Even before the bill was defeated, it exposed a major generational divide between anti-development environmentalists and their pro-density, pro-housing heirs.
Last week, the controversial California housing bill known at SB 827 died "quickly" but "not quietly" after a single hearing of the state senate housing and transportation committee.
But not before it drew enormous attention to a general divide, as Scott Lucas wrote in a lengthy San Francisco Magazine piece published the same day, and "cleaved the California environmental movement in two."
“On one side sits an older generation, forged in the small-is-beautiful battles of the ’60s and ’70s. On the other sits a younger group galvanized by fears over global warming and housing affordability. “
The article is worth reading despite the bill’s defeat, both because Scott Weiner—the author—has vowed to bring another version to legislature, and because the conflict at the core of the controversy will play out many more times as California (and to some extent, the rest of the nation) struggles with a serious housing shortage and meeting ambitious goals for reducing emissions.
FULL STORY: A Green House Divided
Updated: Statewide Upzoning Falls Short Again in California
For the third year in a row, an effort to increase density near transit in statewide in California has stalled in the legislature.
Another SB 827? Ambitious California Housing Bill Isn't Quite Dead Yet
It received a lot of press, but ultimately California's Senate Bill 827 went nowhere. Now, the state senator who introduced the bill is working with advocates who opposed it on another version that just might have better chances.
Defeating SB 827 Did Not Discourage the YIMBY Movement
Though the California housing bill was a high-profile failure for pro-development activists, there are initiatives all over the country that carry its spirit.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association