California

Wealthy families are using San Francisco's rent-controlled apartments as vacation homes, to the detriment of landlords and low-income families, for whom the regulations intended to preserve affordable housing were designed.

June 20, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

Yesterday, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a controversial new Community Plan for Hollywood, the first update since 1988, that allows increased density around transit stations, to the consternation of some neighborhood groups.

June 20, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Thanks to new technology embedded in the asphalt, the days of left-over meter minutes are gone in this southern CA beach city. Depending on whom you ask, parking is now managed more efficiently or the city is just making more money.

June 20, 2012 - The New York Times - U.S.

A bill in California that would reduce parking minimums in transit-oriented areas has drawn opposition from an unlikely group: the American Planning Association.

June 19, 2012 - California Planning & Development Report

As cycling expands rapidly in the second-most dense city in America, the infrastructure to support this growth has not kept up, inflaming tensions over the ownership of public space, reports Maria L. La Ganga

June 18, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

The June 14 shut down of BART's Transbay Tube that transports 110,000 daily East Bay/SF riders on four of the five BART lines resulted in one of the worst commuter nightmares the region has seen, showing how indispensable BART is to the Bay Area.

June 18, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

While California's high speed rail project will be beneficial for the environment by turning polluting car and plane trips into zero-emission travel by train, there are formidable environmental challenges it must overcome in the construction phase.

June 16, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Although cities are looking to technology to help them better connect to their residents, get them involved in decision making, and share data, Silicon Valley has been slow to catch on. Emily Badger looks at one company trying to change this.

June 14, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

With Los Angeles embarking on the "largest transit expansion in the United States," a new report looks at ways the city can preserve critical affordable housing in areas ripe for transit-oriented economic development.

June 13, 2012 - Better! Cities & Towns

With a year-round temperate climate and a history of widespread urban agriculture, it's a shame that Los Angeles now finds itself ranked 43rd amongst America's 50 largest cities for their support of local food. Can L.A. turn back the clock?

June 13, 2012 - Good

Due to its successful application in cities such as London and Singapore, congestion charging has become the favored approach for changing driver behavior. However, a professor at Stanford University may have found a nicer way to change habits.

June 12, 2012 - The New York Times

Prospective buyers in the recovering housing market are finding a much harder time than expected to purchase a home, as a shortage of good properties for sale drives cutthroat competition.

June 11, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

The high cost of driving in Los Angeles has led some residents to swap their cars for bikes, buses, and the subway. This change has inadvertently allowed them to find freedom in their lives and a better connection with the City of Angels.

June 8, 2012 - Good Cities

Lucrative for homeowners and industrial customers who can afford them, solar panels are not without their own issues. The equity issue - whereby the claim is made that poorer customers subsidize the utility costs of wealthier ones, is investigated.

June 7, 2012 - The New York Times - Business Day

Twitter’s move into San Francisco this month is part of a new trend of tech companies setting up in the city, causing rents to skyrocket, and forcing lower-income residents out.

June 7, 2012 - The New York Times

Marissa Gluck attributes downtown L.A.'s resurgence to some unlikely community development partners - our four-legged friends.

June 6, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

With Governor Brown and federal leaders pressuring state legislators to approve construction of the key first step in the $68-billion bullet train plan, a new survey from USC and the L.A. Times shows that California voters are backing away.

June 5, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Facing a staggering backlog of necessary street improvements after years of neglect, San Diego's potholes have emerged as a defining topic in this year's mayoral campaign, reports Tony Perry.

June 5, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Karen E. Klein profiles Propel Fuels, and their ambitious plan to lead the nation in providing alternative fuels to would-be consumers at their "gas station of the future," the first of which opened last month.

June 4, 2012 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Stalled for years by the recession, Sam Allen looks at the prospects for the revival of ambitious plans to remake L.A.'s Grand Avenue.

June 4, 2012 - Los Angeles Times