Why bother with the silly (and unfunded) mandate to update Sacramento's General Plan, which is roundly ignored by everyone, asks Mark Dempsey.
"Sacramento County has begun soliciting citizen input to update the 1993 General Plan -- the document that supposedly guides land use and "zoning." State law mandates this review, but what it produces is so roundly ignored throughout the region that this review is just silly... Whether inadvertently or by design, such "plans" produce little real civic guidance and less good development. What we get, by default, is more sprawl, increasing congestion, nonworking transit, and, not incidentally, increased dependence on imported oil."
Thanks to Congress for the New Urbanism Listserv
FULL STORY: Silliest unfunded mandate: Sac's General Plan
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.