California

Innovative Approaches May Save Physical Retail
In places like San Jose, "new approaches to the storefront" are paying dividends for physical retailers willing to experiment.

Op-Ed: Let's Make Urban Design Inspiring Again
Allison Arieff finds fault with the nation's uninspired conversation on infrastructure. When urban design projects have more emotional appeal, she argues, they can unify rather than divide.

Los Angeles Investing in a Transit-Oriented Olympics
Ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games, Los Angeles is rallying around infrastructure buildout and technological advancement.

L.A. Developer Caught Making Illegal Campaign Donations
Developer Samuel Leung is facing shocking counts of conspiracy, money laundering, and bribery.

One Giant Leap for Self-Driving Cars in California
California regulators approved new rules for autonomous vehicles, shifting the required human backup from behind the wheel to a remote location.

Lessons on Resilience and Recovery from 2017's Worst Disasters
Dissecting successful disaster response in places like Houston and Mexico City could help California prepare for the inevitable.

Guess Who's Disrupting the Parking and Valet Business
Ride hailing reduces the need for parking services, as well as parking spaces, and parking companies are feeling the effects. New data comes from a major U.S. parking management company based in San Diego, thanks to the Union-Tribune.

Both Sides of the Parking Spectrum
Examples from California and Texas exemplify two extremes in thinking about parking.

A Traffic Solution 'Straight Out of the 1950s'
That's how the Los Angeles Times editorial board characterized the $6 billion plan by Los Angeles Metro to widen the 710 freeway. "A waste of money," they assert. Key to the solution is how to deal with goods movement from the seaport complex.

Bay Area's Transbay Dilemma: Second BART Tube or Second Bay Bridge?
In December, Sen. Dianne Feinstein reactivated her call for a southern crossing over the Bay while the BART Board last week began studying a second Transbay tube. The San Francisco Chronicle editorial board opines on which is preferable.

Is CEQA the Main Impediment to Housing Construction in California?
According to a new study by UC Berkeley and Columbia University, local land use processes, specifically the approval process, rather than the California Environmental Quality Act, is the main impediment to housing production in California.

'Screen Door' Pilot to Be Installed at Oakland BART Station
The 12th Street station in Oakland, California will provide an initial test of a rail transit safety technology known as screen doors. Screen doors are rare in the United States, but not in other parts of the world.

Metro's Busy Blue Line Connection Between L.A., Long Beach to Close for Eight Months
One of the most heavily used rail lines in the country, the Metro Blue Line in Los Angeles County, will be closed for eight months in 2019.

A Second Transbay Tube for BART: Let the Planning Commence
BART passengers could someday see a second route across the San Francisco Bay, with a parallel but totally new alignment and crossing points on the either side of the bay.

San Francisco's Outer Neighborhoods Fear Change from Housing Bill
Legislation from a former supervisor could transform much of San Francisco, particularly the outer-neighborhoods, by increasing heights and density along transit corridors. Opposition is growing.

Two Transit Agencies Using Their Clout to Spur Affordable Housing
More transit agencies are recognizing that it's not enough to build transit infrastructure if the people who really need it don't live close enough to use it.

Reevaluating Rent Control
Cities and researchers are reconsidering the effects of the controversial housing policy known as rent control.

Equitable Development in the Mission District
A local nonprofit created a real estate development wing to stem the tide of displacement in San Francisco.

California City Bans 'Distracted Walking'
It is illegal to operate a mobile phone to talk, text or listen to music while crossing the street in Montclair, California

Sacramento Streetcar Faces Uncertain Future Due to Trump Budget
The president's Fiscal Year 2019 Budget cuts the critical Capital investment Grants program run by the Federal Transit Administration. Projects lacking a full-funding grant agreement, like the Sacramento Streetcar, may fall victim.
Pagination
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