California
100-Year-Old Law Explains Why There Are So Many Trucks on the Highway
A powerful lobby is more in interested in protecting its monopoly than lessening congestion and pollution.
The New 'Mission Moratorium': Bikeshare
Neighborhood groups in the Mission District of San Francisco, already a hotbed of gentrification and displacement controversies, are opposing the expansion of the city's bikeshare system into a large, transit-adjacent area of the city.
Santa Monica Mayor: High Inclusionary Housing is Worth the Risk
Mayor Ted Winterer and Mayor Pro Tem Gleam Davis elaborate on the city’s new Downtown Community Plan, which includes what may be the state's highest inclusionary housing requirement.
Cannabis Company Buys Tiny California Town
Purchased for $5 million, Nipton, California is slated to become "the country’s first energy-independent, cannabis-friendly hospitality destination."
New Community Plan Poises Downtown L.A. for Transformation
In addition to a contemporary vision for Downtown, the plan debuts a new approach to zoning that could help transform the entire city.
Rail Redundancy Shouldn't Be Self-Destructive
Los Angeles Metro's new Gold Line light rail extension is attracting riders from the regional Metrolink commuter rail line that serves San Bernardino. The editorial board of the Daily Bulletin suggests that's not necessarily a problem.
California Cities Continue to Criminalize Homelessness with RV Bans
Coastal cities are taking a no-tolerance approach to RVs on their streets, even as they otherwise strive to mitigate and prevent homelessness.
New Bridge in Fresno Makes Way for High Speed Rail
Though the news about the California High Speed Rail projects seems to oscillate between good and bad every month, there's at least one tangible sign of progress for the project: a new bridge in Fresno built to make room for the powerful trains.
User Fees and Sales Tax Dollars Finance $1.9 Billion Four-Lane Freeway Widening
A 16-mile express lane and general purpose lane will be added in each direction of the San Diego Freeway in Orange County. A $629 million TIFIA loan will be repaid by toll-paying motorists, while all taxpayers pay most of the remainder.
Editorial: Ambitious Plans Don't Work Without Political Leadership
The Los Angeles Times critiques the political culture in Los Angeles. In this case, it's the failure of a road diet project that provoked the criticism, but these lessons apply to the city's bicycle plans and homeless housing plans, too.
San Francisco Creates 'Office of Cannabis'
A "one-stop shop" for marijuana businesses will open in time for the statewide legalization of the industry this January.
Water Controversy in the Palm Springs Desert
The city of Los Angeles is weighing in on a proposal to pump groundwater from the desert near Palm Springs.
Worldwide Response to the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics: Skepticism
More than one media outlet praised Los Angeles' optimism for cutting a deal with the International Olympics Committee to host the 2028 Olympics.
Are Reports Predicting a Future of Electric Vehicles Exaggerated?
David Yager, an oil industry consultant, writes that recent reports predicting electric vehicles will eventually outsell those with internal combustion engines are vastly exaggerated, notwithstanding national bans on future sales of such cars.
Electrifying California: Volkswagen Settlement Approved
The biggest obstacle to the adoption of electric vehicles in California, a shortage of charging infrastructure, just became a lot more manageable thanks to $200 million from Volkswagen stemming the from the dieselgate settlement.
A Logistics Warehouse Near an Elementary School Raises Questions
Some are worried about the truck traffic and air pollution likely to follow after a logistics warehouse gets built within visual distance of a San Bernardino school.
San Joaquin Water Treatment Plant Still Not on Track
California's San Joaquin Valley has an opportunity to build a treatment facility to bring water from the Kings River to communities in Tulare County, but so far infighting among towns in the county has prevented work from starting on that plant.
California's Housing Hypocrisy on Display in Marin County
Dan Walters, one of the most well known and longest tenured journalists and observers of California politics, has penned a scathing critique of Marin County's approach to growth.
Housing Density a Missing Link for Emissions Reductions in California
Emissions from electricity generation are decreasing while those from transportation are increasing. If communities don't increase housing density to change travel patterns, it will only get worse, but the challenges may be insurmountable.
Light Rail Cannibalizing Commuter Rail in Southern California
New transit lines are usually intended to provide an alternative to driving. But what happens when a new train line provides an alternative to an older train line?
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
