The city of Pasadena, known for innovative planning approaches to parking and transit-oriented development, is in a pitched battle with regional authorities over how much housing to build in the coming decade.
"The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Monday denied an appeal by Pasadena of its Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation by the state, which is mandating that the city build 9,400 units of new housing by October 2029," reports Eddie Rivera.
SCAG's decision to deny the city's appeal is preliminary, according to Rivera, with a final decision expected on January 22.
In its appeal to SCAG, the city of Pasadena argued that the RHNA process failed to spread the burden of new housing construction equitably around the region. "Pasadena also contended in its appeal that 'surrounding cities have maintained economic exclusivity and racial homogeneity and have not adequately provided their fair share of the regional housing burden, particularly for lower income housing needs,'" according to Rivera.
Former Pasadena Mayor and Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole is quoted in the article saying the decision shouldn't come as a surprise, and now the city must face the challenge of planning for 9,000 units of housing, two-thirds of them designated 'affordable.'
FULL STORY: Pasadena Loses Appeal of State Housing Mandate, City Must Build More Than 9,000 New Units Over Next Decade
California’s New Housing Laws: What You Need to Know
The state legislature passed dozens of new laws aimed at improving housing affordability and streamlining the development process to meet rising demand.
San Francisco Plans for 82,000 New Housing Units
California housing regulators have granted preliminary approval for the city of San Francisco’s housing element as mandated by the state’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation process.
Regional Planning Paradigm Shift in Southern California
The Southern California Association of Governments, in response to new mandates from the state, has adopted a radical new approach to housing requirements in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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.
Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals
The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.
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.
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