California
Urban Railyard Finds New Life As Wetland Park
A former bus and rail yard in park-poor South Los Angeles will be converted into an "urban wetland park".
L.A. Offered Funding, With Toll Road Ultimatum
The federal government is tempting officials in Los Angeles County with more than $200 million in transportation funding -- but only if the county converts some highway lanes to congestion pricing toll lanes.
More Californians Losing Their Homes
The latest figures show that more than 500 California households have gone into foreclosure each day in the first quarter of 2008.
San Francisco Teaches Charleston About Preserving Lesser-Known Areas
Though more than a hundred years newer, the city of San Francisco has a lot to teach cities like Charleston about preserving their less-than-iconic historic areas.
San Francisco's Bay Area Growth May Change With Climate
Officials forecast need to adapt development model: to retreat from some areas, build in others, and reduce reliance on cars.
A Battle Over Building Heights
In anti-growth Santa Barbara, preservationists and smart growth advocates have forged a compromise that will permit taller buildings for developments that include affordable housing.
Bay Area TODs Helping To Cut Emissions
New transit towns around the Bay Area's BART stations are attracting residents who value the convenience and savings of a walkable community and nearby transit.
You Can't Escape Sprawl
With sprawl proceeding largely unchecked in North California, residents who fled the city for more rural areas now find that urbanization has encroached their once sleepy communities.
San Francisco Aims To Give Parking A Technological Makeover
Variable parking rates and online parking availability are features of a pilot program meant to increase convenience and cut congestion on the road.
Market Woes Stifle 'Great Park' Progress
Three years after Irvine, California's "Great Park" was approved, development of the planned public spaces, homes and businesses has struggled to move forward. The housing crisis is being blamed for the lack of action.
Preserving a California Ghost Town
This article from Discover takes a tour of Bodie, California, a gold-mining mountain ghost town, where the entire city is in a state of "arrested decay".
Los Angeles Taco Trucks in Trouble
Mobile taco trucks in Los Angeles may face tougher fines for parking in any one place for too long if proposed restrictions are passed by the county.
Los Angeles Official Takes Up Anti-Density Cause
Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has becoming increasingly outspoken against the city's new density bonus, saying it goes against the will of residents and will contribute to the destruction of stable neighborhoods.
A Holistic Approach To Planning For Traffic Impacts
Instead of requiring developers to complete traffic studies for individual projects, one Northern California city has commissioned a comprehensive traffic study, and asked developers to help foot the bill.
California Bullet Train Heading to Ballot
California voters will soon vote on a $10 billion bond proposal that would fund a 220 mph bullet train running between L.A. and San Francisco.
California's Growth Debate Continues Amidst Housing Slowdown
Sacramento Bee's political columnist Dan Walters discusses the California growth debate amidst the temporary development lull and questions whether the state is ready to embrace smart growth, despite recognizing that it reduces global warming.
The Unintended Consequences Of Stormwater Regulation
California water quality regulators continue to levy ever-tougher standards for stormwater runoff. But the standards could impact development and cities in a way that is not best for the environment at large.
Residents Sue Over State Density Bonus Law
Upset about the effect of California State Bill 1818's override of local zoning restrictions, a Los Angeles resident has sued the city to overturn its density bonus ordinance. Others may soon follow.
Reclaiming L.A. as a Cycling City
Over 100 years ago, a wooden bicycle highway linked Pasadena to Los Angeles. Now cycling activists are hoping that, by closing the Arroyo Seco Parkway to automobiles for "ArroyoFest," Angelinos can once again imagine a cycling future for LA.
Hollywood, Reborn and Transformed
By nearly any measure, the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hollywood has been radically transformed in the last 10 years, becoming a bar-hopper’s dream, a gourmet’s destination, and a rising shopping and housing district.
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
