San Francisco

Market Street San Francisco

$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.

October 9, 2019 - The San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Skyline

S.F. Plan Amendment to Allow Bay Filling

A revision to the region’s plan for the bay will allow areas to be filled in to create habitats that mitigate the effects of climate change.

October 8, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Homelessness

Boulders Meant to Deter Homeless Cause a Ruckus in San Francisco

Desperate times. Desperate measures.

October 1, 2019 - The San Francisco Examiner

Polk Street Bikes

Quick Build Initiative Transforming the Streets of San Francisco

Street improvements to benefit cyclists and pedestrians have been moving rapidly in San Francisco since the June approval of the Vision Zero quick-build initiative, a two-year plan to expedite safety project on high-injury corridors.

September 26, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Freeway

Infrastructure vs. Housing

Do shortages of infrastructure justify restrictive zoning?

September 22, 2019 - Michael Lewyn

West Portal Muni Station

Planning a New Subway to San Francisco's 'Sleepy' West Side

San Francisco is planning for new population growth and new housing developments on the West Side of the city, and is also expecting high quality public transit to fill the mobility needs of current and future residents.

September 22, 2019 - San Francisco Examiner

SFO

As the Waters Rise Toward San Francisco International Airport, So Do the Costs of Staying Dry

San Francisco International Airport lies on 5,171-acres of land on eight miles of shoreline along the west side of the San Francisco Bay. Protecting the property from sea-level rise is becoming a more challenging, and expensive, task.

September 18, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Central Subway Construction

2021 Opening Expected for San Francisco's Central Subway

Mark your calendars (but maybe use pencil).

September 17, 2019 - San Francisco Examiner

Lombard Street San Francisco

Urban Congestion Pricing Might Finally Come to California

If Gov. Gavin Newsom signs legislation by San Francisco Assemblyman Phil Ting, motorists who want to drive the 'world's most crooked street,' a huge tourist draw, will be forced to participate in a pilot 'reservation and pricing program.'

September 9, 2019 - California Assembly Press Release

Boston Bus

Around the Country, Cities Face Bus Driver Shortages

Cities like St. Louis, Denver, and Minneapolis have have fewer bus drivers than the transit system requires. The shortages are effecting the quality of service.

September 3, 2019 - Streetsblog USA

Bike and Bus Lane

Lack of Traffic Safety Enforcement Blamed for Vision Zero Failures

Education, engineering, and enforcement are the three "e's" of Vision Zero in San Francisco. A lack of on of those "e's"—enforcement—might explain why more people are dying on the city's streets this year that any year since the city adopted Vision Z

September 2, 2019 - The San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Construction

A Plan to Fix the Leaning Tower of San Francisco

A luxury residential high rise, conspicuously located near the Bay Bridge in a quickly growing section of the city, could finally have a plan to fix its sagging foundation.

August 29, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Houses

Op-Ed: Only Half of San Francisco is Changing

Using a mid 20th-century painting as his point of reference, Benjamin Schneider points out that the vast, disruptive changes we often associate with San Francisco are only affecting the city's eastern side.

August 22, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Bike Lane

Scooter 'Redlining' Raises Questions in San Francisco

San Francisco hoped a competitive permitting process would ensure considerations of equity in the operations of scooters in the city. The results haven't lived up to expectations.

August 19, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Transbay Transit Center

Cracked Beams Repaired, Commuters Return to San Francisco's Transbay Terminal

After a ten-month closure necessary after inspectors found cracked beams in the Transbay transit terminal mere weeks after opening, regular bus operations finally returned to the $2.2 billion facility earlier this week.

August 16, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Oakland

Gentrification and Race in the San Francisco Bay Area

A feature article revisits the gentrification and displacement discussion, especially as it pertains to racial and economic demographics, in one of the nation's most troubled and challenging housing markets.

August 14, 2019 - The Mercury News

Oakland skyline and San Francisco Bay

Battle of the Bay: Oakland Ahead of San Francisco in Housing Construction

Call it a role reversal: Oakland is building far more apartments and housing units than San Francisco—a reversal of the history of development in the Bay Area.

August 13, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Alamo Square

'The Last Black Man in San Francisco' Pays Homage to the City’s People and Places

The film captures a gentrifying San Francisco by incorporating many subtle details about the city's past and present.

August 9, 2019 - San Francisco Examiner

Commute

How Much of Traffic is Created by Uber and Lyft?

New data from Fehr & Peers shows services like Uber and Lyft account for a larger share of the total traffic than previously thought, especially in city centers.

August 8, 2019 - CityLab

Newport Beach High-Rise

Lawsuits: Not Just for Development Opponents Anymore

Details of the "Sue the Suburbs" movement wielding a new legal tool to counteract the traditionally obstructionist methods of land use regulation in California.

August 6, 2019 - 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.