One of the things prominently on display at this year's California Chapter, American Planning Association conference was the evolution of the City of Los Angeles from a gargantuan suburb into a true "big city." New mixed-use and adaptive reuse projects are located all around the

The realization is setting in among planners that climate change is going to affect planning practice – especially environmental review practice – very deeply. As a result, planners at this year's California Chapter, American Planning Association conference are anxiously seeking

Can California and its communities fit together regional plans, local plans, state housing requirements, and new state requirements on greenhouse gas emissions reductions? Probably not, according to panelists speaking this morning at the California Chapter, American Planning Asso

California's planners are descending on Hollywood this week for their annual conference. Paul Shigley, Bill Fulton, and the rest of the CP&DR gang will be blogging daily from Sunday, September 21st, through Wednesday, September 24th on what's going on. Check it out at www.cp-dr.c

It' s understandable that California planners will focus at their Hollywood conference this week on "planners in tinseltown" – as evidenced by everything from the conference organizers' spoof of "The Office" to the chapter's "Lights … Planning … Action!" motto for the conference.

Only three weeks after insisting that California should encourage dense development near transit lines, state lawmakers have approved a budget that yanks funding from transit and redevelopment. And that might be the nicest thing that anyone can say about the spending and revenue

Metrolink is one of California's true public transit successes. But it's cobbled together from old freight lines – many of which are out of date operationally. Can we afford the upgrades necessary to make a truly 21st Century system? Can we afford not to make them?

A plan to build what would essentially be a new town 40 miles north of Sacramento may be stillborn.

The proposal by Anschutz Entertainment Group to install the equivalent of a football field in signs and lighted billboards in front of the LA Live development near the Los Angeles Convention Center is a glaringly bad idea. AEG's proposal is over-reaching and garish.

The state budget stalemate may get handed to the new Legislature that is seated in December. In the meantime, lawmakers could pass a series of emergency resolutions authorizing the state to pay its bills. Last week, people were whispering about this scenario. Now, they are speaki

John McCain had even less to say about cities and planning – absolutely nothing -- in his acceptance speech than Barack Obama did one week earlier . But, like Richard Nixon before him, he's got a vice presidential candidate who's long on local government experience but a short re

NOTICE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS RFQ-PLN09-12 Omnitrans is accepting Qualifications Statements for: PRE-DEVELOPMENT, CONCEPTUAL DESIGN AND VISIONING SERVICES FOR A DOWNTOWN INTERMODAL TRANSIT STATION AND TRANSIT VILLAGE IN SAN BERNARDINO, CA The sealed Qualifications Statements