Over the next 20 years, San Francisco is expected to add 150,000 new residents, or nearly 20% of its existing population. John Wildermuth looks at the "hard choices" confronting the city as it plans for its future.

"San Francisco residents will be getting thousands of new neighbors in the next 30 years, and it's time to start figuring out where they will live and work," writes Wildermuth. "Between 2010 and 2040, the city will need 92,410 new housing units and 191,000 more jobs, said city Planning Director John Rahaim [at a recent Planning Commission meeting], numbers well above San Francisco's current growth rate."
"For San Francisco, handling its share of that growth will require hard choices - and plenty of discussion - about what's best for the city, its residents and its businesses. The city's small size and existing development pattern make the job even tougher, Rahaim said."
"For the city to meet these goals, the focus must be on increasingly dense development south of Market Street, a transit-rich area where much of San Francisco's dwindling supply of buildable land is located," says Wildermuth. But local community groups are concerned that "adding the amount of high-rise construction needed to house a new wave of workers could destroy the community feeling that has brought so many people, workers and residents alike, to SoMa in the first place..."
"Whether we like it or not, we can't stop people from moving to San Francisco," said Commissioner Gwyneth Borden. "So we have to plan for it."
FULL STORY: Hard choices ahead for growing S.F.

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

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie