A “new city” near the Bay Area has caught the popular imagination, for better or worse. What of “regular” planning?
Is California Forever Visionary or Just Public Relations?
APA Preview: The Central Valley Faces Growth Issues
A roundtable with planners from California’s Central Valley, in advance of the Cal APA conference in Fresno
Cities Rethink Downtown Strategies Post-Pandemic
Post-pandemic, some California downtowns are up. Some are way down…
New Rail Line Opens to Cautious Optimism in South Los Angeles
Crenshaw Line brings mass transit to the center of LA’s Black community.
Land Matters Podcast: Staying Calm and Planning On
Anthony Flint of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy interviews me about Planners Across America
The Perverse Economics of Los Angeles’s “Mansion Tax”
A well intentioned ballot measure to raise affordable housing funds from big-dollar real estate transfers could kill the housing Los Angeles needs most.
Legislature Considers Diverse Range of Housing Bills
Even as cities strain under the weight of new housing regulations, legislators are trying new ideas and resurrecting old ones.
Book Review: Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
Review of How Big Things Get Done, by Bent Flyvbjerg.
Yet Again, Culprits for Gentrification Escape Blame
A restaurant critic wonders if they deserve blame for furthering gentrification in San Francisco. It’s an interesting, and utterly counterproductive, question.
Planners Across America: The Book
A collection of interviews with planning directors from some of the country’s 50 largest cities, published by Planetizen Press.
Litigation Over Housing Elements Focuses on Peninsula
Housing advocates are lawyering up to force Bay Area cities to produce more housing.
YIMBY Lawyers Sue 12 Bay Area Cities
Coming just days after the region’s RHNA deadline the lawsuits suggest pitched battle ahead over the Bay Area’s housing targets — and maybe even a Builder’s Remedy battle or two.
State Rewards Housing-Friendly Cities with “Prohousing” Designation
Attempting to ease tensions between cities and the state, HCD is given out the planning equivalent of gold stars.
New Los Angeles Mayor Picks Unnecessary Fights over “Luxury” Housing
Los Angeles needs every type of housing. Mayor Karen Bass doesn’t know that yet.
The Top Stories of 2022
2022 was an unusually action-packed year in California planning
Economic Headwinds Push Back on State Housing Goals
California desperately needs housing, but inflation and interest rates may hinder production.