California

Nightime view of San Diego skyline

Big Development Plans Proposed for Downtown San Diego

A local developer has proposed a $400 million development that would add several game-changing uses to Downtown San Diego.

January 8, 2016 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Pave Paradise and Put Up a 16-Mile Parking Lot—An Inventory of L.A. County Parking

A new study quantifies the amount of space devoted to parking in Los Angeles County—a figure that just begs to be visualized.

January 7, 2016 - Better Institutions

San Francisco's Yellow Cab to File for Bankruptcy

San Francisco's largest cab company is planning to file for bankruptcy very soon. The competition from transportation network companies is forcing the company, and likely the industry, to completely restructure.

January 7, 2016 - San Francisco Examiner

San Antonio

Ranking Cities By Infill Developments

A list of the cities doing the most to build infill development, courtesy of Infill Score.

January 7, 2016 - Infill Score

As El Niño Arrives, Los Angeles Needs to Update its Stormwater System

"The hard lesson here is that infrastructure systems built to make cities resilient in one era may not serve them well at all in another era," writes Jon Christensen.

January 6, 2016 - LA Observed

Change of Leadership for Los Angeles' Planning Department

Mayor Eric Garcetti has nominated Vince Bertoni to lead the Los Angeles Department of City Planning. Bertoni is currently the planning director of the city of Pasadena.

January 5, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Qualcomm Stadium

3 NFL Teams File Walking Papers

Three teams will attempt to leave town. Resolution of the contentious political situations could be coming very soon.

January 5, 2016 - ESPN

New Year's Gift for Washington and New York City Commuters

Commuters working in New York City and Washington, D.C. will now enjoy transit tickets and passes purchased using pre-tax income.

January 4, 2016 - Planetizen

Will 2016 Be the Year California Finally Raises its 22-Year-Old Gas Tax?

Despite several attempts by Sen. Jim Beall (D-S.J.) and Gov. Jerry Brown, the Republicans have shown no willingness to lend their support to increasing the state gas tax, last raised in 1994, to repair roads and bridges.

January 4, 2016 - Capitol Weekly

Los Angeles Apartments

Clash Over Garden City Apartments in Los Angeles

The Wyvernwood Garden Apartments, a large-scale low-rise development opened in 1939, are at the center of a preservation debate. Lauren Walser gives us the case for keeping them.

January 3, 2016 - National Trust For Historic Preservation

'Transit-Oriented Communities': A New Agenda For L.A. Metro

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is implementing a new vision for "transit-oriented communities."

December 29, 2015 - The Planning Report

Rail Extensions Receive Sizable FTA Grants in Omnibus Spending Bill

Sound Transit, L.A. Metro, and Santa Clara VTA received sizable funding in FTA's New Starts/Small Starts program for their light and heavy rail extensions, thanks to Congressional representatives who included them in the omnibus bill,.

December 28, 2015 - RT&S (Railway Track & Structures)

Funding Revitalization in the Post-Redevelopment Era

A Los Angeles City Councilmember discusses his instructive quest to cobble together funding for the revitalization of his district after the termination of community redevelopment agencies.

December 28, 2015 - The Planning Report

Spotlight on San Francisco's Extremely Green PUC Headquarters

San Francisco's PUC headquarters, "one of the greenest buildings in the nation," cut costs while introducing cutting-edge sustainable technologies to the city.

December 28, 2015 - The Planning Report

Big Transit Happenings Expected for the Sun Belt in 2016

A streak of landmark years for public transit in Sun Belt cities from the West Coast to the Florida Panhandle will continue in 2016.

December 27, 2015 - The Urban Edge

CEQA Abuse 'Choking' Good Development, Study Finds

A study of CEQA litigation revealed widespread abuse that experts say undermines California's environmental sustainability goals.

December 27, 2015 - The Planning Report

Popularity of Electric Vehicles Threatens Viability of Bay Area's Express Lanes

The California DMV announced that the maximum of 85,000 Green Clean Air Vehicle Decals had been issued to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, denying new Volt and plug-in Prius owners the coveted sticker allowing them free access to HOV and HOT lanes.

December 26, 2015 - San Jose Mercury News

Five Surprising Facts About L.A.'s Homeless and How to End Homelessness

Ever have questions about the homeless? Here's a fact filled outline you can use to dispel some common notions about the country's largest homeless population—and some solutions—by affordable housing adviser Michael P. Russell.

December 24, 2015 - UrbDeZine

Orange Line Bus

Remix Promises to Streamline Transit Planning

Based out of San Francisco, Remix is an intuitive, data-rich tool for transit planners as they consider new routes. All you need to do is draw out the line on a map and add stops.

December 24, 2015 - Next City

Both Sides of the Controversial Renewal of the EB-5 Immigration Program

A regional perspective on the Congressional action to renew the controversial EB-5 program.

December 23, 2015 - KPCC

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.