California

Meadow Wetlands

California Legislation Recognizes Natural Environments as Water Infrastructure

AB 2480, recently signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown takes a small but important step toward making better use of natural systems for water management infrastructure.

October 7, 2016 - American Rivers

Hotel California

Study Finds California's Economy Slowed by Lack of Housing

Reports from UCLA and UC Riverside show California stymied by housing shortage.

October 6, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

San Francisco

San Francisco's Mission Bay Provides a Case Study for Sea-Level Rise

The San Francisco Chronicle's John King continues his ongoing, in-depth coverage of sea-level rise and its potential impacts on local and regional concerns in the San Francisco Bay Area.

October 4, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

facebook

Facebook Campus Expansion Moving Forward in Menlo Park

A proposal to expand Facebook's footprint in the city of Menlo park gained key approval from the city's planning commission recently. The full City Council still needs to approve the plan.

October 4, 2016 - San Jose Mercury News

Klamath River

Major Dam Removal Proposals Move Forward in California and Oregon

The movement to restore the Klamath River by removing four dams has achieved a major milestone in recent weeks.

October 3, 2016 - KQED

San Francisco Mural

Housing Bond Money Doesn't Go Far in San Francisco's Mission District

The limitations of affordable housing funds are apparent in San Francisco, raising the question of where and how the process of building affordable housing can be improved.

October 3, 2016 - Mission Local

Scramble Tokyo

Engineers Scramble for Pedestrian Safety in Los Angeles and Santa Monica

A "good news" story for pedestrians emerges from the streets of Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Traffic signals at heavily used pedestrian intersections have been reengineered to add a 'scramble phase' and the results are startling.

October 2, 2016 - NBC Los Angeles

Driveway Parking Garage

Today in the New Economy: Driveway-Sharing Apps

Two start-ups promise L.A. drivers on-demand parking and electric vehicle charging.

October 2, 2016 - KPCC

Los Angeles Homeless

Los Angeles Leader Steps Up On Homelessness Crisis

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, a veteran leader at the city, county, and state-level, addresses the funding gaps to address this urgent issue and shares some innovative models being deployed by the county.

October 1, 2016 - The Planning Report

Brisbane

A Call for Housing in Bay Area Suburb

Bay area town Brisbane looks to provide commercial development to cater to San Francisco residents, but resists building housing.

October 1, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Google Headquarters

Is the Company Town Back? Sort Of.

Unlike the earlier iteration, today's full-amenity tech campuses provide their well-paid engineers with Millennial-friendly upper middle class comforts. But is that enough?

September 30, 2016 - Architecture Boston

Ferry Building San Francisco

San Francisco Ellis Act Restrictions Struck Down

An attempt to protect San Francisco tenants from some no-fault evictions was overturned in court.

September 30, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Planning for a Microgrid: Santa Monica Reclaims Industrial Space for Renewable Energy

Cities throughout California, including Santa Monica, have been awarded research and development funding through the California Energy Commission to plan community-scale microgrid solutions.

September 30, 2016 - The Planning Report

Mural Los Angeles

Why New Affordable Housing Draws the Short Straw in Los Angeles

Cecilia Estolano, former Executive Director of Los Angeles’s Community Redevelopment Agency, diagnoses why the region has been unable to provide housing for working-class citizens.

September 29, 2016 - The Planning Report

I-5 Widening

Critiquing the $1.9 Billion Project to Widen I-5 in Los Angeles County

Streetsblog slams Caltrans for wasting $1.9 billion on futile freeway widening projects.

September 29, 2016 - LA.Streetsblog

The gentrifying street-scape of the South Park neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles, California

Downtown L.A.'s Chinese Real Estate Cycle

Chinese developers are pouring money into high-rise housing projects in Los Angeles. But will these be pieds-a-terre for absent buyers? And how are developers dealing with the American regulatory environment?

September 29, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

The Battle Against McMansions Continues in Burbank

With a two-year Interim Development Control Ordinance set to expire in March 2017, Burbank, California is working on new design guidelines for single-family homes.

September 26, 2016 - The Burbank Leader

Chevy Bolt

How Detroit Beat the Silicon Valley to the Breakthrough Electric Vehicle

It costs less than $40,000 and gets over 200 miles to a charge. The Tesla Model 3? Yes, and also the Chevy Bolt, which goes to market first. A New York Times technology columnist writes that 'size matters' when it comes to innovation.

September 26, 2016 - The New York Times - Technology

Golden Gate

Everything You Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask About Prop. 13

A new report from the California Legislative Analyst's Office demystifies the highly consequential and controversial property tax limit enacted by Proposition 13.

September 25, 2016 - California Legislative Analyst's Office

Bay Area City Rejects Crude-by-Rail Terminal, Could Set Precedent

Crude-by-rail opponents are hoping that Benicia's rejection of a proposed rail terminal for a Valero refinery will set a precedent: it was enabled by a U.S. Surface Transportation Board decision allowing the city to have the final word.

September 25, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

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.