Santa Cruz

Aerial view of coastal town of Santa Cruz, California.

Santa Cruz Transit Looks to Expand

A small transit agency in Northern California is making ambitious expansion plans.

October 4, 2023 - Human Transit

The former parking of Woodies restaurant is filled with empty picnic tables for dining during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Outdoor Dining Parklets No Longer Cheap and Easy

Cities in Santa Cruz County, California are making outdoor dining laws permanent, and some businesses are getting sticker shock at the extra cost of maintaining the pandemic-era expansion of al fresco dining.

November 21, 2022 - Lookout Santa Cruz

Pumping Gas

Another Major Climate Win for Big Oil in Federal Court

A New York federal district court rules on a climate change lawsuit like its West Coast counterpart did last month: Don't hold oil companies accountable for climate change and sea level rise. Baltimore and Rhode Island file climate change lawsuits.

July 25, 2018 - Inside Climate News

Homelessness

Hepatitis A Outbreak Spurring Cities to New Actions on Homelessness

A series of articles from around the Internet in recent weeks highlights the need for more services and support for the homeless. The location of this story is set in California, but all communities should heed these warnings.

December 8, 2017 - Wired

Top Cities For Singles Revealed

Kiplinger has released its list of the ten best cities for singles and the results may surprise you.

February 13, 2012 - Kiplinger

Will Dogs Return To Downtown Santa Cruz?

Banished for 35 years, the merchants themselves have asked the city council to loosen this legislative leash. Dog-walking visitors are surprised when police inform them of the current law, and merchants seek the business that they provide.

June 20, 2011 - Santa Cruz Sentinel

In Defense of the NIMBY

November 11, 2010 - Keith Sugar

Bike Advocacy Rule #1: Show Up!

Bike Blogger Richard Masoner offers some tips on how to successfully advocate for effective bicycle facilities, covering the gamut from bike parking to placement of bike sharrows.

July 28, 2010 - Cyclelicious (bicycle blog)

Friday Funny: Public Comment Gold

A sample of public comments from meetings in the eccentrically out-there city of Santa Cruz, California.

July 31, 2009 - SoWat TV

Planning System Revamp May Speed Development in Santa Cruz

Bureaucratic red tape has slowed the development process for years in Santa Cruz, California. Now proposed changes look to speed up the process, but critics say the changes could open the door to under-controlled development.

March 18, 2008 - Santa Cruz Sentinel

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.