Alfred Fraijo Jr., partner at Sheppard Mullin, shares frustration with what he sees as a state inaction on housing and L.A.'s legacy of piecemeal planning and outdated zoning.
With cascading crises facing the state of California and local governments this year, state legislative efforts targeting local planning and land use practices failed to pass before session's end last month. TPR spoke with Alfred Fraijo Jr., partner at Sheppard Mullin, who shares his frustration with what he sees is state inaction on housing and L.A.'s legacy of piecemeal planning and outdated zoning.
Fraijo asserts elimination of single-family zoning provides a unique wealth-building opportunity for homeowners in historically disadvantaged communities and advocates for building robust and diverse communities through investment in 'housing plus':
"'Housing plus’ is what I'm talking about; housing plus infrastructure; housing plus open space; housing plus a comprehensive mobility plan; housing plus comprehensive regional planning; and housing plus a health overlay in communities that are disproportionately impacted by the legacy of racism in our land use policies that have impacted minorities of color and low-income communities throughout California”—Alfred Fraijo
Read the full interview at The Planning Report.
FULL STORY: Alfred Fraijo on Accomplishing Affordability with ‘Housing Plus, Plus, Plus’
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