SF Voters Get Final Say Over Waterfront Development?

A ballot measure being proposed by the Sierra Club’s San Francisco chapter would take certain waterfront development decisions out of the hands of the city's Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, and give it to the voters.

January 6, 2014 - Sf Examiner

San Francisco Explores Several Ways to Relieve Housing Pressure

Building on public lands and tweaking the city's inclusionary housing program are just two of the options being considered by San Francisco leaders and housing advocates to help alleviate the city's growing affordability crisis.

December 31, 2013 - San Francisco Examiner

Second Attempt at Free WiFi in San Francisco Launched on Market Street

After an unsuccessful attempt in 2007, the City is at it again, but doing so in stages. Already in use in limited areas like City Hall and public housing projects, Monday's Market Street roll-out creates a nexus between wifi and surface transit.

December 18, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

Investment in Infrastructure Leads to Jump in S.F. Cyclists

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's annual bike count reveals that cycling has increased 14 percent in the city since 2011 and 96 percent since 2006.

December 16, 2013 - SFGate

San Francisco's Electric Bus Pollution Problem

There are no emissions of pollutants or noise from these electric buses that receive power from overhead wires; but it's the wires that are viewed by some as visual pollution. Powered from the city's hydroelectric dam, they are truly carbon-free.

December 15, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

New Report Recommends a Regional Solution to S.F.'s Affordability Crisis

Could Silicon Valley play a key role in alleviating San Francisco's growing affordability crisis? That's among the suggestions put forth in a new report from SPUR that outlines specific ways that San Jose could attract young professionals.

December 13, 2013 - SFGate

Ten Billion Dollar Tally for Fixing S.F.'s Transportation Infrastructure

What would $10.1 billion in transportation-directed funding buy San Francisco? Not as much as you might think. That's what a Task Force has determined it will take to modernize the city's existing infrastructure.

November 26, 2013 - sfgate.com

Cities Pursue Different Paths to One Goal: Safer Streets

In the face of rising pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities, the District of Columbia's police department began deploying automated photo enforcement technologies while San Francisco took a multi-agency, collaborative planning approach.

November 26, 2013 - Transportation Nation

San Francisco Monopoly

San Francisco's Crisis of Affluence

The booming tech industry has brought economic development to the Bay Area. But lavish lifestyles, astronomical housing prices, and rising evictions has put the industry in the crosshairs of a very public backlash. Can the city broker peace?

November 25, 2013 - The New York Times

San Francisco Looks to Limit "No Fault" Evictions

Beset by a wave of so-called "no fault" evictions, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and state legislators are taking aim at the Ellis Act, and the speculators who utilize the California law to force tenants out of their rent-controlled homes.

November 19, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

New Pinterest Headquarters Favors Flexibility Over Tradition

The social media company Pinterest has a new home, in a converted 45,000-square-foot warehouse in San Francisco.

November 17, 2013 - Dezeen

Batkid Saves San Francisco

Thousands of people helped transform San Francisco into Gotham City on Friday on order to fulfill a young cancer patient's wish. Miles Scott experienced a day he'll never forget and those following from afar were treated to a heartwarming story.

November 16, 2013 - NPR

The U.S. City with the Highest Median Rent is....

If you guessed the Big Apple, you'd be wrong. It's the City by the Bay with a median rent of $1,463; New York City had the fifth highest at $1,187. San Jose, Boston, and Washington, D.C. were ranked second, third, and fourth respectively.

November 15, 2013 - The San Francisco Examiner

A Bike Route Map That Harry Beck Would Be Proud Of

A "wonderfully simplified" map of San Francisco's best bicycle routes modeled on Harry Beck's revolutionary map for the London Underground aims to encourage people to saddle up through clean graphic design.

November 13, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

What to Watch for in Today's Elections

Off-year elections rarely generate much interest from voters. But at a time when those in D.C. can't seem to get much done, local elections are, in many ways, deciding the direction of the U.S. Mike Riggs examines some of compelling storylines.

November 5, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

An Urban Resurgence Driven by Tweets

The arrival of "one of the technology industry’s next big things" has been just the medicine needed to help turn around one of San Francisco's most stubbornly downtrodden areas.

November 5, 2013 - The New York Times

America's Top Neighborhoods for Trick-or-Treating

Once again, the fine people at the real estate web portal Zillow have assembled their top 20 cities for trick-or-treating. This year they've gone one step further and identified the top 5 neighborhoods in each city for enterprising candy collectors.

October 31, 2013 - Zillow

Seattle skyline

Seattle's Low-Cost, High-Efficiency Street Parking Program

For an effective, low-cost alternative to San Francisco’s bank-breaking street parking program, look no further than Seattle.

October 26, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

The Dangers of Distracted Subway Riding

Former Treasury Secretary LaHood made distracted driving a pet cause. The dangers of walking and texting are well documented. But would could straphangers have to fear from smartphones? Plenty, as the death of a S.F. Muni rider illustrates.

October 15, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

facades of victorian style residences in San Francisco

Protecting San Francisco's Character Has Transformed It

By "protecting" San Francisco's physical character through down-zoning and NIMBY activism, the city has transformed its social character, as families, young adults, and others flee the city to find cheaper rents. A regional solution is required.

October 14, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

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.