Building Children Out of Our Cities
Last fall, the City of Oakland, Ca. launched a planning process to shape the future of its downtown. SPUR, a regional planning nonprofit, published a report titled, A Downtown for Everyone: Shaping the Future of Downtown Oakland. In it, the authors lay out bold recommendations focused on making Downtown more developer, transit, and business friendly.
As I read the report, one oversight really hit a nerve: there is nary a reference to making downtown more family friendly.
In the report, the words “business,” “companies,” or “office” are used over 200 times. In contrast, “families,” “family,” or “children” appear only 10 times. Even San Francisco across the Bay got 88 mentions, and “parking” got big shoutouts—over 80 of them. A scan of other recent reports reveal similar and dismaying blind spots in our local planning efforts.
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- Automobile Dependency in Action
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- The Generational Warfare of Our Times
- On the Massive Carbon Savings of Gentle Density
- The Case for Upzoning
- U.S. Department of Transportation Launches Two New University Transportation Centers
- The Small City Leading the New Era of Redevelopment in California
- What Seattle Learned From Studying its Public Golf Courses
- Latest Version of the Seattle Bike Plan Restores Some Previously Discarded Bike Lanes
- World's Largest Co-Living Development Coming to San Jose
- A Route Through the City, S.F. Crosstown Trail Opens
- The Devil's in the Details for Houston's Hobby Line Light Rail Planning
- 20-20-20: Montreal Sets New Goals for Inclusionary Zoning
- Feds Close Cedar Rapids ADA Case
- For Lack of Free Parking, Downtown San Jose Loses a Grocery Store
- Summertime Ethanol Restriction Lifted to Help Corn Farmers—But at What Cost?
- Bus Manufacturer to Retrofit Wireless Charging for Electric Buses in Indianapolis
- New Bus Rapid Transit Line Launches in Minneapolis
