California
In Planning, Reality Can Be Worse Than Fiction
The Showtime Series Penny Dreadful portrays a bleak vision of 1940s Los Angeles. But, unencumbered by regulations and zoning laws, it also displays what great urban neighborhoods can look like.
Where's the Housing for Prisoners Released Early?
As the infection rate at jails in places like New York began to climb, officials started looking for criteria to use in determining which inmates could be released. Then they ran into a familiar but now heightened dilemma.
Berkeley Could Redefine the Al Fresco Streets Movement
The city of Berkeley is pursuing an aggressive plan to open the streets for outdoor dining as an economic development tool for local commercial businesses.
Independent Music Venues Face a Tough Road Ahead
Where have all the venues gone?
Big Reservoir Planned for California Scaled Back Due to Lack of Funds
Missed in the non-stop coronavirus coverage of the past several months: plans to build a massive reservoir in North California have been scaled back dramatically.
Reforms Would Ease Approvals Process for Downtown Developments in Santa Monica
The city of Santa Monica will consider approvals process changes that will make it easier to entitle the largest projects allowed under zoning for the city's downtown.
Housing Costs More Than a Matter of Supply and Demand
Does new market rate housing increase the average cost of housing, by inducing demand, or does it help stabilize the housing market by offering new supply? The debate continues in San Francisco.
Landlord, Tenant Tug-of-War for COVID-19 Relief in Los Angeles
Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) International Director Carl Muhlstein offers his outlook for what lies ahead in real estate and shares insight on the political tug-of-war between landlords and renters in the struggle for relief and protection.
Another Planning Commissioner Ousted After Coronavirus Controversy in California
Another cautionary tale of a planning commissioner that went too far during the social upheaval of the coronavirus pandemic, and has since been removed from their civic position.
Unreliable Data, Contract Issues Slow San Diego's Smart Streetlights Program
A public-private partnership between the city of San Diego and GE Current to develop a smart streetlights program started in 2017 has not lived up to expectations three years and $300 million dollars later.
YIMBYs Prevail on Big Bay Area Mixed-Use Development Proposal
A court ruling in Santa Clara County cleared the way for a large mixed-use development proposal to be built at the location of the Vallco Shopping Mall in Cupertino.
Reopening Main Street
A Long Beach-based urban design firm shares design tips for reopening main streets while balancing public health and economic concerns—making space for parklets, pedestrians, and al fresco dining.
Street Vendors Rally for Rent Cancelation in Los Angeles
Street vendors gathered in front of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works in a May Day action to their make demands heard.
The Rush to Open: California is No Exception
California was the first state to require all residents to submit to a stay-at-home order, and it appears that Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to ensure it's not the last one to relax that order, regardless of whether it meets the federal guidelines.
Viral Inequality and Climate Justice
Several cities have modeled an economic recovery that centers environmental justice. Political will is necessary to ensure a safer and healthier future for all communities.
San Diego City Council President Champions Equitable and Inclusive COVID Response
San Diego City Council President Georgette Gomez discusses the critical value of providing accessible and factual information and resources to the city’s diverse constituents during this unprecedented public health crisis.
The Four Horsemen of the 'Fiscal' Apocalypse
Rick Cole identifies the Four Horsemen of the 'Fiscal' Apocalypse: Cratering Revenue, Neglected Infrastructure, Pension Debt, and Community Need, as heralds ushering the reinvention of city services to meet the needs of today’s urban realities.
Revealed: New Parks Master Plan for San Diego
The second most populous city in California, San Diego, wants to revolutionize its approach to planning parks and open space.
Watch Oakland's Slow Streets Program in Action
Oakland offers a model for other streets looking to provide new space for pedestrians and people on bikes to get exercise at a space physical distance.
Planning Commissioner Resigns After Throwing Cat, Drinking Beer During Zoom Hearing
A strange story from a suburban city in Northern California gives a black eye to the public planning process, and the idea of conducting essential civic duties remotely during an international public health crisis.
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
