The vast majority of bills related to housing, planning, and transportation improvements are charging ahead this session. May 24 was the last day for bills to pass out of their respective houses of origin.
Solano County Braces for Vote on “California Forever” Development
Around 250,000 voters in Solano County will decide whether to welcome as many as 400,000 new neighbors. It is likely to be a serious test of “yes in my backyard” sentiment in California — or, in the case of Solano County — yes in my pasture, field, or rangeland.
Will Waymo Help Urbanism — Or Hurt It?
For nearly as long as I’ve followed planning and transportation, the running joke, recited in conference sessions and at happy hours, has been that self-driving cars are at least five years away — and always will be.
Big California Cities Speed Up Housing Approvals
Many cities have already upzoned. Now, they’re trying to speed up the development process.
California: Where Prosperity Means Decline
Unfortunately for everyone involved, six California cities are on a recently published list of the “18 Fastest-Declining Cities in the U.S.”
A “Breather” Year In Sacramento?
This year’s bills, though, exhibit pragmatic approaches. Rather than seek headlines (and draw ire of slow-growth advocates), this year’s bills largely address nuances that, perhaps, only developers could love. At least, that’s the hope of many legislators.
Year-in-Review 2023
A roundup of highlights from California Planning & Development Report, InTransition, CommonEdge, and more in 2023.
Inland Empire, High Desert Anticipate Brightline West Rail Line
Rancho Cucamonga and Apple Valley are eager to capitalize on the country’s first true high speed rail line.
The Las Vegas Sphere: A Placeless Object in a Placeless City
The Sphere is technologically astonishing, but it’s not great for placemaking
Agencies Struggle To Find Enough Planners
Cost of living, pandemic disruptions, and workloads have left planning departments short-staffed.
Maybe Orange County Should Be As Dense As San Francisco
Orange County has an aversion to density. That’s an opportunity for some intrepid city.
Smart Growth and Sagebrush: Bishop Reimagines the Small-Town Downtown
The high-desert outpost of Bishop, California, seeks to redefine the small-town downtown
Planetizen’s Top Planning Books of 2023
The best and most timely books on urban planning and land use of 2023
Does Density Lead To Affordability?
Whether you’re Cambridge or Canada or anyplace in between, urban economics will always involve combinations of alchemy, soothsaying, and dead reckoning.
Long Beach Aims For Commercial Strip Redevelopment
Despite the region’s demand for housing, Long Beach’s planners are not assuming that development will naturally follow up-zoning. Even with their statutory work done, they are engaging in an unusually aggressive campaign to actually promote development.
First, High-Speed Rail, Then Transit-Oriented Development
Los Angeles-to-Las Vegas rail line may spur local development
Brightline Aims High After Years of Hopes
High-Speed Rail Kicks Off Florida Service as a Model for California and Beyond