San Francisco

San Francisco, California

2,600 New Homes Approved in San Francisco

A massive new development at the former site of a polluting power plant is moving forward in the City by the Bay.

February 3, 2020 - Curbed San Francisco

San Francisco, California

Car-Free Streets Aren't a Silver Bullet

The San Francisco Chronicle's urban design critic tempers expectations for Market Street in San Francisco, where the city this week undertook an ambitious, but perhaps over-sold, redesign of the busy street.

January 31, 2020 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Streetcar

Market Street in San Francisco Closed to Cars

The historic, car-free transformation of San Francisco's busiest street opens to the public today.

January 29, 2020 - London Breed via Medium

The Castro

'A Strange, Second-Wave Gentrification' in San Francisco

Vast amounts of tech money have transformed the city's commercial spaces in unexpected ways.

January 19, 2020 - The Guardian

Transamerica Pyramid

Linking Office Construction to Affordable Housing—S.F. Ballot Initiative Would Try

Proposition E, a ballot initiative up for vote in San Francisco in May, is one of the most radical planning positions in recent years, attempting to reduce housing costs by limiting housing demand.

January 15, 2020 - Mission Local

Golden State Warriors

San Francisco Gets Lavish Urban Amenity—For Free

The new, privately financed Chase Center arena was designed with San Francisco's tech wealth in mind. It's a handsome addition to the Mission Bay neighborhood but pulls the Bay Area further away from its blue collar roots.

January 6, 2020 - Architect Magazine

San Francisco

Amid Opposition, S.F. Homeless Navigation Center Completed

A new facility providing shelter and services to San Francisco’s homeless will open this month, even after a year of community pushback.

December 27, 2019 - Curbed San Francisco

Muni Bus Market Street

People Over Cars: The Future of San Francisco

The San Bruno Avenue Multimodal Improvement Project moved forward in San Francisco despite local resistance. The planning and political calculus behind the project is a sign of more to come in the City by the Bay.

December 23, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Cruise Ship

California Proposal to Shelter Homeless on Cruise Ship

Oakland is looking at the possibility of housing homeless people in unconventional quarters.

December 19, 2019 - East Bay Times

Berkeley Hills Bay Area

Navigating California's Housing Insanity

One person’s return to the San Francisco Bay Area meant facing the dystopian realities of the rental market.

December 16, 2019 - Harper's Magazine

Mountain View, California

First Safe Parking Lot for the Homeless Opens in San Francisco

With more than 1,700 people living out of vehicles on the streets of San Francisco, the city is in the process of opening a new safe parking facility that woll allow 30 vehicles to park for up to 90 days.

December 12, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Transbay Terminal Construction

Report: Rebranding Needed for Next Phase of the Transbay Transit Center

A team of experts suggests that a rebranding and potentially a new entity to oversee construction will be necessary to finish phase two fo the Transbay transit center.

December 6, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco

Transit-Oriented Housing Development Plan Falls Flat in San Francisco

The Home SF plan was supposed to usher in a wave of new housing development on transit corridors in San Francisco. Now, 2.5 years later, that promise might finally be ready to become reality.

December 4, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Manhattan Retail

The Growing Urban Inequality Gap, Visualized

Inequality is growing faster in large metropolitan areas, according to a New York Times data visualization.

December 2, 2019 - The New York Times

California

24-7 Public Bathroom Pilot to Expand in San Francisco

An experiment in round-the-clock public bathroom access has proven successful, and San Francisco is expanding the program.

November 28, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Traffic

Congestion Pricing Under Discussion in San Francisco

An expanding number of major U.S. cities are exploring the idea of charging drivers to drive into certain heavily trafficked parts of town. San Francisco is the most recent to explore the idea of congestion pricing (also known as cordon pricing).

November 25, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Downtown Boston

A Bold Vision for a Car-Free Boston

As other cities take daring steps to reclaim their streets, a car ban in downtown Boston doesn’t seem so implausible.

November 22, 2019 - Curbed Boston

California

Op-Ed: Housing Could Have Fared Better in San Francisco Election

This month's election yielded mixed results on housing. The pros: a solid victory for pro-housing Mayor London Breed and two affordable housing measures. The con: likely more anti-housing sentiment on the Board of Supervisors.

November 17, 2019 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Presidio San Francisco

S.F. Park Will Provide Panoramic Views of the Bay

In the northwest part of San Francisco, a new park will link the Presidio to the popular Crissy Field.

November 13, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Cupertino, California

Why Big Tech Billions Won't Dent California's Housing Crisis

New multibillion-dollar affordable housing commitments from leading tech firms may build out thousands of units, but that's nothing next to California's gargantuan housing shortage.

November 9, 2019 - The New York Times

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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.