'Mr. Open Space' Should Have Been Called 'Mr. Rational'
The late Larry Livingston became known in planning circles and elsewhere as "Mr. Open Space." But, Bill Fulton writes, the tag was based on a misunderstanding of a fiscal analysis he prepared regarding housing development in a particular city.
"Livingston was best known for the project that brought him the most publicity – and the most frustration: An open-space study for the City of Palo Alto in 1971 that assessed the impact of permitting development of 5,000 acres of foothill land. Livingston concluded that the city would be better off fiscally if the land were left undeveloped – and bought by the city at market value - than if development were permitted.
It was the first time any planning study had ever dared to suggest that new housing was a money-loser for local government – and this was long before the passage of Proposition 13.
In the ferocious anti-development environmental politics of the day, Livingston also became the poster child for open space – and soon came to regret it."
- Login or register to post comments
- Email this page
- Using Adaptive Reuse to Scale the Urban Future - Feb 08, 2012
- Why Tea Party Criticism Should Matter to Planners - Feb 08, 2012
- Saving the Mall By Returning to Its Ideals - Feb 07, 2012
- Ranking Housing Affordability in America - Jan 25, 2012
- In Defense of the Grid - Jan 23, 2012
Planetizen picks
Contribute
- The Rise of Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing
- What the Feds are Doing to Connect Housing Policy to Health Policy
- Why the Politics of Climate Change Matter
- Waste Disposal Becomes Sexy
- Murky Future for Two of D.C.'s Architectural Gems
- The Story Behind One of the Most Controversial Buildings in the Country
- The Benefits of Creating Hybrid Zoning Codes
- The Appeal of In-Town Big Box
- The Growing Appeal of Drinking From the Toilet
- How and Why Does an Architect Become Famous?
My Storm, Managing the Recovery of New Orleans in the Wake of Katrina is required reading for planners
U Penn Press
Feb 13, 2012
Volunteerism Plays Critical Role in Reaching World’s Millennium Development Goals
Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University
Feb 10, 2012
www.flickr.com
|
Opportunity Knocks
After my own 30 years of writing and consulting in the field of planning, I guess I feel quite a bit of empathy for Larry Livingston. By now I’ve pumped out so much work product that I suppose you can find something I’ve researched or written to support just about any point of view about urban growth.
Perhaps then Mr. Fulton this would be a good time to revise your unmet housing needs assessment for Ventura County that has influenced your advocacy for so many zoning changes in both the city and county which now appear unnecessary.