As the economy continues to lumber through the most protracted period of recession since the early 1980s, the financial sector has received the brunt of the blame. It’s been easy for the planning profession to distance themselves from what seem at first to be macroeconomic trends. That view, however, is becoming increasingly difficult to uphold.
Growth Management
Florida's Legislature Torpedos Growth Management in the State
The Senate passed two bills late last week that essentially killed growth management in Florida, eliminating the Dept. of Community Affairs and repealing a law from 1985 that required developers to assess impacts.
The St. Petersburg Times
The Civic Divide Between Quantity and Quality
Aaron M. Renn dissects the "Venus-Mars" split between the high quality and high quantity model and argues that "an hourglass America is not one most of us want to live in for the long term."
New Geography
Radical Growth Management
Who should pay for growth? In the crunchy enclave of Bolinas California, newcomers pay a steep entrance fee. Fair or not, it's a good anecdote to share among planners and budget analysts.
New York Times
Communities Sue Florida Over Growth Management Law
Several communities in South Florida are suing the state government over the recent passage of a law that allows exurban development to occur even if there is no adequate transportation infrastructure in place.
The Miami Herald
Protecting California's Coastal Development Will Cost Billions
Computer modeling predicts sea levels rising 55 inches by 2100, and a recent report from California's interagency Climate Action Team is calling for a radical reorganization of the state's coastal development and infrastructure to avoid disaster.
Los Angeles Times
The Planetizen News Brief - 3/12/09
4:30 minutes (4.13 MB)
Florida cans growth management, floundering retail leaves cities high and dry, and advertising takes over public spaces -- all on this week's Planetizen News Brief, airing every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City". Read, listen or download.
Florida Legislators Plan to Gut Growth Management Agency
State legislators have proposed a plan to break up a state agency in charge of managing growth. The move is one of a host of measures proposed by lawmakers to stimulate the state's economy.
St. Petersburg Times
Rural Town Brings in Students for Preliminary Planning
Middlebury College students have been commissioned to simply get to know Starksboro, Vermont for a semester. The hope is that their findings will help develop a plan that embraces growth while upholding the things unique to the small town.
The New York Times
New Plan for Calgary Offers the Best of Both Worlds
Calgary is poised to make itself into a city that encourages density without sacrificing too much of the leg room currently offered by existing suburbs.
Calgary Herald
Legislation Edges California Closer to True Urban Planning
Recently approved legislation tying land use planning to greenhouse gas emissions is being sold as critically important by both detractors and supporters. But Bill Fulton argues that SB 375 provides only one step in an ongoing evolution.
California Planning & Development Report
Oh No, Not Another L.A.
Although Tucson has only about 6 percent of the population of metropolitan Los Angeles, residents of the Arizona city fear California-style sprawl and water problems. So where are Tucson residents looking for answers? That's right, California.
California Planning & Development Report
Embracing the power of the state
Fri, 08/03/2007 - 09:59
After spending more than two decades in local government before my eight years as Governor of Maryland, I came to realize how the state was contributing to the spread of sprawl by funding infrastructure improvements, school construction, and transportation investments, among many other things. When we began to utilize the entire state budget as a tool for smarter growth, we found ourselves in uncharted territory. Leading the way is certainly an adventure, but it also comes with the unenviable task of not having someone who has gone before to help navigate the journey.
Madrid’s Alternate Suburban Universe
Mon, 05/28/2007 - 15:06
Houston or Holland? The rapidly growing suburbs of Madrid uncomfortably (and instructively) amalgamate some of both. I was lucky to receive a recent tour from David Cohn, a long-time colleague and 20-year resident of Madrid; Sylvia Perea, a post-doctoral student and, until recently, an editor at the journal Arquitectura Viva, and Emilio Ontiveros, a young architect of the local Research Group on Social Housing.
