California
Tech Success Contrasts With Immigrants' Peril In Los Angeles
The 800,000 undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles County are at the opposite end of the socioeconomic spectrum from the 1,900 employees at Snapchat. The fate of both populations have deep implications for L.A.'s housing crisis.
How Los Angeles Can Design for Density
Good urban design can make growth more appealing.
More than Twenty Bills Introduced in Texas Legislature to Stop High-Speed Rail
The California high-speed rail project is not alone in confronting legal and political obstacles. The main issue in Texas that has aroused opposition to the privately financed, 240-mile Dallas to Houston bullet train is the use of eminent domain.
Caltrans Releases Draft Plan on Active Transportation
Public comment is now open on the plan, which aims to make walking and bicycling safe and equitable options by 2040.
Parking Permits Cause Tension in SoCal Neighborhoods
Renters and homeowners are competing for permit districts in some Southern California cities.
Understanding the Varieties of NIMBYism
"To get beyond NIMBYism, we first must understand it," writes Richard Florida.
Another Year of Falling Ridership for L.A.'s Metro System
Even as extensions to the Gold Line and Measure S seem to paint a brighter future for public transit in Los Angeles, commuters continue to use less public transit, especially buses.
A Legislative Challenge to Ballot-Box Planning in California
On March 7, Angelenos will vote on Measure S, which would enact a two-year moratorium on denser development. State legislation introduced on Feb. 16 would require a two-thirds vote for these types of slow growth ballot measures.
Trump's California Double Play: Potential Fatal Blow to Commuter and High-Speed Rail
In one of her first major decisions, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao deferred a decision on a critical $647 million federal grant to electrify the 51-mile San Francisco to San Jose Caltrain line, which would also be used by high-speed rail.
A More Disorderly Urban Form Praised in UN's Quito Papers
A UN conference in Quito Ecuador in October 2016 looked at housing the world’s growing urban population. The Conference resulted in a document and film advocating a more organic and disorderly urban form.
San Francisco's Raised Bike Lanes Fail to…Rise
Citing problems with the raised lanes on Market Street, the city walks back plan for raised bike lane on Polk.
Should Online Shopping Change How We Use Ground-Level Space?
Urbanist Jane Jacobs' support for mixed use development has long been seen as the best urban design strategy, but this vision assumed that the retail space under housing could be rented. What if that is no longer the case?
California High-Speed Rail: Under Construction for Two Years Despite Obstacles
In spite of a host of problems, over 1,000 parcels have been acquired and construction is occurring in nine areas in the Central Valley, centering on Fresno. Limited service from San Francisco to Bakersfield could begin in 2025.
Los Angeles to Update Community Plans Every 6 Years
Los Angeles has approved new rules aimed at increasing accountability in the planning process—and at preempting a more severe approach promised by an upcoming ballot measure.
Oroville Dam Crisis Foreseen Over 11 Years Ago
Had federal authorities acted on the motion filed by three environmental groups in October 2005, nearly 200,000 people in three counties would not have been forced to evacuate due to a poorly constructed emergency spillway for Oroville Dam.
San Francisco Can't Agree on Affordable Housing Formula
Mayor Ed Lee comes out against the city controller's proposed percentages for affordable housing, saying the numbers, "…have no relevance to what we economically can accomplish"
Caltrain Electrification: Casualty of Republican Animus for High-Speed Rail?
California's GOP congressional delegation has written the U.S. DOT asking them to delay a vital $647 million grant needed to electrify the 55-mile, San Francisco-to-San Jose commuter line on which 92 diesel-powered commuter trains operate daily.
Los Angeles' Plan to Cool Down
Los Angeles has a heat problem, and it's getting worse. But the Mayor's Office is taking on the challenge.
Unveiling Renters' Hidden NIMBYism
This research shows that renters in high-cost cities can be just as prone to NIMBYism as homeowners, even as they theoretically support more housing. This is housing supply's collective action problem.
San Francisco and San Jose Propose Joint Pilot Program for Speed Cameras
Legislation proposed by San Francisco Assemblyman David Chiu would authorize a red camera pilot program to last five years and apply only to the two cities. California lacks laws permitting automated speed enforcement.
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
