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The Planetizen News Brief

15 May 2008 - 5:00am
Smart City Radio

The Planetizen News Brief is a weekly rundown of some of the most interesting and important news and issues of the past week.

The Planetizen News Brief airs every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City", which is broadcast in cities across the U.S. Learn more about Smart City and listen to archived shows.

Full Transcript
What happens when a city goes bankrupt? Not too many people know, because not too many cities have had to. But with the economy in the sour state it is, many cities are struggling to make ends meet. This has put the northern California city of Vallejo in the spotlight. This week Vallejo became the biggest city in California history to declare bankruptcy. According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, the city was forced to file for bankruptcy as public employee contracts had risen beyond control and the area's housing market was in a major slump. The city was facing a $16 million budget deficit. So Chapter 9 was seen as the best possible solution. Thousands of other cities facing similar budget woes throughout the U.S. are going to be watching Vallejo closely as it freezes its debts and tries to re-build its diminished budget – a process that’s expected to take years.

Meanwhile, the gears have been turning in overdrive in the heads of transit planners in Chicago, where a federal transportation grant of more than 150 million dollars was just awarded. All that money is going to be used to beef up the city’s public transit system by building a new bus rapid transit project. The Chicago Tribune reports that city officials have unveiled plans for a series of dedicated bus lanes throughout the city, as well as transit stations where riders can pre-pay for tickets and board buses more quickly. As part of the funding agreement with the federal government, Chicago's bus rapid transit system must be up and running by 2010. The project is slated to start out with about 10 miles of bus-only lanes, but is expected to eventually expand out to cover more than 100 miles in the city.

And finally, a coalition of environmental groups has come to an agreement with a land developer that will allow for the preservation of about 240,000 acres of land in southern California. In exchange, the environmental groups will not oppose the developer's plans to build more than 26,000 homes on the land, which is about 60 miles north of L.A. The developer also plans to build millions of square feet of office space, hotels, golf courses and condominiums on the land. The Los Angeles Times reports that the deal over the land, known as Tejon Ranch, was long in the making. The coalition of environmental groups includes the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club, Audubon California, the Planning Conservation League and the Endangered Habitats League. The groups had previously threatened to oppose any plans for development on Tejon Ranch, but negotiations eventually succeeded. The 240,000 acres the agreement sets aside are home to a vast array of wildlife, including California condors, elk, deer, wild turkey, bobcats, and golden eagles. Though environmentalists are pleased that nearly 90% of the ranchland is being saved, many are concerned about the magnitude of the development the agreement allows – development that is most likely not far off.

Stories discussed in this week's Planetizen News Brief

Bankrupt City Could Serve As Model

New Details About Chicago's Bus Rapid Transit System

Major Land Deal To Protect 240,000 Acres In Southern California

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