Plans to redevelop former salt ponds in the San Francisco Bay Area have pitted environmentalists against New Urbanists.
"The salt ponds are going away. But there's a debate over what takes their place, and both parties say they have lofty, environmentally friendly goals.
On one side, David Lewis, executive director of the environmental group Save the Bay: "I grew up here, in Palo Alto," he says. "When I was a kid growing up, and there was still major salt production going on, the salt pile was a major landmark. It's basically right next to the 101, and it was at least five or six stories high, and it looked like snow."
On the other, urban planner Peter Calthorpe, whose plan to develop the salt ponds is fiercely opposed by Save the Bay: "I have a very personal connection because I grew up in Palo Alto," says Calthorpe, one of the founders of the Congress for the New Urbanism. "Growing up there, nobody ever went to the bay side," Calthorpe continues. "When we wanted open space, we went to the hills. ... In the peninsula, there's very few places you can go and be in relationship to the bay.""
The environmentalists want the area preserved as a natural wetland, while developers have plans on building a high-density, mixed-use community.
FULL STORY: Salt of the earth: Environmentalists and urbanists collide over San Francisco Bay development

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions