California
Southern California's Metrolink Defies Declining Ridership Trends
Primarily serving commuters in the Greater Los Angeles metro area, Metrolink just attained the highest annual ridership in its 27-year existence. Officials chalk up the increase to a significant investment in marketing.
Op-Ed: Only Half of San Francisco is Changing
Using a mid 20th-century painting as his point of reference, Benjamin Schneider points out that the vast, disruptive changes we often associate with San Francisco are only affecting the city's eastern side.
As Housing Units Multiply, Local Businesses Struggle to Hang On in Downtown Oakland
The city of Oakland, across the bay from San Francisco, is the rare California city quickly adding housing units to the urban core. Local businesses are struggling to hang on as construction changes the fabric of the neighborhood.
Good and Bad News in California's Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory
Overall greenhouse gas emissions in California dropped 1% in 2017, according to the inventory by the California Air Resources Board, which includes a 9% drop in emissions from electricity generation and a 1% increase in transportation emissions.
Oil and Water: Ride-Hailing and Airport Traffic
It's not your imagination. Surface traffic at airports is worse than ever, according to this article, because of ride-hailing companies.
Scooter 'Redlining' Raises Questions in San Francisco
San Francisco hoped a competitive permitting process would ensure considerations of equity in the operations of scooters in the city. The results haven't lived up to expectations.
A New Kind of Planning Controversy: the Emoji House
A complaint about an illegal Airbnb, a very visual response, and a headache for city officials in the city of Manhattan Beach, California.
Protecting the Pacific Ocean
Mark Gold discusses his new role at the Ocean Protection Council and addressing the challenges facing the California’s marine resources.
Beach Cruisers: The Gateway Bike
There's still time for a leisurely bike ride alongside a large body of water. You might enjoy it, even if you've never thought of yourself as a bike person.
Volunteers Work to Reclaim an City's Watershed From Trash and Abuse
The Tuolumne River originates in the pristine environment of Yosemite National Park, but eventually some of the water makes its way into the Central Valley and the city of Modesto, where conditions are far less natural.
Cracked Beams Repaired, Commuters Return to San Francisco's Transbay Terminal
After a ten-month closure necessary after inspectors found cracked beams in the Transbay transit terminal mere weeks after opening, regular bus operations finally returned to the $2.2 billion facility earlier this week.
A Retiring Dean Considers the Changing Responsibilities of Planners
Former L.A. City Councilmember and retiring Cal Poly College of Environmental Design Dean Michael Woo reminds readers of the visionary responsibilities of elected officials to ensure the plans of today indeed consider the needs of tomorrow.
Gentrification and Race in the San Francisco Bay Area
A feature article revisits the gentrification and displacement discussion, especially as it pertains to racial and economic demographics, in one of the nation's most troubled and challenging housing markets.
Obsolete Bus-Stop Sign or Treasured Memorabilia?
Sacramento Regional Transit is overhauling its bus system in September, so they old signs for stops will have to go. Instead of scrapping the old signs, the agency is giving them away for collectors' items.
Light Rail to Be Extended East of Los Angeles Again
The longest rail line in the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority system will be extended again, and could eventually cross county lines.
Battle of the Bay: Oakland Ahead of San Francisco in Housing Construction
Call it a role reversal: Oakland is building far more apartments and housing units than San Francisco—a reversal of the history of development in the Bay Area.
Los Angeles County Sets 2050 Carbon Neutrality Target
Land use and transportation planning will play key roles in an effort by Los Angeles County to achieve carbon neutrality in 30 years.
Level of Service Canceled in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles City Council voted to officially end the use of Level of Service in measuring environmental impact in favor of a more people-friendly measure: vehicle miles traveled.
Report: Impact Fees Add 18 Percent to the Cost of Housing in California
Development impact fees in California triple the national average. A bill in the State Legislature would reform the state's development fees, as one measure in an effort to build more housing in the state.
Renewable Natural Gas Makes Inroads in California, Oregon, and Missouri
What is expected to be the nation's largest dairy biogas operation opened in the Central Valley. To the north, Gov. Kate Brown signed the nation's first bill to establish goals to add renewable gas to pipelines, and pigs in Missouri also made news.
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
