California
Trading In The Car For A Metro Pass
Tasked with making Los Angeles more pedestrian-friendly, a planner decides to give up his car.
...Because It's Called 'Lawndale', Not 'Concretedale'
The Southern California city of Lawndale has passed tight restrictions that prohibit residents from paving their front yards with concrete -- an effort to reduce the amount of vehicles parked in front yards and fight what some call a "sea of gray."
The Two Faces of California's Upcoming Election Year
In California, the 2008 election year may result in victories for two contrasting interest: those who want to limit eminent domain powers and those seeking increased regulation of land use, writes William Fulton.
Bikes on Trains: The Downside Of A Popular Program
Caltrain's bicycle program has proven so popular that bike riders are regularly 'bumped', i.e they are left at the platform because the bike capacity has been reached, and relief doesn't appear to be forthcoming.
Criticism Causes San Diego Politicians To Rethink Plan
California Attorney General Jerry Brown's criticism of San Diego's regional transportation plan has some politicians in the area considering a major revision of the region's smart growth strategy.
Greening Up The Airport
As one of the most notorious polluters of greenhouse gas emissions, airplanes and airports are increasingly being called on to green their operations. This interview from VerdeXchange News looks at some efforts being made in Los Angeles.
Questions Surround San Francisco's Traffic Tax Plan
San Francisco is studying a London-style plan to charge drivers a fee when they travel to high-traffic areas, like downtown SF, during peak commute hours. But is congestion pricing a boon for public transportation? Or the death of downtown?
Preservationists Sue The City Of Stockton To Save Historic Hotels
Preservationists have filed suit against the city of Stockton to prevent the demolition of historic hotels to build surface parking lots.
Making Two-Way Streets Act Like One-Ways
Plans are moving forward to address the traffic issues on two of L.A.'s most congested streets.
Friday Funny: How Real Estate Deals Work In LA
A Los Angeles City Planning Department employee accidentally leaves a message intended for the developer on the answering machine of a project opponent: The project will be approved "no matter what."
California Water Diversion Debate Continues
The debate over how to divert water around Central California's San Joaquin Valley for delivery to Southern California has been rekindled. A task force is meeting to find a way to address this and many of the state's other long-standing water issues.
Two Projects, 20 Years Apart, Constitute One CEQA Project
A court of appeal in California ruled that a decades-old plan to realign a road and a two-year-old plan to build a big box improvement store nearby only need to undergo one environmental impact analysis under the state's Environmental Quality Act.
World's Largest 'Toilet To Tap' Plant Debuts In Southern California
With the opening of the new facility, water officials in Orange County, California are launching a large scale program to recycle sewage for use as drinking water for millions. Other water scarce areas are watching closely.
California's Infrastructure May Go Private
Public-private partnerships are the most viable option for building and maintaining California's infrastructure according to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who recently announced a plan to explore possible partnerships with private firms.
Tunnel System Sparks Interest, Rumors
The re-discovery of tunnels beneath Fresno, California's Chinatown have sparked interest -- and elaborate rumors -- amongst historic preservationists and residents alike. But some say the rumors exaggerate the real purpose of the tunnels.
Power Plant Meets Opposition From Hunters, Environmentalists
Environmentalists and hunters have teamed up to fight against developers of a geothermal power plant who want to use the water from a California aquifer that sustains a large swath of vegetation and an active hunting ground.
San Franciscans Not Too Open To Public Art
The dedication of a piece of public art in San Francisco inspires this reflection on the not-so-welcoming arms of the city's progressive population to public art projects in the past.
Fighting Wildfires With Land Use Laws
More than controlled burns or flying water tankers, zoning could be the firefighters most powerful tool.
L.A. Is King Of Traffic Congestion, Dumb Growth
People who drive in L.A. have a lot of time to think about the urban form while they sit in traffic. Specifically, they wonder why everything in Southern California requires a trip in the car.
"Foreclosure Clusters" Bring Inner-City Crime to the Suburbs
The burgeoning increase in foreclosures is leaving some suburban California neighborhoods with multiple abandoned and unguarded homes, which become tempting targets for looters, vandals and thieves.
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
