So this is odd: According to a new study by the U.S. Census Bureau, the four densest "urbanized areas" of the country are now all in California, and Los Angeles and the Bay Area at the top of the list. San Jose comes in third, but the fourth-place winner, which is technically more dense by this measure than New York City, is Delano, California — a backwater down on Highway 99 near Bakersfield with two prisons, a tiny airport, and a population of 54,372. more ›

The Berkeley City Council is set to vote tomorrow night on a revised Downtown Area Plan that has been (*cough*) seven years in the making. more ›

SPUR came out with a report today outlining how S.F. can use the large influx of money that the upcoming America's Cup will undoubtedly generate as an impetus to make major, much needed investments to the city now. more ›

Glen Park, which we have always thought was adorable and near [Update] where SFist Deborah resides, has been experiencing quite a growth spurt recently. New restaurants and businesses have been steadily opening up, renters get more for their money there, and it has its own BART Station. But getting to and from the BART Station has always been a bit of a pain. more ›

Two new urban planning documents in two major American cities -- our own and New York City -- are being released this week that reflect a growing a trend toward creating pedestrian-friendly environments and pushing private automobiles out of downtown congestion. A San Francisco Transportation Authority study released yesterday recommends phasing in an all-out ban of auto traffic on Market Street east of Van Ness, beginning by forcing motorists to turn right onto Eighth Street off of Market and outlawing left turns off of Hyde (the full ban, they're saying, is "shelved" for now). SFist previously noted the pilot-program street closure and temporary plaza at Castro and 17th Street, which we didn't think would move forward quite as quickly as it has. more ›

Lance Farber, the 47 year old new age chiropractor boyfriend of our new city planning director John Rahaim, who last weekend set their bed on fire and smeared crushed tomatoes all over the historic landmark apartment the city had put them up in, had a brief appearance in court today, where his bail was set at $1 million. Farber would have been in court longer, except that his attorney, noted local criminal lawyer (and Matt Gonzalez for Mayor campaign treasurer) Randy Knox, said Farber's been suffering terrible migraines ever since he set the place on fire and fled the scene. more ›

In North Beach fights breakout and mild vandalism occurs after bars close at 2 a.m. This chaos, typical for any city, makes some of our sensitive city dwellers cranky before bedtime. Or whatever. So, the City Planning Commissioners somehow got it into their heads that closing pizza parlors on the the Broadway strip, pizzerias that normally stay open until 3 a.m. or 4 a.m., before 2 a.m. will solve a slew of problems. According to the Examiner: more ›

Thanks to some ass-kicking by Matthew Bajko at the BAR, Bevan's taking a bit more time this year to plan for Halloween. Next public meeting: Wednesday, the 30th, at 5:30 in the California Pacific Medical Center, Davies Campus, in the Level B Auditorium in the North Tower Building. Is it just us, or do those directions sound like riddles in a scavenger hunt? Anyway, they'll be talking about the city's plan for moving Halloween to the waterfront. more ›

you know what always catches our eye? That's right, a throwdown! So our attention was finally piqued when Adriel Hampton, the Examiner political correspondent, posted the following j'accuse on his blog: if you scroll past the tedious Don Perata interview, you'll see that Matier and Ross republished his scoop as their own! Without credit! Poor journalistic sportsmanship, M&R! more ›