At a seminar on "Re-working Suburbia" in San Leandro, California, urban designers and planners strategized for ways to upgrade Bay Area suburbs to attract millennials.
Rod Stevens, a business consultant, spoke at the event, saying that current economic trends do not bode well for the suburban model, which benefited from being cheaper in comparison with city housing options.
"Stevens emphasized that many suburbs 'have to come up with new advantages.' Because of changes in the economy, many suburbs will have to evolve into places that accommodate more interaction. 'It's all about activity and people crossing paths,' he said, noting that in 'value-added industry,' much of the value is added through judgment and discussion. These 'high volumes of interaction' are something that was not common in the 'rather faceless' suburbs built in the mid-20th century.
Thanks to Renee Brutvan
Read the full story: Californians ponder how to remake aging suburbs
Bringing By-Right Affordable Housing to California
Reviewing Governor Jerry Brown's recent proposed legislation to permit projects that provide affordable housing to be approved as-of-right.
Bill Fulton On What It Will Take to Rebuild San Diego's Planning Department
Bill Fulton, noted Smart Growth advocate and Director of Planning for the City of San Diego, looks to rebuild a department and pass community plans in the wake of San Diego's leadership crisis. In this interview, he describes the path ahead.
Evidence-based planning in a time of information overload
The field of academic publishing has become complex and crowded. What does it mean for urban planners?
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