California

California Houses

New 'Housing Accountability Unit' to Enforce California's Housing Goals

Part of the state's Housing and Community Development Agency, the unit will focus on enforcing existing laws around housing production and ensure cities build the housing needed to alleviate the current crisis.

October 24, 2021 - CALmatters

South San Francisco Bay viewed from Mission Peak in Fremont, California

Vision Zero Success Story: Fremont, California

While traffic fatalities continue to rise nationwide, Fremont has drastically reduced its crash rates in the five years since it launched its Vision Zero project.

October 20, 2021 - Western City

Expo Line LA Skyline

New Bike and Bus Lanes Coming to Culver City, California

The MOVE Culver City project will connect downtown Culver City with the E Line train, giving residents easier access to downtown Los Angeles and beach communities.

October 19, 2021 - Urbanize Los Angeles

The Complexities of Park Access

Park access is not only about reducing travel distance to a park; it is a complex issue that requires a variety of creative solutions.

October 17, 2021 - National Recreation and Park Association Open Space Blog

Fuel Break Wildfire

How California's Wildfires Affect Home Sales and Values

Redfin data show slower home price growth in areas recently affected by wildfires, while developers rush in to rebuild.

October 13, 2021 - Redfin

Rendering of the proposed Liberty Canyon Wildlife Corridor

New Wildlife Bridge Coming to Los Angeles County

Construction of the $87-million wildlife crossing on the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills will begin in 2022.

October 12, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

Biker and driver

Jaywalking, Idaho Stop Bills Vetoed by California's Governor

Faced with the opportunity to redefine the traffic safety regime in one of the nation's most progressive states, Governor Gavin Newsom flinched.

October 11, 2021 - San Francisco Chronicle

A cyclist commutes along a painted bike lan on Market Street in San Francisco.

San Francisco's New Bike Lane Experience

The city of San Francisco has been overhauling its bike infrastructure during the pandemic. The results are especially apparent in the city's downtown.

October 10, 2021 - San Francisco Chronicle

Bicycling across the Golden Gate Bridge

Making the Golden Gate Bridge Safer for Cyclists

The Golden Gate Bridge District is looking at ways to improve safety on the bridge's narrow, windy bike and pedestrian paths.

October 8, 2021 - Streetsblog San Francisco

Stahl House Los Angeles

Million-Dollar Homes Becoming Standard Fare Across Los Angeles

As households with means seek to escape crowded apartment buildings and take advantage of historically low mortgage rates, average home prices of over $1 million are proliferating across the LA region.

October 6, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

An image of a bridge in Vermont with a sign in front of it announcing a COVID-19 quarantine order.

Boosters and Breakthroughs in Vermont

The most vaccinated state in the U.S. may tell us where the future of the country is headed in the war against the coronavirus. Could it become a 'pandemic of the vaccinated'?

October 4, 2021 - WPTZ

California Wildfire

California Bans Insurance Companies From Dropping Homeowners in Wildfire Zones

The one-year moratorium is a stopgap measure to assist homeowners affected by recent wildfires as the state assesses ways of addressing the root causes of increasingly damaging natural disasters.

October 3, 2021 - Sacramento Bee

California Houses

Eliminating Single-Family Zoning Alone Won't Solve California's Housing Crisis

While zoning reforms can help reduce barriers to building more housing, high construction costs and local opposition mean that the state won't see an immediate boom in density.

October 1, 2021 - Slate

Glendale, California

How the Iconic Dingbat Took Over Los Angeles

The low-slung, car-oriented apartment buildings represent a mid-century solution to a housing shortage and offer valuable lessons for new development.

September 28, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Castro Street Pedcrossing with Rainbow Flag Colour

California Set to Decriminalize Jaywalking

Pedestrian and civil rights advocates have long argued that jaywalking laws are overly punitive and unequally enforced.

September 26, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

A group of cyclists rides on a green painted bike line on the Embarcadero in Sa Francisco.

Bill Legalizing the Idaho Stop in California Waits for Governor's Signature

The Idaho Stop—allowing people on bikes to treat stop signs in empty intersections as yield signs—is gaining popularity around the country. Next (not quite) stop: California.

September 24, 2021 - San Francisco Chronicle

COVID-19 Test

The Pandemic Crisis Is a Hospital Crisis

"Flatten the curve" was one of the first pandemic terms that Americans heard during the first surge. The idea was to reduce coronavirus transmission so as to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. But which curve? Case in point: Idaho.

September 23, 2021 - The New York Times

Crowd Sourcing

Are Your Yelp Reviews Causing Gentrification?

As "foodies" venture into new territory in search of exciting food experiences, they contribute to the transformation of urban foodscapes that have been built by people of color.

September 22, 2021 - Next City

High-Speed Rail

California Legislature Stalls on High-Speed Rail, Delays Funding for Other Projects

State legislators' refusal to pass HSR funding will return hundreds of millions slated for active transportation and other projects to the state's general fund.

September 20, 2021 - Streetsblog California

Los Angeles, California

The End of Single-Family Zoning in California

Despite a few high-profile failures, the California State Legislature has approved a steady drumbeat of pro-development reforms that loosen zoning restrictions. The state raised the stakes on its zoning reforms this week.

September 19, 2021 - Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.