The great irony of the philanthropist’s life was that he made his billions on sprawl — and then poured it into making Los Angeles a more urban city.
Eli Broad, Urbanist
Surplus Land Act Upends Public Agency Development Plans
According to the Surplus Land Act (SLA), a relatively new state law whose implementing guidelines went into effect in January, all of these properties must be made available to affordable housing developers first. While state officials defend the guidelines, the landowning agencies say the law will undermine their vision for the property – and maybe even hinder their ability to build the affordable housing that the law seeks to create.
The Phony Debate Over Wall Street and the Housing Crisis
Over the past few years, concerns about “Wall Street ownership” of houses in California has grown increasingly serious, with the The Blackstone Group being the poster child for a handful of finance companies that buy up single-family homes, often in disadvantaged areas, only to kick out tenants and increase rents.
Updated Cal EnviroScreen Will Improve State’s EJ Efforts
In March, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) released the draft of its fourth iteration of CalEnviroScreen (CES). First released in 2013, CES is a database of environmental hazards that forms the basis of myriad state and local efforts to limit human exposure and strive for environmental justice.
Proposed Legislation Would Give Cities Fewer Excuses for Blocking Housing
The California Legislature has come roaring back in 2021 with a whole new set of bills affecting planning and development
Podcast: L.A. Planner-Councilmember Nithya Raman
In November, Nithya Raman became only the second trained urban planner to be elected to the Los Angeles city council. CP&DR spoke with Raman about how planning influences her political agenda
How Berkeley Will Move Away From Single-Family Zoning
The council vote was unanimous, but now comes the hard part: Implementing an upzoning in a city with strong homeowner advocacy and fire-prone hillside neighborhoods.
SCAG Shoots Down RHNA Appeals
Many housing advocates considered the assignment of 1.3 million new housing units to Southern California via 2019’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation process to be a serious win. It was followed up by an intra-regional allocation process that weighted units toward high-cost, high-demand coastal cities, for another win. Last month, they scored a few more wins — 50 to be exact.
The Rise of Zoomtowns
While many in the state do not have the means to pick and choose exactly where they want to live, the combination of remote work and pandemic ennui has prompted untold numbers of well-off urban Californians to retreat to suburbs and to exurban “Zoomtowns.”
What Is Opposition To Duplexes Really About?
The only difference, then, between a duplex and a blissfuly detached single-unit home is the age-old anxiety about new residents who might not be quite as wealthy as the incumbent residents.
2020: A Year Like No Other
2020 unexpectedly generated more writing about urban planning in the mainstream media than any other year in recent memory. And not for pleasant reasons. The COVID-19 pandemic brought urban life to a halt, inspiring news articles and photo essays about newly desolate streets, strained finances, and imperiled businesses.
SCAG Sees Revolt Against RHNA Allocations
60% of Orange County cities challenge their targets, which are much higher than last time around
Wildfire Danger, Housing Needs Collide on Urban Fringe
Already an epic-scale tragedy, California’s wildfires–consuming a record 4 million acres this year–are effectively shrinking the amount of land available for housing and prompting planners to make tough choices between growth and safety
No Matter How You Calculate It, We Need A Lot Of Housing
Does the Embarcadero Institute’s push to lower the state’s housing need from 2 million to 1 million really change anything?
New RTP/SCS Documents Must Grapple With More Housing
Southern California and Bay Area MPOs must get more aggressive to meet RHNA goals and SB 375 goals.
Cities Confront Environmental Justice In General Plans
OPR issues guidelines for implementing SB 1000, which requires local governments to address EJ directly in planning for the first time
Sexism and the City
Leslie Kern’s new book Feminist City will likely ring familiar with women planners — and provide male planners crucial insights for making cities more welcoming and equitable for everyone
Podcast: What’s It Like To Be A Black Planner In California?
CP&DR welcomes a panel of Black planners to share their personal perspectives on the current historical moment and on the future of planning in the era of Black Lives Matter.