The tech industry's push into San Francisco has entailed a fight for political and cultural legitimacy as well as social justice--one that shakes up conventional wisdom about conservatism, progressivism, and progress itself.
The flood of tech companies and their employees--at the end of 2013, San Francisco had 53,000 tech jobs, over triple the number in 2004--has spiked property values and rents: these days, San Francisco's housing is the costliest in the U.S.
That mounting costliness has occasioned massive displacements and lively protests.
The blockades of the "Google" buses have garnered worldwide attention, but it's the less showy city's tenants movement that has become a major force in San Francisco politics.
At the same time, the anti-displacement movement is unsettling assumptions about left and right.
The opponents of displacement, arguing from the left, which customarily identifies itself as the party of progress, are denounced as reactionary and insular--and not just by apologists for big business.
Meanwhile, the tech industry is hailed as the truly progressive force in town.
"This ideological churn," writes Zelda Bronstein, "embodies profound yet elusive shifts in historical consciousness" that are thrown "into high relief" by "the discord roiling San Francisco."
Examining arguments from both sides, Bronstein suggests that we need to rethink the relationship between technological change and democracy--and the meaning of progress.
FULL STORY: "How Silicon Valley Millionaires Stole Progressivism"
High Housing Costs Driving Down Transit Ridership in LA
When neighborhoods gentrify and displace lower-income residents, transit ridership suffers, new research shows.
‘Displaced By Design:’ Report Spotlights Gentrification in Black Neighborhoods
A new report finds that roughly 15 percent of U.S. neighborhoods have been impacted by housing cost increases and displacement.
Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
How a preservation-based approach to redevelopment and urban design can prevent displacement and honor legacy communities.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Cleveland to Boost Bike Safety With New Bike Lanes, School Programs
The program, using curriculum created by Cleveland Bikes, is part of a broader effort to improve safety along school routes.
Florida Home Insurers Disproportionately Dropping Low-Income Households
Non-renewal rates are highest in inland counties, not the coastal areas most immediately vulnerable to storms.
Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont