California
Plans Advance for Orange County Streetcar
The $289 million streetcar would serve the cities of Santa Ana (population 329,00), county seat and second densest in California after San Francisco, and Garden Grove (population 170,000) on a 4.1-mile route. Service could begin 2020.
Legislature Raises Questions on Draft 2016 California High-Speed Rail Business Plan
Uncertainty as to whether cap-and-trade funding would continue past 2020 and opposition to the initial operating segment leaving out the city of Merced were two issues that arose during a Assembly Transportation Committee hearing of the plan.
Could Tent Cities Work in California?
Seeking new approaches to a growing homelessness problem, Sacramento officials recently toured the "tent cities" of Seattle.
L.A. County's Strategy for Better Park Planning Explained
Los Angeles County's Community Parks and Recreation Plans (CPRPs) are an evolved methodology to process a broad range of data to better site and design community parks. CPRPs are explained by L.A. County park planner Clement Lau
Op-Ed: Tech Can Enhance Parks
In the traditional view, nature and digital technology clash. But for many people, tech can offer ways to better engage with parks.
Creating an Urban Mobility Ecosystem Helps Public and Private Actors
With new transportation options coming to cities from a plethora of innovators and entrepreneurs, how will public transit agencies respond? Are these modes in competition, or does their widespread use actually benefit one another?
Cities Try To Figure Out How To Be 'Resilient'
The organization 100 Resilient Cities has funded 'chief resilience officers' in 66 cities worldwide. It's helping four California cities prepare for 'stresses and shocks' including earthquakes, sea level rise, and even poverty.
Will San Diego's Sweeping Stadium and Tourism Initiative Pass Constitutional Muster?
A coalition of unlikely allies are circulating a sweeping ballot initiative in San Diego that would decide a hodge-podge of land use and tax issues confronting the city in one fell swoop. But is it legal?
U.S. Gasoline Consumption Up, Oil Production Down
Gas prices are on the rise, though they will remain well below 2014 levels through this year. U.S. oil production dropped by 600,000 barrels from last year, while gas consumption is on track to break the 2007 record thanks to cheap gas and more SUVs.
Op-Ed Urges Pasadena to Adopt Balanced Homeless Measures
Pasadena should adopt measures that couple homeless services with controls on aggressive panhandling and camping in certain areas of the city, urges Jonathan P. Bell, urban planner and Pasadena resident.
Stormwater Permits Create Funding Problems for SoCal Cities
The MS4 Permit was designed as a way to clean up urban stormwater runoff in Southern California. Many of the smaller cities in the region, however, are struggling to pay the bill to cover the permits costs.
How BART Hopes to Open the Rush Hour Window
In the hopes of letting some air into the congested rush hour commute, BART is considering a social-media focused program to entice riders onto trains at times other than the peak commute.
Four Cities to Explore the Frontiers of Infrastructure Finance
City Accelerator selected four cities to test new options for financing the infrastructure investments of the 21st century and beyond.
It's Raining Data in California's Water Agencies
Open data could be a powerful tool for understanding and managing drought conditions in California, and the state is preparing to release an initial 20 datasets with plans for more.
BART Resumes Partial Service on East Bay Line, but Problem Not Fixed
Partial service was restored Monday between two East Bay stations on a BART line after being discontinued last Wednesday due to a mysterious power surge that rendered nine percent of BART's operating fleet out of service.
EPA Rejects Southern California Plan to Reduce Fine Particulate Pollution
The South Coast Air Quality Management District is in the news again, this time for going too easy on the region's big polluters—just what staff had warned would happen before the board fired its well-respected executive director.
The Little Park That Could: The New Park on Southern California's Gold Line
A new train themed park at a Metro Gold Line station in Monrovia is reviewed by park planner Clement Lau.
How Gaming Can Revolutionize Planning
The new game Block’Hood seeks to illustrate and educate about the connection between sustainability and social and economic needs in city and neighborhood building.
Activist and Urbanist Collaborate for San Diego's North Park
San Diego's diverse urban North Park Community, once a victim of suburban flight, is now dealing with urban remigration. Urban planner Howard Blackson and community activist Don Leichtling collaborate on community plan update recommendations.
Infographic: Incomes Along Los Angeles Metro Lines
As Los Angeles weighs the merits of more major funding for Metro Rail projects, the current slate of new routes is already coming online. This graphic depicts median household incomes along existing and future rail lines.
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
