California
Experts Weigh in on Decision to Move California to VMT as Metric for Impacts
In a significant effort to shift from sprawl toward incentivizing low-carbon transportation options, California is revising the way it measures traffic impacts of development projects under its Environmental Quality Act.
San Francisco Rethinks the Costs of Parking
The debate over the impacts of parking isn't new, but San Francisco planners are hoping that their approach to parking will provide new mobility solutions in a growing city.
The Root Causes of the D.C. Metro Crisis
The 40-year-old system, second busiest in the nation after New York's, has seen ridership decline since 2010 as the region grows. A major cause is "frequency delays." The Washington Post reporters state that the subway has entered a death spiral.
Los Angeles Reaps the Benefits of Restoring the Santa Monica Bay
Los Angeles has made major progress in restoring the Santa Monica Bay. Now, The Bay Foundation's Tom Ford sees opportunities for L.A. to capitalize on its natural resources.
Esoteric No More: Facadism Explained
Facadism is a critical concept for evaluating projects that rehabilitate, renovate, or redevelop historic structures—but it's often considered too esoteric for conversation. It's time we all got on the same page.
High Tech Embraces Suburban-Style Office Park Thinking
Critics claim tech companies such as Apple and Google are guilty of repeating past mistakes of urban development by creating suburban campuses that isolate themselves from the surrounding community.
Seattle Housing Prices Starting to Look Like San Francisco
Seattle's housing prices have ballooned on a level comparable to San Francisco, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.
Where Have All the Writers Gone?
Aaron Renn identifies the negative effects of ongoing concentration of media professionals of the "writer" variety in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
Oakland Approves 90-Day Moratorium on Evictions
Taking steps to prevent Oakland from becoming the next San Francisco, the East Bay city passed a 90-day moratorium on certain kinds of evictions.
How Bay Area Cities Are Dealing with the Housing Crunch
A booming-once-again tech sector and a rapidly increasing population in the Bay Area are aggravating a historically tight housing market. Preservation architect Jerri Holan looks at how Bay Area cities are dealing with the housing crunch.
Artists Plan a Mini Golf Course to Teach About Zoning and Gentrification
An art installation called "The Back 9" is planned for Los Angeles' Skid Row to tackle the issues of gentrification, zoning, and back room deals for development rights.
Silicon Valley Preparing for Switch to a High Frequency Bus Grid
A Silicon Valley columnist debates the tough political questions inherent to the process of redesigning local bus service.
Anatomy of a San Francisco YIMBY
The New York Times provides an in-depth exploration of the politics and personalities behind the YIMBY organization known as the SF Bay Area Renters' Federation (BARF).
Latest 'Muni Forward' Changes Mean Route Changes, Frequency Improvements
Muni will soon launch the fourth phase of improvement to San Francisco's transit system.
Los Angeles Looking for New Planners, New Community Plans
Mayor Eric Garcetti has announced his commitment to the planning process in Los Angeles by proposing a program that would hire new planners and launch new planning efforts at the community level.
A Watershed Moment for Ferries in the San Francisco Bay Area
With BART showing its age and struggling to meet growing demand, water-borne vehicles a potential panacea for transit in the San Francisco Bay Area?
Transit May Not Reduce Congestion—But It's Still Important
Laura Bliss argues that rather than promise to reduce congestion, Los Angeles Metro should embrace its real beneficiaries: non-drivers.
Los Angeles' Plan to Keep 'Bootleg' Units Affordable
Los Angeles is moving toward creating a path to amnesty and affordability for habitable, but unpermitted residential units.
California Environmental Law Continues to Frustrate Bike Planning (for Now)
Help is on the way. The law that requires the governor's planning office to devise an alternative method for measuring vehicle traffic for environmental compliance will also take up where an earlier law that exempted bike lanes from CEQA left off.
A Critical Take on Public Engagement
Zelda Bronstein makes plenty of points likely to inspire disagreement among planners in this argument calling for a better form of public engagement—one that's substantive and integral, not an afterthought.
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
