California

COVID-19 Restrictions

How COVID-19 Impacted Mobility in California

Analysis of cell phone location tracking data shows changes in how Californians have moved around since the pandemic.

April 7, 2021 - U.S. News & World Report

L.A. Mall Purchase Would Be the Biggest Victory Yet for Community-Driven Development

The Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza mall is 41 acres of prime commercial real estate in the nation’s second largest city. When the mall came up for sale last year, a group of residents decided to shoot for the moon and started organizing to buy it.

April 7, 2021 - Next City

Traffic

Minnesota and California Take Steps to Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled

The two states both approved measures that will set VMT reduction goals and create enforcement mechanisms to promote more climate-friendly policies.

April 6, 2021 - State Smart Transportation Initiative (SSTI)

Proposed North Hollywood-Pasadena BRT Line

Controversial BRT Plans Revised in Los Angeles

The proposed changes to plans for a bus rapid transit route on Colorado Boulevard are an attempt to compromise between competing community concerns.

April 6, 2021 - Urbanize Los Angeles

California State Water project

The Benefits of Covering Canals With Solar Panels

Research claims that installing solar panels over California's extensive canals could greatly expand the state's renewable energy production and reduce evaporation.

April 5, 2021 - High Country News

CBS Television City, Los Angeles, Caliifornia.

L.A.'s Historic CBS Campus Will Undergo Billion-Dollar Expansion

The Television City revamp will more than double the currently available space and include a multi-modal mobility hub, pedestrian improvements, and a "robust" transportation demand management program.

April 5, 2021 - The Architect's Newspaper

Los Angeles Sunset

Hiking For All: Making the Great Outdoors More Welcoming

Not everyone feels comfortable going for a hike. Various groups are working to break down barriers so that more people can experience the joys and benefits of being in nature.

April 1, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

Campanile

One Berkeley Resident's Fight to Desegregate the City

Dorothy Walker has spent decades working to eliminate housing discrimination. In February, the city council finally agreed.

April 1, 2021 - Grist

Little Tokyo Los Angeles

Los Angeles Passes New Rent Relief Package

The city will offer a new round of rental assistance to eligible families who owe back rent.

March 29, 2021 - KTLA

Desert Road

3D-Printed Neighborhood Coming to the California Desert

The developer of the 15-home community claims they will produce homes with a tenth of the waste of traditional construction in record time.

March 29, 2021 - The Guardian

Los Angeles County

Understanding Regional and Rural Park and Recreation Needs

The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is doing a study to inventory and analyze the need for facilities like beaches, natural areas, open space, regional parks, trails, and local parks in rural areas.

March 28, 2021 - National Recreation and Park Association Open Space Blog

Antioch, California

California's 'Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure'

The newly released Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure shifts the state's transportation priorities to focus on clean energy and livability.

March 22, 2021 - Streetsblog California

Bakersfield and Fresno Sign

California Assembly Continues to Debate High-Speed Rail

With a train-friendly administration in Washington, supporters of the project hope that state leaders will make a stronger commitment to funding the full project.

March 21, 2021 - Streetsblog California

Peninsula

Opinion: California Should Pass Aggressive Housing Reform

While some lawmakers oppose recent efforts to reform housing policies, others argue the state's affordability crisis calls for bold action.

March 19, 2021 - OC Register

Multi-Modalism

Feds to the Rescue, but the Peril Remains: Preventing the Next Fiscal Apocalypse

Former Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole talks about the implications of the fiscal reset on city budget, policy, and service priorities going forward.

March 18, 2021 - The Planning Report

Oakland California Road

Oakland Wants to Make Space for Fourplexes

The city of Oakland in the East Bay Area is a hotbed of planning and development issues, most notably gentrification and the displacement of communities of color. Now the city is considering a drastic change to its zoning code.

March 18, 2021 - Oaklandside

Leaving California

Exporting California's Housing Challenges? Correcting the Record on Out-Migration

Michael Storper and Patrick Condon opine on what California's population demographics really reveal about housing, density, economic development, jobs, and affordability.

March 16, 2021 - The Planning Report

Grocery Stores

Supermarkets Closing in Response to 'Hero Pay' Requirements in Southern California

The cities of Long Beach and Los Angeles are dealing with the fallout from controversial decisions to require extra compensation for grocery store workers during the pandemic.

March 16, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

San Francisco Street

Opinion: High-Rises Won't Sink San Francisco

The weight of large buildings may not be a major threat to coastal cities, despite recent claims.

March 16, 2021 - San Francisco Chronicle

Vancouver Skyline

Density, Affordability, and the 'Hungry Dogs' of Land Price Speculation

Patrick Condon argues that increasing density without affordability inflates urban land values, resulting in nearly all of the value of labor and creative enterprise of entrepreneurs in regional economies being absorbed as land wealth.

March 15, 2021 - 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.