California

L.A. Metro Board Approves Changes to Highway Program
The updated language clarifies that projects can include Complete Streets features, items supported by the county's voters through Measure M.

Los Angeles County First to Recommend Resumption of Indoor Masking
Due to the emergence of the more transmissible Delta variant, Los Angeles County's masking guidance goes beyond what the CDC and the state health department recommend for those who are fully vaccinated. St. Louis has joined them.

House Bill Would Invest Up to $750 Million in Wastewater Recycling Projects
HR 4099, which recently passed a House subcommittee, would create a new pool of money for 17 western states to use for new wastewater recycling capacity.

Feasibility Study Approved for Pasadena, Burbank Airport Light Rail Extension
$1 million in new state funding will study the feasibility of connecting the Gold Line light rail in Pasadena to the Hollywood Burbank Airport in Southern California.

Taking Care of the Santa Monica Mountains
Learn more about the Resource Conservation District which promotes land stewardship and resource conservation in the mountains through habitat restoration, planning, research, and education.

Long Beach Gated Community Must Provide Public Access
The development never fulfilled its mandate to build a public walkway through its property. Now, the Coastal Commission wants it to open its gates.

Water, Affordable Housing on a Collision Course in California
Marin County, the wealthy county in the North Bay Area with a history of exclusionary land use and transportation practices, is using the shortage of water to justify blocking the development of an affordable housing project.

The Imagined Bay Area of 2070: Affordable, Equitable, Prosperous
An opinion published recently by the San Francisco Chronicle offers a provocative thought exercise: How did the Bay Area of 2070 achieve affordability, equity, sustainability and adaptation in the face of climate change, and new levels of prosperity?

Op-Ed: Los Angeles Needs a Countywide Affordable Housing Agency
A bill in the California state legislature would create an agency dedicated to coordinating the production and preservation of affordable housing across the county's 88 cities.

Introducing Urbanist TikTok
It was only a matter of time, and we're probably well behind the times, but the social media platform du jour, TikTok, has a lot to offer the discerning urbanist.

Bus Lanes Expand Territory in Los Angeles
A new bus lane on Alvarado Street is the latest in a string of new bus lane projects in Los Angeles.

Development Fees Set to Increase in Fremont
The Silicon Valley city of Fremont, already home to some of the highest development fees in the region, is set to increase the cost of most forms of development again. The one exception—affordable housing.

Oceanside Debates the Future of its Coastline
As sea levels rise, California's coastal communities face difficult decisions about how to preserve coastlines and mitigate the looming threat.

Rural Parks Planning Underway in Los Angeles County
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is conducting a survey to better understand the park and recreation needs of rural areas.

Los Angeles Ordinance Will Ban Tenant Harassment
The law targets "knowing and willful" actions on the part of landlords meant to drive tenants out of rent-controlled apartments.

Wildfire Recovery for the Nation's Largest Urban Park
The National Park Service is seeking public comments on the redevelopment of sites within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area that were burned in the 2018 Woolsey Fire.

Inland Empire City Pauses New Gas Station Development
The reasons for a ten-month moratorium on gas station development in the city of Rancho Cucamonga portend a major shift in transportation and land use priorities in the near future.

Lawsuit by Malibu Wineries Challenges Ban on New Vineyards
A coalition of winemakers claims that the county ignored CEQA requirements in instituting a blanket ban on new vineyards in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Reducing Car Trips in L.A.: Transportation Demand Management Ordinance Could Be Expanded
The proposed expansion would affect smaller multi-family developments and include incentives for reducing travel during peak hours and encouraging transit, walking, and biking.

When It Comes to Ending Homelessness, What Does 'Functional Zero' Really Mean?
"The idea of the word ‘functional’ in front of ‘zero’ is a reaction to the misperception that ending homelessness means no one ever experiences homelessness again."
Pagination
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