California

L.A. Wins Round One in Battle With Uber Over Privacy and Data
Los Angeles and Uber bike-share subsidiary Jump are in a protracted legal battle over the city's data sharing requirements.

L.A.'s Pershing Square Headed for Redesign
The first phases of a plan to remake the downtown Los Angeles plaza into a more inviting, accessible public space are going to kick off soon.

Opinion: California State Water Department Needs to Step Up in the Fight on Climate Change
California's water resources are under threat from climate change, and the state's water agency must take action to face the challenges.

Mobility on Demand Partnerships Depend on Data
Private companies and public transit agencies will share a lot of data to ensure that new mobility on demand (MOD) services are effective and sustainable. Lessons on the kinds of data necessary to make MOD work are emerging in L.A. and Seattle.

Tech Buses: Not Just for Techies, and Not Just for San Francisco
What began as Google buses, transporting highly paid engineers from San Francisco to Silicon Valley, has transformed into multi-company fleets serving white- and blue-collar workers in the 3,000-square-mile Northern California megaregion.

Presidential Candidates Discuss the California Housing Crisis
Many of the Democratic candidates have offered housing policy plans as a key plank in their election platforms, but here a prominent YIMBY politician confronts them directly on the housing crisis in California.

Rental Searches Shed Light on Where People Want to Move
Renters looking for new apartments in other cities are not looking to move far, a new study shows.

For Transit to Better Serve Women, More Data Needed
Understanding how women use transit does not just help make systems more equitable. It also guides policy and planning changes that benefit all riders.

Voters Could Get the Chance to Ease Development Restrictions in San Francisco
A ballot initiative by San Francisco Mayor London Breed would make it easier for qualifying developments (e.g., developments that include affordable housing) to sidestep discretionary approvals.

S.F. Bay Area Megaprojects Not Coming to Fruition
Plans for numerous large-scale developments in the region mean thousands of housing units should be on the way, but constant delays and setbacks have left projects nowhere near completion.

The Newest Tool in the Affordable Housing Toolbox: Eminent Domain
Los Angeles has taken a rare step in anti-eviction action, considering the use of eminent domain to protect tenants of an apartment building in a gentrifying part of the city.

2,600 New Homes Approved in San Francisco
A massive new development at the former site of a polluting power plant is moving forward in the City by the Bay.

Makeover Proposed for Hollywood Boulevard's 'Walk of Fame'
A Los Angeles councilmember would drastically redesign one fo the city's most famous streets, stopping short of removing cars entirely from the stretch of road, but still removing vehicle lanes.

Car-Free Streets Aren't a Silver Bullet
The San Francisco Chronicle's urban design critic tempers expectations for Market Street in San Francisco, where the city this week undertook an ambitious, but perhaps over-sold, redesign of the busy street.

Updated: Statewide Upzoning Falls Short Again in California
For the third year in a row, an effort to increase density near transit in statewide in California has stalled in the legislature.

Revealing the Secret Landlords of U.S. Real Estate
Amidst a crisis of housing affordability around the country, one media organization is leveraging public records law to discover answers to questions, long obscured from the public, about who controls the real estate market.

Market Street in San Francisco Closed to Cars
The historic, car-free transformation of San Francisco's busiest street opens to the public today.

Housing Litigation by California Attorney General Yields Results
A landmark state lawsuit will be settled if the Huntington Beach City Council approves an amended specific plan that increases housing. The lawsuit was enabled by 2017 legislation strengthening California's 50-year-old housing element law.

Opinion: L.A. Metro Bus Plan Must Put Riders First
A bold proposal to overhaul the region’s bus system will require leaders and government officials who will commit to putting the needs of riders front and center.

Dog Parks Are Everywhere, but Where Did They Start?
Giving dogs the opportunity to play and socialize without restraint has its roots in the free speech movement in Berkeley, California.
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