California
Where to Prioritize Buses Next
Advocates in New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle are pushing for more transit and pedestrian priority, and less car-centric streets, as a wave of high-profile projects capture national attention.
Massive Discrepancies Identified in Official Homeless Counts
The Los Angeles Times crunched data from the 2019 point-in-time count of homelessness in Los Angeles County. What they found diverged profoundly from official findings.
Social Equity Cited in Veto of California Road Pricing Bill
Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a unique road pricing bill due to concerns that charging a fee would limit access to driving on two blocks of Lombard Street, a popular tourist attraction in San Francisco that is severely congested.
The Interior Secretary's Past Lobbying Work Scrutinized
A project to raise the height of the Shasta Dam, dead in the water before the Trump administration, is moving forward now that a former lobbyist for the project is the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Governor's Transportation and Climate Actions Stir Controversy in California
California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order last month directing state agencies to consider climate goals in their spending and operations. Two weeks later, three highway widening projects were deleted, and locals are crying foul.
Car-Free Market Street Approved in San Francisco
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors approved the Better Market Street plan on October 15, 2019.
Light Rail Could Finally Get Priority Over Cars at Intersections in Los Angeles
The city of Los Angeles controls the streets and the intersections crossed by the Expo Line as its connects Downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monic and the beach. The city has made its first progress toward prioritizing trains. at those intersections
So You Want to Be a Planning Commissioner?
San Francisco provides a case study of the immense challenges and scant rewards that await you in a job as a planning commissioner—planning outcomes suffer as a result.
Crooked Lombard Street Won't Be Tolled After All
Another of the surprising roster of vetoes by California Governor Gavin Newsom over the weekend includes a bill that would have set limitations for traffic on San Francisco's Lombard Street.
Governor's Veto Kills Complete Streets Requirements for Caltrans
California Governor Gavin Newsom over the weekend vetoed a bill that would have required the state's department of transportation to consider public transit as well as bike and pedestrian infrastructure when planning projects on state-owned roads.
New Laws Amount to Single-Family Zoning Ban in California
For years, the California legislators have been passing bills to allow accessory dwelling units on single-family residential lots. These laws haven't attracted the same attention as other failed laws, but their effect is significant.
Conflicts of Interest on the CA High-Speed Rail Authority Under Investigation
The beleaguered plan to build a bullet train to connect Northern California and Southern California suffered a public relations setback last month when it was revealed that a boardmember was under investigation for a conflict of interest.
Coastal City Rejects 'Managed Retreat' Strategy
Del Mar, in Southern California, says it does not want to adopt the approach as part of its sea-level rise adaptation plan.
Poor Returns for L.A.'s Transit on Demand Pilot
Similar to microtransit on demand programs in other cities, Los Angeles' ongoing experiment is proving to be very expensive (for the public) for the benefit of very few riders.
A Whole Lane Devoted to Buses on Oakland, CA's Busiest Street
A bus-only lane on busy Broadway in Oakland, a section of the larger East Bay Bus Rapid Transit project, will get the red painted lane treatment.
Trump Administration Reopens California Public Lands to Oil and Gas Drilling
A decision by the Bureau of Land Management on Oct. 3 may reverse the outcome of a 2013 lawsuit against the Obama administration by two environmental groups that effectively halted drilling in Fresno, Monterey and San Benito counties.
Inclusionary Zoning and the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court might decide on the constitutionality of inclusionary zoning. Local land use regulations and affordable housing policies in cities and communities all over the country hang in the balance.
A C40-Ready Framework for Local Climate Action in Santa Monica
Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole outlines the city's actions and policies to realize its ambitious C40 goals.
Fresno Feeling Stress of California Housing Crisis
While the Central Valley city was long considered relatively affordable, rents are rising and affordable housing is harder to come by.
$604 Million Market Street Redesign Nears the Finish Line in San Francisco
Private automobiles could be prohibited on San Francisco's primary downtown thoroughfare, and already-wide sidewalks could be extended and smoothed over. The Better Market Street project is ready for its close up.
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
