Year-in-Review 2022

Dear friends, colleagues, and cityfolk,  I think I speak for many journalists when I say that I’m glad my mentions of “covid,” “coronavirus,” and “pandemic” plummeted in 2022. Likewise, much of the insufferable speculation about …

Josh’s 2021 Year-in-Review 

It’s cool and all that journalism is “the first draft of history.” Sometimes it would be cooler if the history wasn’t quite so overbearing as it was last year. I can’t complain too much, though. 2021 provided …

Podcast: Top Planning Stories of 2020

In our final podcast of 2020, Bill and Josh discuss CP&DR’s most popular stories of the year, including the impact of the COVID pandemic on cities and planning’s responses to the year’s social justice movements.

Talking Headways Podcast Episode 291: The Urban Mystique Part 1

This week we’re joined by Josh Stephens, Contributing Editor to the California Planning and Development Report about his new book The Urban Mystique. We had a long conversation about LA, the availability of bars, opposition urban commentators, and historic propositions that might need an update to stay connected to the times.

Year-in-Review 2019

Not until the first week of December or so did I realize that the change of the year also ushered in a change of decade. My ignorance must have been due to equal parts denial …

2018 Year-in-Review

For all the tumult that 2018 brought, the world remains an interesting place. I was glad to write about a few corners of it, and I am pleased to present a few of my highlights, …

2017 Year-in-Review

As usual, the bulk of my work appeared in the California Planning & Development Report, where we covered a tremendously interesting year in land use, often focusing on the need for housing and the many forces that frustrate its development. I was delighted to again contribute to Planetizen, Next City, Boom, and — new this year — Common Edge.

2016 Year-in-Review

Everyone who pays rent in California knows that the housing crisis truly came to fruition this year. It influenced nearly every story I wrote. Very close to home, we opened a Phase 2 of the …

2015 Year-in-Review

I haven’t kept precise count, but 2015 may have been my most prolific year yet in over 10 years as a journalist. I’m back at the California Planning & Development Report and have been delighted …