California
BRT Planned for the Silicon Valley
A region dominated by automobile-friendly infrastructure has released a Draft EIR for a bus rapid transit project connecting central San Jose to Palo Alto via El Camino Real.
Bay Bridge Bike Path: Cheaper is Better
The existing bike path on the eastern span of the Bay Bridge meets an abrupt dead end, though it will be extended to Yerba Buena Island next summer. Plans are underway to extend the path to San Francisco, but it won't be cheap.
'Beautification Assessment Districts' Proposed to Fix Los Angeles Streets
In an attempt to fix Los Angeles' buckling streets and roads, the Los Angeles City Council has unveiled a proposal allowing residents to tax themselves for adjacent road and sidewalk repair.
East Bay BRT Project Receives $81 Million in Federal Grants
Don't confuse East Bay Rapid Transit with Bay Area Rapid Transit: one's a bus, the other heavy rail. But calling it a bus does not do justice to what will be the Bay Area's first bus rapid transit (BRT) line composed primarily of dedicated lanes.
'Foodie Districts' and Downtown Revitalization
Anaheim's packing house signals a new trend with deep roots.
Berkeley Ideas Spark Uncharted Inspiration
A recent festival of ideas called Uncharted proved to be an inspirational, learning experience for Bay Area architect Sandhya Sood, AIA, principal of Accent Architecture+Design. At the end of it, writes Sood, her “brain cells were dancing. Again.”
$202 Million Streetcar Plan for Oakland's Broadway Corridor
Oakland city officials are considering a streetcar between two of the city's transit and entertainment hubs in the hopes of solidifying the stream of investment coming into the city.
San Francisco Voters Increase Height Limits for Waterfront Development
Voters gave Forest City Enterprises' Pier 70 development the go-ahead on Tuesday by increasing height limits from 40 to 90 feet. The 65-acre property will be developed into mixed use, with 2,000 housing units, 30 percent affordable, and open space.
Los Angeles Breaks Ground on Purple Line Subway Extension
The long awaited groundbreaking for work on Los Angeles’s Purple Line Extension commenced. The project is expected to open in 2023.
Tailoring Bikeshare for Underserved Communities
As discussed on Longbeachize by Brian Addison, a new movement in Long Beach is working to make bikesharing more accessible for marginalized communities.
Pasadena Ditches 'Level of Service' Review for Multi-Modal Measurements
Pasadena got out in front of the state of California this week by replacing "level of service" with a more holistic, less car-centric, set of standards for review under the California Environmental Quality Act.
Los Angeles Considering Diagonal Crosswalks
With a plan to add diagonal crosswalks at several intersections in Los Angeles on the table, will the recent shift toward pedestrian friendly streets be enough to make the idea stick?
Competitors File Suit Over San Francisco's Airbnb Legislation
The already controversial law enabling Airbnb in San Francisco will head to court, as a competitor believes the city has granted Airbnb an unfair advantage.
Campaign 2014 Results: Bay Area Transportation, Land Use, and Soda Tax Measures
Votes exceeded the two-thirds threshold to pass two vital transportation funding measures in San Francisco and Alameda counties. In Berkeley (which passed the nation's first soda tax) and Menlo Park, voters resoundingly reject anti-growth measures.
Campaign 2014 Results: Transportation, Energy, Conservation Measures
We've covered a wide variety of ballot measures that appeared on the Nov. 4, 2014 ballot. While the media has focused greatly on Congressional and gubernatorial outcomes, we'll look at the results of the state and local measures we've covered here.
Places for Parking, Not People, in Santa Monica, California
After noting the heated rhetoric that surrounds development in Santa Monica, especially during election season, Jason Islas reveals claims of the city's overdevelopment to be true—if we're talking about cars.
Two Proposed San Jose BART Stations on the Chopping Block
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) officials have sparked a controversy after announcing that they are likely to cut two of the four proposed stations, one in San Jose and one in Santa Clara, from BART extension plans.
Drilling Bans on Three California County Ballots Today
San Benito and Santa Barbara County voters will decide on fracking ban measures on Tuesday that go beyond the controversial extraction technology by including acidization and "steam flooding." Mendocino County will also have a fracking ban measure.
Signs of Recovery? Stockton, California Exits Bankruptcy
Stockton, California symbolized the worst effects of the Great Recession on local governments—not to mention, to some, California's decline.
Disney's Political Donations Increase as Anaheim Considers a Streetcar
Disney says its supports pro-business candidates for City Council in Anaheim, but some see a proposed streetcar as the connection behind an uptick in the company's local political support.
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
