San Luis Obispo County, along California's Central Coast, is at a crossroads. Will it go the way of Orange County and succumb to development pressures or will it follow Napa and Ventura Counties and protect its rural lands from exurban sprawl.
"Though pundits declare that suburban sprawl has hit the wall in California, as younger people and empty-nesters finally embrace multi-family housing in transit-rich urban centers, exurban sprawl continues in many of the state’s rural areas, particularly where retirees have been moving, such as the Sierra Foothills and the Central Coast," observes Christopher VerPlanck.
"With its year-round temperate climate, idyllic landscapes of rolling oak-studded hills, and friendly people, SLO County is what much of Southern California was like before being overrun by suburban development after World War II. The decisions it makes now will either stop the bulldozer’s march or hasten it."
What's at stake in this "rare slice of California" that, for the time-being, remains predominantly agricultural?
"What remains of California’s natural and rural beauty must be cared for and stewarded for future generations," argues VerPlanck. "What’s needed now is rational statewide land-use planning that can both identify and protect vulnerable regions like rural SLO County and designate the towns and cities that can sustain it for denser development."
FULL STORY: SAVE SLO COUNTY!
Urban Growth Boundaries Gone Awry: Protection Without Infill
Joe Mathews of Zócalo Public Square views with a great deal of skepticism the urban growth boundaries the voters of Ventura County adjacent to Los Angeles County have enacted since 1995 due to the lack of infill. Another measure is on the ballot.
Orange County, Florida Adopts Largest US “Sprawl Repair” Code
The ‘Orange Code’ seeks to rectify decades of sprawl-inducing, car-oriented development.
Snohomish County, Washington, Sets its Sights on Sprawl
Advocates say it’s unnecessary, but Snohomish County is preparing to expand its urban growth areas to allow for more low density residential development.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association