Despite the pro-infill position of the Sierra Club's national organization, San Francisco's branch advocates to preserve the buildings that are currently there at the expense of density and subsidized housing.
"The national Sierra Club promotes infill development because they know that dense, urban environments result in less greenhouse gas emissions than urban sprawl," Andy Lynch reports in The Bay City Beacon. But, when Lynch attended a meeting of the club he found the local branch advocating the preservation of a "historic garage"—not on the basis of a positive environmental impact so much as a move to stop the development that might take its place.
The club also heard from activist Calvin Welch, who spoke out against relaxing zoning laws and allowing for more density in exchange for more subsidized housing. "For a club that sees themselves as progressive, it is ironic that they are such strong advocates for strict zoning rules, a practice rooted in racism and designed to segregate neighborhoods," Lynch argues. When trying to understand this apparent inconsistency he lands on keeping out potentially conservative voters as the most likely motivation. After hearing Mr. Welch comment, "who lives here is who votes here."
Lynch argues, "That’s the ballgame. Why does the Sierra Club fight tooth and nail to stop developments, including blocking the affordable housing they claim to advocate for? They’re afraid that new housing means new residents who might not agree with their politics."
FULL STORY: The Sierra Club Fights to Save...A Parking Garage?
Surprise Survey Finding on Density in the Bay Area
San Francisco and the Bay Area, known for their exorbitant housing prices and not unrelated, strong NIMBY attitudes, could be softening their opposition toward increasing density in their neighborhoods.
San Francisco Voters Increase Height Limits for Waterfront Development
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As prices skyrocket, San Francisco Mayor declares rent emergency
Landlords in San Francisco have initiated over 2,400 evictions since January, putting the city on track to see more evictions this year than during any year in the past decade.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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.
Guerilla urbanists are building DIY bus stop benches in Chicago
A before-and-after of one of the bus stops with a new bench. The new benches are not officially sanctioned or permitted, but the residents who placed them hope they will be the start of a network of DIY benches across the city.
Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals
The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.
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.
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