Famed architect Peter Calthorpe has designed several large developments planned for the San Francisco Bay Area, but some local environmentalist groups aren't satisfied that they are green enough.
The Bay Citizen reporter Jonathan Weber says that Calthorpe's "version of green development favors megaprojects that create the density needed for efficient mass transit. But these huge developments are anathema to many environmentalists and community activists - and the divisions reflect a growing split among people usually thought to be on the same side."
The most heated argument surrounds the Saltworks project in Redwood City, which involves building some 12,000 housing units on San Francisco Bay salt ponds owned by Cargill, the agribusiness company. For Mr. Calthorpe, who designed the project, it's just the kind of high-density project we need - close to mass transit, jobs and major cities."
Environmentalists believe all 1,400 acres of salt ponds should be restored to wetlands.
Thanks to Jeff Rensch
Read the full story: Green Developments, and Tension Aplenty
Housing Politics: Think Regionally, Lose Locally
Two Bay Area city council members serving on a regional commission suffered the political consequences of supporting a controversial regional housing initiative, not from their constituents, but from their colleagues.
Is CEQA the Main Impediment to Housing Construction in California?
According to a new study by UC Berkeley and Columbia University, local land use processes, specifically the approval process, rather than the California Environmental Quality Act, is the main impediment to housing production in California.
Second Largest Bikeshare in U.S. will be Bay Area's by 2017
Bay Area Bike Share will grow from 700 to 7,000 bikes by 2017 after the expansion proposal was approved by a unanimous vote of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. It is a regional, not a city program, though most usage is in San Francisco.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.
LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.
Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority