Articles

After suffering two generations worth of economic decline and malaise, the East Bay city of Pittsburg is trying to reinvent its downtown as a residential, office and retail district. >>read more

The presence of ammonium perchlorate - an ingredient used in rocket fuel, military munitions and other applications - in underground aquifers is contaminating drinking water supplies in several high-growth areas around the state. >> read more

I tend to be skeptical about land use policy and development trends in California. Every time I leave the state, I see creative developments and practices that we Californians should be implementing. >>read more

As business at the state's shipping ports continues to grow rapidly, the movement of freight across urban areas has become a priority for the Schwarzenegger administration and local transportation planners. >>read more

The Second District Court of Appeal has ordered the City of Santa Paula to place a slow-growth initiative on the ballot.

"Thank God for hospitals," I said to myself a few weeks ago while speeding to the local emergency room, doubled over in the back of an ambulance. Only after the painkillers had deadened a hitherto-undetected kidney stone could I begin to think about hospitals from an urban-design standpoint. >>read more

After sluggish construction for a number of years, condominiums are back. Although it is difficult to pin down exact numbers, 27% of housing starts during the first three months of the year have come in the form of multi-family units, many of which are for-sale condominiums. >>read more

Now little more than a stopping point for truck drivers and weary travelers, Santa Nella may be on the verge of becoming the next bedroom community for Bay Area commuters. >>read more

At a Cupertino City Council meeting in April, Apple Computer guru Steve Jobs announced that the technology giant plans to build a 50-acre campus to complement its existing headquarters across town. >>read more

A thorough study of the San Diego Association of Governments by the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) suggests that the organization has taken regional planning as far as possible, and more regionalism will require a change in governance and economics. >>read more

The June election will see the usual collection of local land use ballot measures, including proposals in three counties to hike the sales tax for transportation projects. However, the election may be even more significant because of three measures that are not on the ballot... >>read more

Real estate reporters and doctors share a certain sang froid. Just as doctors are not excited by seeing undressed people all day, real estate reporters are generally inured to the charms of vacation properties. >>read more

It's easy to overlook the San Diego River, especially as it reaches the final stretch of its 52-mile journey from the inland mountains to San Diego's Mission Bay. The river is not a focal point of Mission Valley, as it winds past the parking lots of hotels, shopping centers and Qualcomm Stadium.

The City of Davis, a college town located only 15 miles west of Sacramento, is surrounded by farm fields, orchards and open space. Despite its proximity to the Central Valley's second largest city, Davis has virtually none of the "rural sprawl" that surrounds so many other valley towns. >>read more