California

San Fernando Valley

Friday Funny: Al Fresco on the Freeway

Fake news site The Onion imagines the logical result of car-centric planning during a pandemic.

July 31, 2020 - The Onion

Los Angeles, California

L.A. Officials Wrestle With Future of Projects Approved in Corruption Case

Some high-profile projects, including a 77-story tower, hang in the balance of a federal corruption case, but it's unclear whether Los Angeles can undo the approvals, whether they were achieved through bribes or not.

July 30, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Coronavirus Social Distancing

Campaign Launched to Halt State Reopenings and Start Over

During March and April, most states shut down all but essential services in order to "flatten the curve," and it largely worked. What happened afterward didn't. U.S. PIRG has organized a campaign to start the process over and do it right.

July 30, 2020 - CNN

Epdemiology

Do You Know Your COVID-19 Colors?

Harvard University's Global Health Insititute and Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics have launched a new online tool for planners, policy makers, and the public to determine the severity of the coronavirus outbreak in one's county and state.

July 29, 2020 - Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics

Venice, Los Angeles

'Accessory Commercial Units' for a 15-Minute City

A Portland, Oregon urban planner is pitching the idea of ACUs, or accessory commercial units, as a means of repairing the effects of excluding retails uses from residential neighborhoods.

July 29, 2020 - Fast Company

Lebanon Valley Rail Trail

Growing Use of Trails Highlights the Work of Trail Planners

Trails have become very popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out more about how trail planners in L.A. County plan for multi-use trails and promote the safe use of trails.

July 28, 2020 - Parks & Rec Business

San Francisco, California

S.F. Rezoning Plan Paused for Equity Analysis

A plan to rezone parcels around the busy intersection of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, called the Hub, will undergo an analysis of the potential impacts of the plan on marginalized communities.

July 27, 2020 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Southern California Coast

Community Planning Groups Scrutinized for Demographic Disparities in San Diego

Older, white homeowners take up far more than an equal share of the seats at the planning table in San Diego.

July 26, 2020 - Voice of San Diego

San Francisco Bay Bridge

Plan Bay Area 2050 Draft Released

A regional plan for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area is available for public comment.

July 23, 2020 - San Francisco Chronicle

Regional Transit

Plan to Save Caltrain Emerges

Elected officials in San Francisco and Santa Clara counties have produced a counter proposal after killing a proposed sales tax last week.

July 23, 2020 - The Mercury News

Dublin

Growing Anti-Development Sentiment Kills Mixed-Use Proposal in East Bay City

The city of Dublin, located adjacent to the I-580/I-680 intersection in the East Bay Area, pulled the plug on a proposed mixed-use development that would have added apartments, senior houses, restaurants, and a theater to the quickly growing city.

July 22, 2020 - The Mercury News

Granny Flat

ADU Business Booming in California

The number of Californians adding Accessory Dwelling Units to residential properties has quickly grown during the pandemic, according to industry sources.

July 21, 2020 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Orange County Great Park Rendering

How GIS Helps Plan Parks

With constrained budgets, a geographic information system (GIS) may seem like a luxury for parks agencies. But to perform data-driven planning and advance park equity, GIS is an indispensable tool.

July 21, 2020 - Apolitical

Oakland

Black Californians Leaving the City and Reshaping the State

Hundreds of thousands of Black Californians are moving away from urban areas, opting for the promise of abundance and opportunity offered by suburban communities, a trend referred to as "California's Black exodus."

July 21, 2020 - Cal Matters

Commuter Rail

Caltrain on the Rocks as Sales Tax Measure Fails

Advocates are concerned about the possibility of Caltrain entirely shutting down—less than a year after the commuter rail line seemed positioned for a massive expansion of service.

July 16, 2020 - The Daily Journal

San Diego Waterfront

San Diego Planners Want to Reform Park Funding System

The San Diego Planning Department wants to change the system that currently funds improvements to public amenities, facing considerations about the implementation and legality of the proposed alternative.

July 16, 2020 - Voice of San Diego

Coronavirus and Urbanism

Learning from Down Under

The governors of Arizona, California, Florida, Texas, and other states where COVID-19 infections are threatening to overwhelm hospitals should consider what their counterpart in Victoria, Australia, did on July 7 to contain the coronavirus.

July 15, 2020 - The Guardian

Police Enfocement

Berkeley City Council Considers Relieving Police From Traffic Stop Duties

Unarmed public works officials could replace Berkeley Police officers in monitoring minor traffic violations pending approval of a proposal to be considered by the Berkeley City Council.

July 14, 2020 - The New York Times

Coronavirus Protest

California Rolls Back

The nation's most significant rollback to date of a state reopening plan occurred Monday when California Gov. Gavin Newsom closed seven categories of indoor businesses statewide and an additional six categories of indoor operations in 31 counties.

July 14, 2020 - San Francisco Chronicle

Berkeley Hills Bay Area

Groundbreaking Affordable Housing and Homeless Shelter Project Underway in Berkeley

A new Berkeley development, the largest affordable housing development in city history, is slated to house 200 low-income and homeless residents by May 2022.

July 13, 2020 - The Mercury News

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.