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Finding General Plans

About General Plans
Finding General Plans
Special Collections
Selected Reference Sources: General | California 		Bay Area City Plans
Bay Area County & Regional Plans
Campus Libraries
Finding General Plans is a bibliographic research guide to locating general plans, especially for California and the San Francisco Bay Area, in the UC Berkeley libraries. This guide also provides Web links to many full text resources. For additional assistance please consult the reference staff of the Environmental Design Library, 210 Wurster Hall.

UC Berkeley faculty, registered students, and staff who are off campus may use items marked UCB Only or UC Only by using The Library's proxy service or by installing the Connecting@Berkeley CD on their computer.

Last updated: 19 July 2007 Conditions of Use

    About General Plans
    What is a general plan? General plans have many synonyms, among them comprehensive plan, development plan, land-use plan, master plan, and urban plan. Simply stated, a general plan is "the official statement of a municipal legislative body which sets forth its major policies concerning desirable future physical development..." (Kent, The Urban general plan, 1964). As further elaborated in Planning made easy (Toner, et al., 1994), a general plan is:
    • A public guide to community decision making
    • An assessment of the community's needs
    • A statement of community values, goals, and objectives
    • A blueprint for the community's physical development
    • A public document adopted by the government
    • Continuously updated as conditions change
    Note that in California state law requires that each general plan contain the following seven elements: circulation, conservation, housing, land use, noise, open-space, and safety, as defined in the California Government Code (Title 7, Division 1, Chapter 3, Article 5, Section 65302). Optional elements often adopted include economic development, infrastructure, public services and facilities, and recreation. Both required and optional elements may be published as a single document or as individual items or both. To identify the elements included in the general plan of a specific California jurisdiction, consult The California planner's book of lists, California Office of Planning and Research. For a straightforward introduction to the general plan in California, see A Citizen's guide to planning (California Office of Planning and Research, 2001).


    Selected Reference Sources
    General

  1. A Bibliographic essay on the urban general plan, by Holway R. Jones. IN: The Urban general plan, by T.J. Kent, pp.187-210. A literature review of the development of the general plan idea. Good source for historical materials. U.S. focus.
    2. EnvDesign NA9031 K45 1964
  2. Community planning: an introduction to the comprehensive plan, by Eric Damian Kelly and Barbara Becker. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 2000.
    3. EnvDesign HT167 K38 2000
  3. General plans: how to, what not, when and why. Nuts & Bolts Conference presented by American Planning Association, Orange County Section.v[Santa Ana, CA]: The Section, [1993] The "hows" and "whys" of creating a general plan. Material presented at an APA-sponsored seminar.
    4. EnvDesign HT393 C2 N87 1993 Reserve
  4. Goals of comprehensive planning, by Alan Altshuler, IN: Journal of the American Institute of Planners, v.31:186-95, August 1965. [Washington, D.C., etc., American Institute of Planners]
    5. EnvDesign NA9000 A48 Periodical stacks
  5. Guidelines for preparing urban plans, by Larz T. Anderson. Chicago: Planners Press, American Planning Association, 1995.
    EnvDesign HT167 A748 1995
  6. Plan graphics, by David A. Davis, Theodore D. Walker. 5th ed. NY: Wiley, 2000. A compilation of graphic techniques for both large- and small-scale plans.
    EnvDesign NA2700 W34 2000
  7. The Urban general plan, by Thomas J. Kent. San Francisco: Chandler Publishing Co., 1964. Classic text by founder of DCRP and Berkeley planner-city councilman. With a bibliographic essay on the urban general plan by Holway R. Jones.
    8. EnvDesign NA9031 K45 1964

    California For more general information on California planning see the research guides California Planning online.

  1. The California general plan glossary, Naphtali H. Knox and Charles E. Knox, eds. Palo Alto: California Planning Roundtable.
    Online ed.:http://www.cproundtable.org/cprwww/docs/glossary.html
    paper ed. EnvDesign HT167.5 C2 C26 1990
  2. California planners book of lists (Governor's Office of Planning and Research, & Calif. Resources Agency)  Lists general plans and specific plan elements by municipality. A practical classic. Also includes directories of California local planning agencies and of the California Councils of Government and their jurisdictions.
    3. Online ed.: 1996--, http://www.calpin.ca.gov/archives/default.asp; paper ed.: 1986--, Environ Dsgn HT167.5 C2C33 latest Reference Desk
  3. General plan guidelines. State of California, Office of Planning and Research. Sacramento: The Office. 1973--. Officially interprets and explains the requirements of California planning law. Covers the 7 required elements and the process of preparation and implementation of the general plan.
    4. Online ed.: 1998--, http://ceres.ca.gov/planning/genplan/gpg.pdf; paper ed.:  1973--, EnvDesign KFC810 A85 latest Reference
  4. Guide to California planning, by William Fulton, 3rd ed. Point Arena, CA: Solano Pr. Books, 2005.
    5. EnvDesign HD266 C2 F87 2005 Reserve, Reference; copy circulating
  5. The Planner's guide to specific plans. 1998 | 2001 Sacramento: Office of Planning and Research.
    6. Online ed.: http://www.opr.ca.gov/publications/GeneralPlanning.shtml ; paper ed., EnvDesign HT393 C2 P638 2001
  6. The Planning commissioner's book. Governor's Office of Planning and Research; Antero Rivasplata, author and principal planner.  Sacramento: Office of Local Government Affairs. A handy general reference on planning. Includes section on the general plan.
    Online ed.: 1998, http://ceres.ca.gov/planning/plan_comm/; paper ed.: 1989, EnvDesign HT166 R59 1989
  7. Planning, zoning, and development laws 1997 | 1998 | 2000 | 2007 Sacramento: California Office of Planning and Research, 1980--. Approx. biennial. Current California statutory planning law compiled as technical assistance for local planning agencies. Includes Subdivision Map Act and miscellaneous planning-related laws.
    8. Online ed.: 1995--; paper ed.: 1983--; EnvDesign KFC811 A31 latest Reference


    Finding General Plans  General plans are available in various libraries on the UC Berkeley campus. In addition to searching the catalogs and using journal indexes to locate information about general plans, you may wish to browse the Environmental Design Library stacks under these call numbers: HT168 and NA9127, keeping in mind that some titles may be in use. Plans are organized within these call number areas alphabetically by name of jurisdiction. Information on general plans is increasingly available on the Web.  Note: For general plans in the Institute of Governmental Studies Library (IGSL) collection search Melvyl®. For older pre-1983 materials not listed in Melvyl® check the card catalog at IGSL. Also consider an online search via the IGSL's California Local Planning Documents Database.
    Using the Catalogs  These subject headings will be useful in finding general plans listed in the Pathfinder and Melvyl® catalogs. Remember that you may combine terms, e.g., subject berkeley california city planning AND subject housing policy berkeley.
    [place name]--City planning
    [place name]--Economic conditions
    [place name]--Social conditions

    Central business districts--
    [place name]--Planning
    City planning--[place name]

    Community development, Urban--
    [place name]
    County planning--[place name]
    Housing development--[place name]

    Housing policy--[place name]
    Infrastructure (Economics)--[place name]
    Land use--[place name]--Planning
    Open spaces--[place name]--Planning

    Real estate development--[place name]
    Recreation--[place name]--Planning
    Regional planning--[place name]
    Transportation--[place name]--Planning
    Urban renewal--[place name]
    Waterfronts--[place name]--Planning

    Zoning

    The following subject headings are examples of ways to search for specific areas or neighborhoods within a city:
    Aquatic Park (Berkeley, Calif.)
    Chinatown (San Francisco, Calif.)
    Embarcadero (San Francisco, Calif.)
    Hunters' Point Naval Shipyard
    Mission Bay (San Francisco, Calif.)
    San Antonio District (Oakland, Calif.)
    Telegraph Avenue (Oakland, Calif.)
    West Berkeley (Berkeley, Calif.)
    Yerba Buena Center (San Francisco, Calif.)

    Finding Journal & Newspaper Articles: Journal articles can provide supplementary information regarding the political process, community issues, and special interests that surround the creation of a general plan. For listings of California newspapers online see California Newspapers (News Link), organized by place within broad categories (e.g., dailies, business, alternative).  These indexes are also available from The Library's home page; go to Find Information and select Articles, and then Article Databases A-Z.
  1. Avery index to architectural periodicals via CSA - UC Only  Contains citations to articles in 1,000+ periodicals in architecture, planning, urban design, and related disciplines.
    2. Online ed.: 1890--; paper ed.: 1890-1995, EnvDesign fNA8 C64 1973 Index
  2. Business source premier via EBSCOhost - UCB Only Citations to and full text for more than 7,400 scholarly business journals and other sources. Useful source of information for city & regional planning, regional and community development, housing, transportation, etc.
    3. Online coverage: 1965--.
  3. Expanded academic ASAP via Infotrac - UC Only  Indexes articles in more than 1,500 general interest journals and scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and general sciences. Abstracts and full text available for many titles indexed.
    4. Online coverage: 1980--.
  4. IngentaConnect - UCB Only Provides full-text access to domestic and international scholarly & academic publications.
    Online coverage: Varies, depending on source.
  5. Journal of planning literature via IngentaConnect - UCB Only  Columbus, OH: Sage Publications, Inc. Indexes 400+ journals and provides comprehensive coverage of the city and regional planning literature.  See section 11-1: Comprehensive planning.
    6. Online ed.: 2000--; paper ed.: 1985/86--, EnvDesign NA9000 J687 Index
  6. Lexis-Nexis academic - UCB Only  Includes indexing to more than 6,000 journals and newspapers and provides full text. Good for public policy issues.
    7. Online coverage:Varies.
  7. Research Library via ProQuest - UCB Only Includes abstracts and indexing to more than 1,100 periodical titles, plus current coverage of New York Times articles. It includes some full text.
    Online coverage: Varies, depending on source.
  8. Urban studies & planning via CSA - UCB Only Provides indexing to and full text of 12 journals published by SAGE Publications and participating societies, some journals going back 37 years.
    9. Online coverage: Varies, depending on source


    Special Collections
  1. California Local Plans Collections

    2. The Environmental Design Library collects plans for major California cities and communities within the San Francisco Bay area, as well as plans for other major California and U.S. cities. Between 1948 and 1963 the library also collected general plans across the U.S. and California. These plans are cataloged in the library's online catalogs; most titles are available for circulation.

    The Institute of Governmental Studies Library (IGSL) maintains the most complete collection of California city and county planning documents on the UC Berkeley campus. Ranging from the 1940s to the present, the collection is fully cataloged and does not circulate. Since 1983 catalog records have appeared in the Melvyl® online catalog; earlier catalog records are in the Library's card and book catalogs.

    The California Local Planning Documents Database is an online index of California general plans owned by IGSL. The database may be accessed at IGSL or via the Web. Current planning documents are the primary focus of the database, which may be searched by jurisdiction or place name, element (i.e., housing, open space), and year adopted. Includes addresses of planning agencies.
  2. Housing and urban affairs, 1965-1976. Glen Rock, N.J.: Microfilming Corp. of America, 1977. Full text microfiche collection of 3,000 selected local planning reports, research papers, etc., in the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Affairs Library, 1965-76 (Microfiche 855).
    3. INDEX: Housing and urban affairs, 1965-1976: A bibliographic guide to the microform collection provides subject, geographic and author title access to the collection (EnvDesign HD7293 A121 H68 1978 Index).
  3. Plans (Calif. Land Use Planning Information Network) Provides directories of California city and county general plans; habitat conservation plans; regional plans; and tribal plans.
    4. http://ceres.ca.gov/planning/plans/index.html
  4. "701" Comprehensive Planning Reports
    5. This large and diverse collection of general plans in the Environmental Design Library spans the period from 1954 to 1976 when the U.S. Federal Planning Assistance Program of the Housing Act of 1954 (P.L.83-560), Section 701 of Title 7, susbsidized the preparation of comprehensive plans and required their distribution to 13 U.S. urban planning depository libraries, including the Environmental Design Library. More than 20,000 reports, issued by state and local agencies, were distributed. Almost all the "701" reports--except San Francisco Bay Area plans--are stored in the Northern Regional Library Facility (NRLF) and may be paged on request.

    For a history of the "701" federal planning assistance program, see The Foundations of federal planning assistance, by Carl Feiss, IN: Journal of the American Planning Association, v.51:2, spring 1985, pp.174-184. Includes a chronology (1955-1981) of the Program's appropriations and bibliographical references (EnvDesign NA9000 A48 Bound periodicals).
     

    INDEXES: These reports are listed in the Library's online catalogs. Access is also provided in the Dictionary catalog of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Library and Information Division in vol. 19 of the base set, and vol. 2 in Supplements 1 and 2 (EnvDesign fHT166 A12 Reference) At NRLF.
  5. Index to current urban documents - UCB Only NY: Greenwood Press. The key national resource for local government publications of the United States. Online edition contains citations to and the full text (.pdf) of local government publications from approximately 500 selected cities and counties in the United States and Canada.  At the core of the collection are fiscal and planning documents, including budgets and financial reports, and city, county and regional plans.  Contemporary subject headings for urban affairs (EnvDesign JS13 A12 M851 1983 Index) serves as a guide to subject headings for older volumes of the Index and is shelved with it. Subject terms to use: City planning--policy, goals; Community facilities--planning; Comprehensive (master) plans; County planning--policy, goals; Metropolitan area planning.
    6. Online ed.: 2000--; available from The Library's home page; go to Find Information and select Electronic Resources -- Government Information Sources-California/Regional.
    Paper ed.:  1972--; EnvDesign JS13 A12M85 Index; Index & full text documents on microfiche in Institute of Governmental Studies Library


    Selected San Francisco Bay Area City General Plans  Use the abagOnline (http://www.abag.ca.gov/) Web site to check for San Francisco Bay Area city Web sites. Listed here is a selection of general plans from Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco.
    Berkeley (Berkeley Planning & Development Department)

  1. Berkeley bicycle plan: draft for inclusion in the general plan. Berkeley Planning Development, Dec. 1998.
    2. http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/transportation/bicycling/bikeplan/plan.pdf
  2. Berkeley downtown plan. City of Berkeley Planning Department. [Berkeley: The Dept., 1990].
    3. Online abbreviated ed., http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/plans/dtgoals.htm; paper ed., EnvDesign HT168 B45 B487 1990
  3. City of Berkeley Aquatic Park master plan: final report.  Prepared for Joint Subcommittee on Waterfront Parks; Bill Montgomery, Parks/Marina Division, City of Berkeley [by] MPA Design. San Francisco: The Firm, 1990.
    4. EnvDesign HT168 B45 C58 1990a
  4. City of Berkeley housing element: adopted December 18, 2001 by the Berkeley City Council. [Berkeley]: City of Berkeley, [2001?].
    5. EnvDesign HD7304 B37 B452 2001
  5. General plan:
    -----. Berkeley general plan: a guide for public decision-making, prepared by the Berkeley Planning Commission and the citizens of Berkeley for consideration by the the Berkeley City Council. Berkeley: City of Berkeley, [2001].
    Online ed.: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/plans/generalPlan/Intro.html; paper ed.: EnvDesign HT168 B45 D725 2001 [draft]
    -----. Planning Commission general plan: a framework for public decision-making, 2000 - 2020
    http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/plans/generalPlan/gppdfs.html
  6. South Shattuck strategic plan, prepared by the City of Berkeley, Planning and Development Dept., 1998.
    7. Online ed., http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/plans/southshattuck/toc.htm; paper ed., EnvDesign HT168 B45 S67 1998
  7. Southside plan (Draft), City of Berkeley and University of California, Berkeley, 2000.
    8. Online ed., http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/plans/southside/sspln.htm; paper ed., EnvDesign NA9127 B4 D72 2000
  8. Southside planning chronology, 1992 to present, Physical & Environmental Planning, UCB, for the City of Berkeley Planning Commission.  Berkeley: Physical & Environmental Planning, UCB, [1997]
    9. EnvDesign HT168 B45 S68 1997
  9. University Avenue strategic plan, prepared for the City of Berkeley by Calthorpe Associates with Bay Area Economics, 1995.
    10. Online ed., http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/plans/uagoals.htm; paper ed., EnvDesign HT168 B45 C25 1995
  10. West Berkeley plan. [West Berkeley Area Plan Committee].Berkeley: The Committee, 1993.
    11. Online ed.: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/plans/westberkeley/wbtoc.htm

    Oakland (Oakland Community & Economic Development Agency)
  1. Envision Oakland: City of Oakland general plan: draft land use and transportation element. Oakland: [Comprehensive Planning Division, 1997].
    2. EnvDesign HT168 O2 E6 1997 v.1-2
  2. Housing:
    -----. Consolidated plan for housing and community development, city of Oakland, July 1995-June 2000. Oakland: Office of Housing and Neighborhood Development, 1995.
    3. EnvDesign Microfiche 10010 OCA-0261

    -----. 2003 Draft housing element (City of Oakland)
    http://www.oaklandnet.com/government/hcd/policy/docs/HE_Draft.pdf
  3. Oakland general plan: Open Space, Conservation and Recreation (OSCAR) Element: administrative draft. [Oakland, CA: s.n., 1994].
    4. EnvDesign HT168 O2 O2 1994
  4. Oakland-sharing the vision: the Oakland strategic plan. Oakland-Sharing the Vision. Oakland: Oakland-Sharing the Vision, Inc., 1992.
    5. EnvDesign HT168 O2 O25 1992
  5. Plan for Oakland's downtown redevelopment area. Presented to Mayor Elihu Harris, Oakland City Council, Oakland Redevelopment Agency. [Berkeley]: University-Oakland Metropolitan Forum, [1993].
    6. EnvDesign HC108 O2 W6 no.28 or Microfiche 10010 OCA-0227

    San Francisco (San Francisco Planning Department)
  1. Central Embarcadero urban design strategy. [San Francisco: Roma Design Group, 1993].
    2. EnvDesign Microfiche 10010 SFCA-0354; IGS 93 01397
  2. General plan:
    -----. San Francisco general plan
    http://www.sfgov.org/site/planning_index.asp?id=41423
    -----San Francisco general plan: amendments to the general plan: adopted between September 1988 and July 1997. Planning Dept., City and County of San Francisco, [1997].
    3. EnvDesign KFC810 A56 S31 1997
  3. Housing element: an element of the San Francisco general plan: final draft for public review, prepared by Citywide Policy Planning, San Francisco Planning Dept. San Francisco: The Dept., 2003.
    EnvDesign HD7304 S3 S265 2003 Noncirculating
  4. Mission Bay plan: proposal for adoption. [San Francisco] Dept. of City Planning, City and County of San Francisco, [1990].
    5. EnvDesign NA9127 S35 M3772 1990
  5. The Port of San Francisco waterfront design & access: an element of the Waterfront land use plan, prepared by the Port of San Francisco and the San Francisco Planning Department, with the guidance of the Waterfront Urban Design Technical Advisory Committee. San Francisco, CA: Port of San Francisco, 1997. 1997.
    IGS 97 00827
  6. Preservation element of the general plan, [Planning Department, City and County of San Francisco]. San Francisco: The Dept., 2000.
    7. EnvDesign NA108 S4 S25 2000
  7. South of Market: an area plan of the city and county of San Francisco. Department of City Planning. In: San Francisco (Calif.) Dept. of City Planning. Master plan, city and county of San Francisco. San Francisco, The Dept., 1988-
    8. EnvDesign HT168 S2 S35 1990b
  8. Transportation: an element of the general plan of the City and County of San Francisco [San Francisco]: Planning Dept., [1995]
    EnvDesign HE310 S4 T735 1995 Reference
  9. Vision of a place: a guide to the San Francisco general plan. San Francisco: San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, 2002.
    EnvDesign HT168 V5; IGS 2002 0116


    Selected San Francisco Bay Area County & Regional General Plans   Use the abagOnline (http://www.abag.ca.gov/) or the California State Association of Counties (http://www.csac.counties.org/) sites to check for San Francisco Bay Area county Web sites. Listed here is a selection of recent general plans from the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties.
    County Planning Agencies & Plans

  1. Alameda County Planning Dept.
    -----. East County area plan: a portion of the Alameda County general plan. [Hayward, CA: 1996].
    2. EnvDesign HT393 C32 A43 1996
  2. Contra Costa County Community Development Dept.
    -----. Contra Costa County general plan, 1995-2010, 1996-.
    3. IGS 97 00821
  3. Marin County Community Development Agency
    -----. The Marin countywide plan 2004.. [San Rafael, CA: Marin County Community Development Agency, 2004].
    4. EnvDesign HT393 C22 M3 M27 2004
  4. Napa County Conservation, Development and Planning Dept.
    ----. Napa County general plan, [1992].
    5. EnvDesign HD211 C2 N361 1990
  5. San Mateo County Planning and Building Division
    -----. San Mateo County general plan housing element. [Redwood City, CA: San Mateo County], 2004.
    IGS 2005 0169
  6. Santa Clara County Planning Office
    -----. Santa Clara County general plan: charting a course for Santa Clara County's future, 1995-2010. 1994.
    7. EnvDesign HT393 C32 S553 1994 v.2 in folio stacks books A & B
  7. Solano County Department of Resource Management
    -----. Solano County land use and circulation element: a part of the Solano County general plan, prepared by the Solano County Planning Department. Fairfield, CA: Solano County Planning Dept., [2004].
    8. IGS 2005 0044
  8. Sonoma County Permit & Resource Management Dept.
    -----. Sonoma County general plan. [Santa Rosa: Sonoma County Planning Dept.], 1991.
    9. IGS 92 00076

    Regional Plans:
  1. Association of Bay Area Governments
    -----. Bay Area futures: where will we live and work? Commissioned by the San Francisco District Council of the Urban Land Institute. Oakland: Association of Bay Area Governments, [1997]
    2. Online ed.: http://www.abag.ca.gov/planning/bayareafutures/; paper ed., EnvDesign HD257 B39 1997

    -----. The Emergence of a regional concept 1910-1976. 1976.
    EnvDesign JS451 C28 S335 1976

    -----. ABAG 1961-1986: emergence of a regional concept. [1986].
    IGS 86 00587; Trans HT394 S4 A8 1986
    -----. Regionwide planning: a collaborative approach: a proposal. Regional Planning Committee. [Oakland: Association of Bay Area Governments, 1994].
    EnvDesign Microfiche 10010 OCA-0249; IGS 94 00941
  2. Blueprint for a sustainable Bay Area, by Urban Ecology, Inc.  [Oakland, CA]: Urban Ecology, 1996.
    EnvDesign HC79 E5 B48 1996
  3. Metropolitan Transportation Commission
    -----. Regional transportation plan for the San Francisco Bay Area, prepared by Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Oakland, CA: The Commission.
    EnvDesign, Main HE310 S25 M48 Holdings vary; check catalog; ITSL RTS2006 R4; IGSL A5877
    -----. Transportation 2030 plan, February 2005.
    http://www.mtc.ca.gov/planning/2030_plan/index.htm
  4. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
    -----. Regional plan for the Lake Tahoe Basin: plan area statements. [1987]
    EnvDesign HT392.5 T3 T3 1987
    -----. Lake Tahoe Basin Regional transportation plan, 2004-2027
    http://www.trpa.org/documents/docdwnlds/Final_Draft_2004_RTP.pdf


    Campus Libraries These libraries have significant collections of general plans. Community libraries are also excellent sources of local planning documents.
    Environmental Design Library
    210 Wurster Hall
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/
    Institute of Governmental Studies Library
    109 Moses Hall 
    http://www.igs.berkeley.edu/library/
    		 Institute of Transportation Studies Library
    412 McLaughlin Hall 
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ITSL/

    Compiled by Deborah Sommer
    City Planning & Landscape Architecture Librarian
    Environmental Design Library

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