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

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

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

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

NYC Outdoor Dining Could Get a Re-Do
The city council is considering making the al fresco dining program year-round to address cost concerns from small businesses.

HSR Reaches Key Settlement in Northern California City
The state’s high-speed rail authority reached an agreement with Millbrae, a key city on the train’s proposed route to San Francisco.

Washington State Legislature Passes Parking Reform Bill
A bill that would limit parking requirements for new developments is headed to the governor’s desk.
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.
Ada County Highway District
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service