California Planning & Development Report

The deepening of the housing market crisis is certainly a big deal in California. But the land use story of the year was the Legislature's passage of a measure mandating regional planning.

In a surprising last-minute change, a new plan that outlines how California will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions does not include a concrete target for reductions attributable to less-sprawling land use patterns.

Glendale, California, has recently established an Urban Design Studio within its planning department to help developers create more appropriate, aesthetically appealing projects.

The issues posed by homeless people in downtown Riverside, California, are not out of the ordinary. But they definitely do not help the city's efforts to revitalize downtown.

While the California Air Resources Board is proceeding with implementation of laws to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, highway planners are considering projects to accommodate more cars. Bill Fulton comments.

Bill Fulton writes that despite the real estate downtown, the slow-growth side won most California land-use measures on Tuesday's ballot. But public transit did well.

Recently approved legislation tying land use planning to greenhouse gas emissions is being sold as critically important by both detractors and supporters. But Bill Fulton argues that SB 375 provides only one step in an ongoing evolution.

Bill Fulton thinks so, calling them to task for speaking out against density in Orange County when, he says, the market demand is evident.

Northern California planner and lawyer Joel Ellinwood has committed himself to riding trains and public transit whenever possible. He's learning a lot along the way.

Yesterday, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed SB 375, California's anti-sprawl bill. Bill Fulton explains that it is both stronger and weaker than advertised.

At last year's statewide conference, California planners were excited about saving the world from climate change. Now they discover it's hard work!

As California planners convene in Hollywood this week, Bill Fulton reminds them that Hollywood is not just Tinseltown, but a real urban place with a real urban history.

Proposals from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative Republicans to close the state's $15 billion budget deficit would to take away hundreds of millions of dollars from local redevelopment agencies.

Bill Fulton says that California's new smart growth and climate change law doesn't really contain any new ideas, and it's unlikely to make a huge difference in California's growth patterns all by itself.

Paul Shigley reflects on the impact of a Starbucks closing in downtown Redding, a small town in northern California.

The Futurama exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair excited an entire generation about suburbia. At a meeting of the Citistates Group, policy wonks wondered whether it's possible to create a new vision of a Carbon-Free Futurama.

Although water is a natural resource and often discussed as such, the real issue for California is how water gets used. Bill Fulton argues that California has plenty of water. What it needs is political will to make the best use of the water.

When you live near raging wildfires, you begin to understand why the State of California spends nearly $1 billion a year on firefighting. You also start to see why some state lawmakers say it's time for more local responsibility.

It has been a long time since the State of California was a public policy innovator. But a draft plan for implementing a greenhouse gas reduction law places California right on the cutting edge.

A recent L.A. Times series suggests that we should build more Southern California freeways for long-distance commuters, and prevent additional job development in employment-heavy areas. Bill Fulton suggests a different approach.