California

Tech SHuttle

One Man Reports a Quarter of All Tech Shuttle Infractions in San Francisco

A 70-year-old San Francisco resident is on a one-man mission to keep tech shuttles on the straight and narrow.

September 1, 2016 - San Francisco Examiner

Climate CHange

All Eyes on California's New Emissions Reductions Requirement

As difficult as it was for the legislature to pass SB 32 on Aug. 24, reducing emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 will prove far more challenging. Brad Plumer, senior editor of Vox, explains the bill and what it will take to meet the goal.

September 1, 2016 - Vox

Transit Oriented Development

Pasadena Eases Into Bikeshare, Complete Streets

Located northeast of downtown Los Angeles, Pasadena is a "destination city" of its own. A recent push to make its streets more bike-friendly coincides with the upcoming arrival of bikeshare.

August 31, 2016 - Pasadena Star-News

Voting

This November, Four Major Transportation Measures at Stake

If you live in Detroit, Atlanta, Seattle, or Los Angeles, you have more to look forward to in November than choosing Donald or Hillary. Major decisions concerning regional transportation are on the line.

August 31, 2016 - Governing

Gentrification

Mapping Gentrification and Displacement in California

The Urban Displacement project produces not only a detailed portrait of gentrification and displacement in California, but also a comparison between the state's two mega regions: the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California.

August 30, 2016 - UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

Stahl House Los Angeles

L.A. City Council Chooses Legal Limbo for Accessory Dwelling Units

Faced with the task of conforming its "granny flats" ordinance with state law, the Los Angeles City Council yielded.

August 29, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Traffic Deaths Take a Big Jump in 2016

A 9 percent increase in fatalities on the nation's highways compared to the same period in 2015 does not appear to be a result of increased driving, which jumped 3.3 percent during that period, but rather an increase in the rate of fatal crashes.

August 29, 2016 - National Safety Council

Los Angeles Skyline with houses

Urban Forestry in L.A. Explained

Los Angeles County has inventoried their trees and devised a strategy for fostering an urban canopy. Park planner Clement Lau explains.

August 28, 2016 - UrbDeZine

Ride Hailing to Replace Former Bus Route

A small public transit company serving the East Bay will be the first in California to conduct a pilot project to use transportation network companies and taxis to service low density areas of Dublin in Alameda County.

August 27, 2016 - KQED News

Yosemite

Planetizen Week in Review: August 26, 2016

It only takes two minutes and 55 seconds to catch up on the biggest news stories from the week in planning.

August 26, 2016 - Planetizen

Shasta

Climate Change Requires a Different Paradigm for California's Water Supply

Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, explains how the impacts of California’s historic drought are already changing the landscape of the American Southwest.

August 26, 2016 - The Planning Report

Sacramento

Sacramento Rising: Mayor-Elect Darrell Steinberg's Vision for Sustainable Communities

Mayor-Elect Steinberg enters City Hall as a leader with a unique opportunity to enact sustainable infill policies he championed in the California Legislature.

August 26, 2016 - The Planning Report

San Jose, California

With Help from The White House, Key California Climate Bill Advances

SB 32, the bill that continues the Golden State's rigorous carbon-cutting agenda, had failed last year and looked like it would do the same this year. It cleared the Democrat-controlled state Assembly on Tuesday, receiving one, lone Republican vote.

August 25, 2016 - Office of California State Senator Fran Pavley

Echo Park

Los Angeles' Neighborhood Integrity Initiative Presents Demands to City Leaders

Last week, leaders of the initiative to curb development in L.A. surprisingly presented Mayor Eric Garcetti with an ultimatum: Agree to their list of demands by August 24, or they will take the issue to the March 2017 ballot.

August 24, 2016 - The Planning Report

Boyle Heights

East Los Angeles Community Groups Prove that Community Planning Matters

The landscape of community development in Los Angeles today differs vastly from even a few years ago. Two groups in East L.A. are developing solutions to accelerating gentrification and displacement and a compounding affordable housing crisis.

August 24, 2016 - The Planning Report

Fringe Development

California's $400 Million for By-Right Affordable Housing Dies in the Legislature

An affordable housing proposal proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown failed to marshal the necessary support in the State Legislature, facing opposition from a coalition of labor and environmental groups, as well as the League of California Cities.

August 24, 2016 - San Francisco Housing Action Coalition

Brooklyn

Op-Ed: Stay Expensive, New York—It Helps the Rest of the U.S.

Here's a controversial assertion: expensive, desirable cities are doing everyone else a favor by forcing people to move.

August 24, 2016 - Bloomberg View

Bay Bridge Toll Traffic

Bad Roads and Bridges Costing California Motorists as Much as $2,800 Annually

The transportation research group, TRIP, tallied costs from additional crashes, higher operating costs, and congestion that result from insufficient investment in California's roads and bridges. A new effort was launched to increase state funding.

August 24, 2016 - tripnet.org

Eichler

The Silicon Valley Adds Another Single-Story Overlay District

The footprint of the so-called single-story overlay districts is growing in the Silicon Valley.

August 23, 2016 - San Jose Mercury News

Sacramento

For Sale: Naming Rights to Sacramento-Area Light Rail Stations

Is anybody buying?

August 22, 2016 - The Sacramento Bee

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.