California
Los Angeles County Gets a C+ on Sustainability Report Card
UCLA released a report about how land use, biodiversity, and looming environmental threats affect the health and well-being of Los Angeles County residents.
The (Nearly) Glacial Timescale of Planning
Planners are used to taking a few years to develop plans, and maybe a few more for development to take hold. For some of California's biggest projects, it's more about decades than years.
Reimagining One of Los Angeles County's Most Popular Gardens
Learn more about the new Descanso Gardens Master Plan which is visionary, thoughtful, comprehensive, and visually stunning.
The Inequities of Beach Access
Over 80% of Californians live within an hour’s drive of a beach, but that does not mean that everyone has easy access to beaches.
Lawsuit Puts Downtown L.A. Flower Market Development on Hold
A planned development would preserve Los Angeles's historic wholesale flower market within a 12-story mixed-use high-rise.
Locals Vehemently Oppose Venice Beach Homeless Housing
The controversies about homelessness in what was once a beach community full of hippies and surfers has boiled over in response to a large proposed development of supportive housing on a surface parking lot owned by the city.
The Freeway Removal Cause Gains Momentum—But Don't Forget Gentrification and Displacement
The case for freeway in urban areas isn't as unequivocal as it might seem. Plans to undo the damage of the legacies of past freeway planning need to ensure an inclusive future.
Documenting L.A.'s Reclaimed Industrial Sites
Community activists across the city have fought to clean up, preserve, and enhance former industrial sites as parks, community gardens, and green spaces.
Beleaguered Project Homekey Credited With Local Success
California's Project Homekey has been a boon for homelessness support services as well as the economic and living conditions on a corridor in Fresno known as Motel Drive.
APA Recognizes Los Angeles County's Sustainability Plan
The American Planning Association (APA) has honored Los Angeles County with the Award of Excellence in Sustainability for the 2019 OurCounty Sustainability Plan.
Los Angeles Extends Outdoor Dining Program for Up to Three Years
An emergency ordinance signed by the city's mayor will allow restaurants to keep outdoor dining facilities built during the pandemic for at least one more year.
L.A. Metro Board Approves Changes to Highway Program
The updated language clarifies that projects can include Complete Streets features, items supported by the county's voters through Measure M.
Los Angeles County First to Recommend Resumption of Indoor Masking
Due to the emergence of the more transmissible Delta variant, Los Angeles County's masking guidance goes beyond what the CDC and the state health department recommend for those who are fully vaccinated. St. Louis has joined them.
House Bill Would Invest Up to $750 Million in Wastewater Recycling Projects
HR 4099, which recently passed a House subcommittee, would create a new pool of money for 17 western states to use for new wastewater recycling capacity.
Feasibility Study Approved for Pasadena, Burbank Airport Light Rail Extension
$1 million in new state funding will study the feasibility of connecting the Gold Line light rail in Pasadena to the Hollywood Burbank Airport in Southern California.
Taking Care of the Santa Monica Mountains
Learn more about the Resource Conservation District which promotes land stewardship and resource conservation in the mountains through habitat restoration, planning, research, and education.
Long Beach Gated Community Must Provide Public Access
The development never fulfilled its mandate to build a public walkway through its property. Now, the Coastal Commission wants it to open its gates.
Water, Affordable Housing on a Collision Course in California
Marin County, the wealthy county in the North Bay Area with a history of exclusionary land use and transportation practices, is using the shortage of water to justify blocking the development of an affordable housing project.
The Imagined Bay Area of 2070: Affordable, Equitable, Prosperous
An opinion published recently by the San Francisco Chronicle offers a provocative thought exercise: How did the Bay Area of 2070 achieve affordability, equity, sustainability and adaptation in the face of climate change, and new levels of prosperity?
Op-Ed: Los Angeles Needs a Countywide Affordable Housing Agency
A bill in the California state legislature would create an agency dedicated to coordinating the production and preservation of affordable housing across the county's 88 cities.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Ada County Highway District
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
