CP&DR - Blogs

What We Can REALLY Learn From Portland

Sep 7, 2009

For a publication based in California, we sure write a lot about Portland. I guess this isn't surprising, given Portland's iconic status as the planners' nirvana – the place where planners' crazy ideas get implemented and actually work and make everybody happy. But there's another reason why we write about Portland: It is a place where a lot of things California planners talk about are ground-tested and, most of the time, actually work.

Emissions Target Committee Releases Draft Report

Aug 31, 2009

The committee advising the Air Resources Board on how to establish regional greenhouse gas emissions-reduction targets related to land use released a draft of its final report today.

The Regional Targets Advisory Committee is scheduled to spend all day Tuesday, September 1, working over the report. The agenda for that meeting, the draft report and numerous other background documents are available on the ARB website.

Does Place Matter For A Conference About Planning?

Aug 27, 2009

I'm of two minds regarding the decision by the California Chapter of the American Planning Association – pardon me, it's called APA California now – to schedule its annual conference in the countryside. One part of me thinks it's a great idea, because I'd much rather spend time in Yosemite Valley (site of the 2005 conference) than in Garden Grove (2006).

Gas Taxes, Redevelopment, Water On Capitol Agenda

Aug 24, 2009

With less than three weeks left before the Legislature wraps up its regularly scheduled session, we're watching three things: the Highway Users Tax Account, redevelopment and the Democrats' water package.

Precision Required To Make California's Good Places Great

Aug 18, 2009

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to tour a short strip of York Boulevard in the Highland Park district in Los Angeles. York's tucked away near Occidental College, a mile or two east of the Pasadena Freeway and the Gold Line. The boulevard is generally narrow – from Avenue 50 to Avenue 56 it's only one lane in each direction – and it straddles the divide between the yuppie hillside to the north and the Latino working-class flats to the South.

Healthy Foods And Sacramento's Waterfront

Aug 13, 2009

Your trusty CP&DR correspondents have been writing about planning and development matters for other publications of late. I have a story in Planning magazine's latest edition about access to healthy food, while Morris Newman has a story in the August 12 edition of The New York Times about redevelopment of the Sacramento rail yards.

CDC Lends Support To Healthy Design Movement

Aug 5, 2009

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control says that planning may play a significant role in reducing the obesity epidemic in the United States. The report, which compiles numerous research studies and recommendations of experts, provides additional scientific backing for the healthy design movement that has started to gain traction during recent years.

The report recommends 24 community strategies to prevent obesity, ranging from school lunch improvements, educational programs and breastfeeding support to mixed-use zoning and better pedestrian facilities.

State Budget Clouds Redevelopment's Future

Aug 4, 2009

Will redevelopment mean anything once the dust settles on California's budget crisis?

Last month's state budget deal attempts to whack redevelopment agencies to the tune of $2.05 billion. The redevelopment agencies are suing, claiming it's an unconstitutional shift of funds. This is nothing new; last year, the state attempted to take $350 million, and the redevelopment agencies successfully sued to block the revenue shift.

Governor's Blue Pencil Strikes At Climate Change Efforts

Jul 29, 2009

Gov. Schwarzenegger's last-minute decision to eliminate Williamson Act subventions is another example of how the state's spending decisions run counter to its greenhouse gas emissions-reduction goals.

I know, the budget signed on Tuesday does not match many of the state's alleged policy goals. But I find the continual undercutting of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions policy to be particularly galling because the governor and other state leaders have been so quick to take credit for being climate change warriors.

Why Agencies Use Eminent Domain

Jul 20, 2009

Many people decry the use of eminent domain by redevelopment agencies in California. I don't deny that there have been flagrant abuses of eminent domain authority over the years, but I also understand why well-meaning redevelopment officials grow frustrated with private property owners and resort to forced takings.

Morris Newman: Mass Transit Gets The Stimulus Shaft

Jul 10, 2009

Public Transit

How did mass transportation in urban areas wind up getting shafted by the federal stimulus bill? According to an analysis published in Thursday's New York Times, urban transit systems are set to receive far less of the $26.6 billion than are rural areas. This is hard to justify, given that population, jobs and education are concentrated in urban areas. (You can do your Homer Simpson imitation at this point.)

No Really, Californians Might Not Have All The Answers

Jul 9, 2009

Many times I have attended a conference or workshop on land use and public policy that included an expert the organizers brought in from another country. While the expert could be from London, The Netherlands, China, Buenos Aires or Capetown, my private reaction was always the same: What could this "outsider" possibly tell me that's relative to California?

I suppose that attitude makes me sound like your typical arrogant American. "Hey, Mr. International Expert, we've got this thing wired. You should be learning from us – not vise-versa."

Larry Sokoloff: California Still Looks Golden

Jul 7, 2009

I recently returned from four months of living in Moscow. The best thing I brought from California was a Zen-like detachment to accept Russia on its own terms. Because Russia is what it is.

And Russia is basically a mess. A livable mess, where the trains run on time. But it is the kind of place that made my family appreciate California. Despite its ongoing financial wreck, the Golden State looks pretty good when viewed through the prism of Moscow.

Air Resources Board May Assume OPR's Duties

Jul 2, 2009

The California Air Resources Board will take over many duties of the Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR) by the first of the year.

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