San Diego

What Makes San Diego's Climate Plan Different From All the Others

It's been a month of historic announcements in the effort to combat climate change. But a vote today in San Diego might set the standard for ambitious, enforceable action.

December 15, 2015 - The Urban Edge

Competing Visions for East Village—San Diego's SOMA

Downtown San Diego's East Village neighborhood shares traits with San Francisco's SOMA, circa 1990s. However, there are competing visions for the area: academic and high tech vs. stadium and convention center expansion.

November 29, 2015 - UrbDeZine

Three Examples from San Francisco that San Diego Can Use for the I.D.E.A. District

Three examples of problem solving and "catalytic action" can help San Diego with its I.D.E.A. District, writes former SPUR director Jim Chappell.

November 20, 2015 - UrbDeZine

A Case Study of California's Lowest-Ranked Transit Station

Build it and they will come hasn't worked out so well for the Gillespie Field station on the Green Line of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. A recent scorecard rated the station lowest among 489 competitors.

October 22, 2015 - Voice of San Diego

Cracked Sidewalk

Who Will Pay to Fix San Diego's Broken Sidewalks?

San Diego quest to find solutions to repairing damaged city sidewalks continues, with home and business owners potentially facing liability for trip-and-fall accidents

October 3, 2015 - Voice of San Diego

San Diego Rail

New San Diego Regional Plan Focuses on Public Transit

The San Diego Association of Government on October 9 will consider a 35-year regional plan that prioritizes public transit in its management of an expected 1 million new residents.

September 29, 2015 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Proposed California Law to Ensure Local Input Into Downtown Planning

California lawmakers have approved a bill that establishes oversight of elected officials over planning decisions of development corporations, such as that in downtown San Diego.

September 14, 2015 - UrbDeZine

Condition on San Diego's New Airport Parking Lot: Make Sure People Don't Use It

A deal between the San Diego International Airport and the California Coastal Commission will pave the way for a 3,000-space parking garage—in the hopes that people don’t use it.

August 14, 2015 - Voice of San Diego

Keep Portland Weird

How Cities Derive Their Identities

While visiting Paris, San Diego landscape architect David McCullough pondered his own new world city's identity and concluded, counter-intuitively, his city's (and all cities') identity is defined by its diversity.

August 13, 2015 - UrbDeZine

Bus Only

Bus Rapid Transit Without Dedicated Lines—Finding Out the Hard Way

San Diego's bus rapid transit line, open for nine months, hasn't improved transit service along El Cajon Boulevard. Critics blame cuts to the original plan.

July 27, 2015 - Voice of San Diego

San Diego Gaslamp District

Stiff Opposition to San Diego Mixed-Use Mega-Project

In February, the city council approved One Paseo, a 1.4 million-square-foot mix of offices, residences, retail, and entertainment. The project's detractors have forced a referendum, putting a kink in San Diego's urbanist planning ambitions.

May 18, 2015 - ULI Urban Land Magazine

How Community Benefit Programs Create Value-Added Growth and Protect Public Resources

With redevelopment funding no longer an option, South San Francisco and other cities increasingly are looking to a community benefits platform, according to Murtaza Baxamusa, a planner and urban planning professor.

April 28, 2015 - UrbDeZine

Transforming Downtown San Diego's Grid for Biking and Walking

By virtue of super small blocks, San Diego's downtown has more space dedicated to cars than most cities. That's about to change. San Diego urban design activist Bill Keller explains how they’ll do it.

March 20, 2015 - UrbDeZine

Tracking the Growth of U.S. Bikeshare Systems

A post on Greater Greater Washington takes inventory of the nation's bikeshare system, finding steady growth in the number of bikshare systems in 2014, but not the explosive growth of 2013.

February 12, 2015 - Greater Greater Washington

Qualcomm Stadium

Debunking Myths about NFL Stadium Construction

Political leaders in San Diego have spent years characterizing the city's NFL team as a regional asset, requiring a new stadium to keep in place. A column debunks some of the logic behind how and why behind some of that reasoning.

January 17, 2015 - Voice of San Diego

Bill Fulton Charts a Path for San Diego's Urban Evolution

William Fulton pens a column for the U-T San Diego assessing the city of San Diego's transition from suburban to urban after 18 months on the job as planning director.

January 6, 2015 - U-T San Diego

Pop-Up Park Shifts Planning Attitudes in San Diego

The short-term Quartyard pop-up park in San Diego's East Village reflects the changing attitudes of the oft conservative San Diego Planning Department.

November 22, 2014 - CityLab

San Diego Rail

Is Racism Behind the Density Debate in San Diego?

A high profile environmental attorney in San Diego called out neighborhood opposition to development that would add density for "selfishness and closet racism."

October 30, 2014 - Voice of San Diego

A Call for Cities to Help Veterans through Homelessness and PTSD

As noted by the Department of Veteran Affairs, even one veteran without safe and stable housing is too many. Ron Littlefield calls for cities to move beyond studies and seek ways to aid returned veterans.

October 5, 2014 - Governing - City Accelerator

Leaving California

Lessons Learned from Decades of California Planning

Since the 1980s, California has been both a beacon of cutting-edge urban policy and an example of the ways planning can go awry.

September 10, 2014 - The Planning Report

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.