CP&DR - Blogs

Downtown Exeter: True Small-Town Atmosphere

Jun 11, 2008

When we listed the best small-city downtowns in the Central Valley, we didn't include Exeter, a Tulare County community eight miles east of Visalia. Exeter was in our discussion, but it didn't make the cut for reasons that I don't recall.

After spending part of one day last week in Exeter, I'm convinced we made a mistake. In fact, Exeter has one of the best downtowns for a city of its size (about 10,700 people) not only in the Central Valley, but in the entire state.

Why The 2-Hour Commute Is A Public Policy Success

Jun 10, 2008

The Los Angeles Times is running an all-week series on traffic congestion in L.A. and how miserable everybody's commute is. The topic is a sure-fire winner among readers, and the personal stories of commuters are interesting and well-told. But the Times appears to have taken the position that the problem can be solved by simply building more highways and denying development projects that would generate traffic. Good luck getting that package through the Legislature!

Downtown Yreka: Historic But Not Frozen In Time

Jun 3, 2008

Some of California's best-known Gold Rush towns feel like museums that are operated for the benefit of tourists and transplanted retirees. Although the towns are genuinely historic, they may or may not be genuine places today.

Yreka is different. The historic district in the county seat of Siskiyou County can match the historic qualities of just about any Gold Rush city in California. But it's no museum. Downtown Yreka is very much a functioning and evolving district.

Mayor Caruso? Dream On!

Jun 2, 2008

Rick Caruso, retail genius – ok. But Rick Caruso, mayor of Los Angeles?

C'mon! It ain't gonna happen.

Climate Report Identifies Impacts On California

May 30, 2008

If you've ever shopped around for securities or mutual funds, you've heard the caveat that past results are no guarantee of future performance. The same warning apparently applies to California's water system.

Planner II Positions (2), Contra Costa County Dept of Conservation and Development

May 29, 2008

Job

Cities Crack Down on Abandoned Subprime Homes

May 27, 2008

Do cities have tourniquets that can be used to stop the subprime mortgage bleeding?

They like to think so, but the answer appears to be no. Instead, cities are increasingly focused on two things: First, increased code enforcement to make sure that abandoned houses and neighborhoods aren't rundown. And second, finding a silver lining in the dark cloud by helping first-time homebuyers purchase repossessed houses.

Affordable Homes Are Suddenly Beyond Reach

May 21, 2008

When gasoline costs $5 a gallon, and diesel $6, who is going to buy a house in the exurbs?

With those fuel prices appearing inevitable within a year or two, I have been posing that question in casual conversations with people. Their answers is, well … no one.

Napa County Campaign Reflects Bay Area Growth Tension

May 13, 2008

The campaign in Napa County over a ballot measure that would impose a 1% growth limit may be a microcosm of the entire Bay Area.

On one side are slow-growth advocates with the usual arguments about density, traffic, greedy developers and untrustworthy politicians. On the other side are developers with promises for creating housing in a very nice setting within a few miles of tens of thousands of jobs. In between are local government officials, who may end up arm wrestling with lawyers over who should review the project.

Is More Growth Bad For The 'Good Growth' State?

May 12, 2008

As Barack Obama would be the first to say, you can't underestimate the importance of North Carolina anymore. At 9.1 million people and counting, it's now the 10th most populous state in the nation, and it has added a million people just since the 2000 Census. Another few boom years and North Carolina – along with Georgia – will pass Michigan in population.

Fear And Planning In Las Vegas

May 9, 2008

My laptop battery started dying just as I noticed the huge bats somewhere around Barstow.

Prop 98 Opponents Rack Up Endorsements

May 6, 2008

In the race for endorsements, the anti-Proposition 98 camp has lapped the competition. The question is whether the endorsements will make any difference in an election that is likely to see very low voter turnout.

Housing Construction Nearly Ceases In Some Markets

May 5, 2008

Six. That's how many housing starts there were in the Marysville-Yuba City area in March.

This is an area with a population of more than 150,000 people, an area that has needed four digits to count annual housing production during recent years.

But in March 2008? Six housing starts. That's the definition of a real estate slump.

APA Conference: Multi-Tasking At The New Urbanist Airport

Apr 30, 2008

Here's a puzzler for you: What land use creates more pedestrians than any other?

Transit stations? Office buildings? Condos?

Try airports!

Every single person who arrives at an airport from out of town arrives without a car. At many airports, the first vehicle in which people ride after landing is a train of some sort. So what's the rush to put them into cars?

Blogs

Articles