Redevelopment agencies are vital to job creation and necessary for central cities to stem suburban job sprawl, claims Gerald Metcalf, executive director of a SF urban think tank (SPUR), countering CA Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed elimination of them.
Metcalf of San Francisco Planning + Urban Research (SPUR) writes that Governor Brown's proposal to eliminate 425 redevelopment agencies to reduce California's $25 billion shortfall "is going to backfire terribly: It will give a short-term boost to the ailing budget, but reduce the long-term economic growth that would otherwise come to California."
"(W)e are talking about eliminating the tool central cities use to attract growth that would otherwise go to the suburban periphery. The elimination of redevelopment funding - coupled with the governor's proposal to eliminate the Williamson Act farmland preservation funding - amounts to a shift in favor of suburban sprawl."
Also writing in Insight, Chronicle columnist Debra Saunders ("Jerry Brown takes on redevelopment") gives reasons why Gov. Brown is doing the right thing in this bold proposal: "While boosters say that redevelopment fosters economic growth, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office recently reported, "We find no reliable evidence that this program improves overall economic development in California."
FULL STORY: Redevelopment agencies crucial to state's economy
Gabriel Metcalf Reflects On 20 Years Of Change In Bay Area
For over 20 years, few people have understood or influenced the Bay Area like Gabriel Metcalf, president of San Francisco Planning and Urban Research. Metcalf recently announced a move to Sydney, Australia, and reflected the past two decades.
Gov. Jerry Brown Condemns State School Bond Measure for Promoting Sprawl
Ten newspapers have joined California Gov. Jerry Brown in opposing Proposition 51, a $9 billion bond ballot measure endorsed by both Democrats, including the lieutenant governor, and Republicans.
What's the Matter With the Planning Process?
Current planning models places housing affordability and preservation fundamentally at odds with one another. We must be willing to re-evaluate our processes if we are to truly move forward.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.
Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing
The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.
Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.
When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing
Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions