The proposed legislation would open up cities like Palo Alto to higher-density housing.
Liam Dillon reports on Senate Bill 50, the big bill transit oriented development bill designed to address California's housing crisis by easing development restrictions on transit corridors all over the state. "Sen. Scott Wiener’s Senate Bill 50 aims to spur home building by requiring local governments to relax construction restrictions near mass transit, and it contains a separate provision that would force wealthy communities near employment centers to allow apartments where only single-family homes are currently permitted, regardless of whether they’re close to rail or major bus lines."
Palo Alto is one city that would see drastic changes, with construction of apartment buildings in neighborhoods where expensive single-family homes are now the norm. Local officials and residents are not welcoming the prospect, and they say the focus should be on limiting the job growth that is bringing in too many new, high-paid residents that the city cannot accommodate.
"But others believe the real issue is that Palo Alto residents want to prevent more people from living in their community," notes Dillon. Housing advocates say that Palo Alto has rejected proposed multiunit projects in the past, and the city has a long history of developing single-family neighborhoods that were only available to whites. Wiener says his bill will increase housing in communities across the state but also make up for the inequitable development of the past.
FULL STORY: California housing bill targeting wealthy cities could rezone nearly all of Palo Alto
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
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.