Bill Fulton
The New Suburban Dream
Submitted by Bill Fulton on 31 August 2010 - 5:55pmMy nephew and his wife recently had their second child, and they are following a well-worn path from the city to the suburbs.
Four years ago, childless and carless, they lived the urban life in the fashionable Washington, D.C., neighborhood of Cleveland Park. Child No. 1 pushed them four miles out, to the expensive inner Maryland suburb of Bethesda, where they bought a cozy two-bedroom condominium that had been converted from an apartment. Then, a couple of months ago, Child No. 2 pushed them another 12 miles farther out – beyond the Beltway – to Rockville, where they bought a four-bedroom, 2,200-square-foot house.
Cantil-Sakauye Brings Fact-Based, Moderate Approach to CEQA
Submitted by jstephens on 4 August 2010 - 4:58pmAs CP&DR’s Senior Editor Paul Shigley pointed out last week in his blog, retiring Chief Justice Ronald George of the California Supreme Court gained a well-earned reputation as a centrist and a unifier.
SB 375 and AB 32 Math Doesn’t Add Up
Submitted by jstephens on 7 July 2010 - 10:49pmNow that the California Air Resources Board has released its draft targets for greenhouse gas emissions reduction under SB 375, it’s time to do some math. What follows is nerdy and a little dense, but it’s important – and planners need to be able to follow the bouncing ball on 375.
The bottom line is that the math doesn’t yet add up – and that’s because what AB 32 calls for and what California’s regional planning agencies think is realistic don’t line up with each other.
The Promise, and Perils, of Alignment
Submitted by jstephens on 18 June 2010 - 9:31amA couple of weeks ago, Shelley Poticha, the Obama Administration’s point person on smart growth, gave a high-profile talk to a big Urban Land Institute crowd in Los Angeles. Her message, plain and simple, was that it’s time for what she called “alignment.”
Stalled Federal Transportation Bill Puts Local Funding on Hold
Submitted by jstephens on 21 May 2010 - 7:06amWith state and local government revenues shrinking throughout California, planners are increasingly looking to the federal government – and especially transportation funds – to pay for local planning efforts, especially if they involve infill and transit-oriented development efforts. But the two major possible sources of funding – the transportation reauthorization bill and the climate bill – are both stalled with little hope of passage anytime soon.
The climate bill has been caught, at least for the moment, in the crossfire of the immigration debate. So let’s get back to that later and focus instead on the bill that ought to have no trouble passing: the transportation reauthorization bill.
Josh Stephens Named Editor of California Planning & Development Report
Submitted by Bill Fulton on 21 February 2010 - 9:50amVeteran planning and architecture journalist Josh Stephens has been named editor of California Planning & Development Report, the state’s leading independent publication covering land-use planning issues. Stephens will replace Paul Shigley, who is stepping down after 11 years as editor to focus on other writing projects.
Walkscore As A Planning Tool
Submitted by Bill Fulton on 4 February 2010 - 3:26pm
According to walkscore.com, I work in a walker’s paradise. The walkscore of our office in Ventura, California, is 95.
I also live in a pretty good walking environment. My duplex has a walkscore of 78—and that’s way better than the walkscore in the cavernous suburban house I used to live in, which was 3.
So, what’s all that worth?
Poor Economy Strains Usually Civil Discourse
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 1 February 2010 - 4:12pmUCLA Extension’s annual Land Use Law and Planning Conference is typically a demilitarized zone. Combative environmentalists and builders usually check their weapons at the door, and a civil discussion about legislation, litigation, and regulation ensues. Not so last Friday during the 24th annual event at the Biltmore in downtown Los Angeles.