California
The Early History of the 'Smart Cities' Movement—in 1974 Los Angeles
An article in Boom: A Journal of California extends the timeline of "smart cities" and "big data" efforts by a considerable amount—all the way back to the late 1960s.
A First: Private Sector Prepares Regional Bike Plan, Backed with Cash
There are intercity Google buses, Google ferries, and now, a Google bike plan to connect neighboring Silicon Valley cities to the growing North Bayshore area of Mountain View. Google is offering $5 million to cities to implement the plan.
No Papal Blessing for Cap-And-Trade
Governments must take correction actions to address climate change, warned Pope Francis in his June 18 encyclical, but cap-and-trade, which places a price on carbon emissions but can lead to speculation, is not one of them.
Streetcar Moving Along in Downtown Los Angeles
The Los Angeles City Council voted to allow the Los Angeles Streetcar project to begin preliminary engineering.
New Designs for Los Angeles Convention Center Expansion Revealed
New renderings for Populous & HMC Architects winning proposal give a close-up look at the new-and-improved Los Angeles Convention Center.
Mapping the Age of Every Building in Los Angeles
Developed using open data from local government sources, built: LA is a mapping tool that displays the age of every building in the county. Much of the area's built environment is surprisingly old.
How NIMBYism Contributes to San Francisco's Housing Shortage
A pattern of opposition to housing projects that leads to the underdevelopment of land has contributed to a housing shortage in San Francisco, writes planning consultant Jim Chappell.
Uber Vehicles are Not Taxis, Even When They Want To Be
A June 16 vote by the San Francisco MTA to improve safety will allow taxis, along with bicycles and Muni buses, but not ride-hailing services to make turns onto the downtown's main thoroughfare, Market Street, has upset San Francisco-based Uber.
Labor Ruling in California Means Big Changes for Uber's Business Model
A California labor commissioner has resolved a long-standing dispute over the employment status of Uber drivers. Uber and other transportation network companies will have to adjust.
Latest Hotbed of High Speed Rail Opposition: San Fernando Valley
Opposition, followed by legal action to the California High-Speed Rail project began in Northern California, spread to the Central Valley, and now has hit southern California, particularly in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County.
Book Review: 'City by City'
A Planetizen review of "City by City: Dispatches from the American Metropolis," edited by Keith Gessen and Stephen Squibb, finds too much to fault in the book's essay about Los Angeles.
California State Supreme Court Upholds Inclusionary Zoning Laws
The California Building Industry Association (BIA) had taken its case to the State Supreme Court, but in the end the court decided that municipalities could require developers to set aide a portion of units for affordable housing.
Residents Want a Say as Los Angeles Neighborhood Changes
The big market forces of Los Angeles long ignored Elysian Valley, colloquially called Frogtown. But now the neighborhood has hip cachet and residents are organizing to have a say as the area changes.
San Francisco's Intractable Housing Dilemma
Blogger Shane Phillips writes that San Francisco has two possible responses to its housing crisis: increase supply to accommodate newcomers, or hunker down and promote only subsidized housing. Both, he says, are lousy. Other coastal cities, beware.
San Francisco to Prohibit Cars From Turning Onto Market Street
The Safer Market Street project is one of a package of traffic safety projects underway in San Francisco to achieve a Vision Zero goal to eliminate traffic deaths by 2024.
Prop. 13 Under the Microscope Again in California
Long considered a roadblock to raising the revenues necessary to run California, Prop. 13 is one of the country's most notorious political third rails. Two state senators, however, would roll back Prop 13 protections for commercial properties.
Friday Funny: San Francisco Changing Locations Due to Rising Rents
The Onion provides a new take on the "San Francisco is over" quip that has been a popular reaction to the rising cost of housing in the City by the Bay.
Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts Explained
With the dissolution of California Redevelopment Agencies in 2011, those looking to spur economic development have struggled to find alternative tools that create investment in communities where such investments don't flow naturally.
Op-Ed Decries Santa Monica's Airbnb Ban
By exiling short-term renters, the coastal city of Santa Monica shifts its housing burden onto neighboring areas. That burden, according to this op-ed, contradicts the city's sustainability commitment and further limits scarce residential options.
The States Leading the Adoption of Electric Vehicles
A report from Navigant Research projects the growth of the domestic markets for plug-in electric vehicles. Spoiler: California dominates the list.
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
