California
Solar And Wind-Powered Ferries To Run On San Francisco Bay
The National Park Service has signed a contract to run two hybrid solar and wind powered ferries to carry visitors to Alcatraz.
Los Angeles Okays 1-Year Ban on Loft Conversions
Los Angeles City Council hopes to slow gentrification of downtown by approving a moratorium on conversion or demolition of low-cost hotels.
Portrait Of A Successful Bicycle Activist
Leah Shahum, 34, is executive director of the politically powerful San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. She was just appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom to fill a vacancy on the city's Municipal Transportation Agency's board of directors.
Finding Nature In Los Angeles And Urban America
Writing about nature in L.A. reflects the California dream and nightmare, and urban nature across the United States.
Big Sunday: A Community Improvement Project
A civic improvement project in Southern California is attracting volunteers and powerful supporters.
Los Angeles Finally Ready To Build Up, Not Out?
A number of well-known architecture firms are beginning to design more compact and vertical residential and commercial buildings, in line with Mayor Villaraigosa's vision of a denser, more transit-oriented L.A.
Largest Infrastructure Bond Ever Heading To California Voters
Headed to the governor, then the voters, November ballot is the largest bond issue ever -- four bonds totaling $37.3 billion, consisting of billions for transportation, schools, levees, and affordable housing.
Friday Funny: Devolving American Housing Preferences, Or, Life In A Mall
First came tract housing, then gated communities. Now Americans are shelling out big bucks for places that "seamlessly fuse life with commerce, eliminate the line separating home and shop, individual and commodity." Yes, life in a glorified mall.
Downtown Los Angeles As An Architectural Mecca?
Frank Gehry makes like an urbanist in his new plans for Related's high profile, $1.8 billion, nine-acre, Grand Avenue project in downtown Los Angeles. Could LA become an architectural mecca?
Communities Uncomfortable With Smart Growth, Higher Density
Planners find it difficult to convince Southern California communities that the region needs higher density and transit oriented development.
Amtrak Capitol Corridor Wildly Succesful Despite Union Pacific Woes
Amtrak's Capitol Corridor, connecting the Bay Area to the state capitol, Sacramento, is the third busiest Amtrak route in the country. Yet it faces formidable obstacles -- because it runs on Union Pacific tracks.
Civil Rights Activist And Los Angeles Planner Chi Mui Dies
Mui, only 53, was one of the few first-generation Chinese Americans to successfully run for political office, becoming mayor of San Gabriel in 2003. He also worked for a number of Southern California community groups on civil rights and other issues.
San Fernando Valley Residents Rally Against Adult Film Industry
Residents on a quiet San Fernando Valley cul-de-sac get some unexpected visitors on Easter Sunday, raising questions about permitting, production, and power under the law.
A History Of Real Estate In Southern California
Los Angeles Times special commemorative edition celebrates 125 years of real estate in Southern California. Includes several articles, photo galleries, and an interactive feature.
Unclogging California's Highways
Can California's legislators unclog the political logjam keeping its highways mired in traffic?
Big Play At Playa Vista
A hotly-disputed, prime piece of land at Playa Vista brings a prime price.
LA's Grand Avenue Project: 'Please, Somebody Stop Gehry'
Los Angeles Times readers respond to Frank Gehry's plans for downtown Los Angeles' Grand Avenue project.
Four Californias? An Idea Whose Time Has Come?
A columnist who has advocated for the division of California into several states takes the idea a step further, examining potential political and demographic conditions as he divides California into fourths.
$10 Vehicle Registration Fee Proposed For Bay Area
East Bay Assemblyman Johan Klehs has written a bill calling for new Bay Area vehicle registration fees, in the form of two $5 fees: one for local transportation needs and the other for a regional air and water quality mitigation project.
Learning About Agriculture Through Farm Water Run-off Testing
Farmers in Ventura County, California, can now split the cost of testing run-off, and recent tests reveal positive surprises.
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
