A visionary development plan promises transit villages, solar energy, local farms, water recycling, sensitive architecture, and walkable neighborhoods. Will it be a model for other communities seeking eco-friendly development?
"Locally grown foods would hold a place of honor. There would be solar panels on the roof and recycled water for irrigation. The design takes cues from nearby buildings, and 15 percent of the units are affordable. No need for a car, either -- the center of town is a short walk away, and there's a train stop planned next door.
That utopian gloss makes the project dubbed New Railroad Square a bellwether of how the Bay Area continues to evolve...the project shows that growth is no longer a dirty word as long as development proposals reflect larger cultural priorities..."
Architect Dan Solomon, a founder of the Congress for New Urbanism believes that architecture should do more than "simply offer three-dimensional nostalgia for how things supposedly used to be. That lazy approach is seen too often when suburban downtowns get new buildings: They look cute on paper, but they're pallid in real life."
"As the project moves forward, the developers will be measured against the grandiose rhetoric that helped them win the site.."
Read the full story: A green look in the heart of Santa Rosa; Process will test the developers' engaging vision
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Data reveals that NYC’s bet on congestion pricing has paid off
After almost two years of the program, reports show positive impacts on traffic and air quality and no disruptions to parking.
HUD modernizes 50-year-old manufactured housing framework
The Next Generation Manufactured Housing Action Plan establishes new energy-efficiency standards for manufactured homes, and new guidelines for anchoring them.
Florida could lose billions in funding for infrastructure, parks
If Amendment 3 passes, Miami-Dade would lose about $445 million annually by fiscal year 2028-29.
New Mexico spent millions drafting climate goals. Data centers are unraveling them
Three data centers in New Mexico and El Paso will release more emissions yearly than 2 million cars in the same timeframe.
This Ohio town is using AI to speed up transit analysis
The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority’s new AI tool correctly determined riders’ preferred ways to reach key commuter routes.
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.
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority