Building cities takes time and resources. Why not spend them on fixing the ones we have?

In an article for The Atlantic, Jerusalem Demsas explains why the impulse to just build new cities from scratch felt by many on both the right and the left is not the solution to our urban crises.
As Demsas explains, “The yearning for a blank slate crosses the ideological spectrum, touching socialists, antidevelopment activists, curious policy makers, and, most recently, Silicon Valley investors attempting to build a city from scratch.”
But the idea of building a new city whole cloth often buts up against reality. “‘Organic’ cities, in which firms and workers agglomerate and then begin to demand that governments finance infrastructure, have a preassembled tax base. If you try to build the infrastructure first, paying for it becomes tricky.”
Furthermore, infrastructure is just one piece of a city. “Infrastructure follows people, not the other way around.” People choose which cities to live in for many reasons, a top one being economic opportunity.
The proposed California Forever, a nebulous plan by Silicon Valley investors to build a new town in Northern California, could end up as “sprawl with a prettier face and prettier name” as its residents find themselves forced to travel to bigger cities in the area for jobs and cultural amenities. Solano County, where the project would be built, says the land largely zoned for agricultural use would require rezoning to accommodate greater density.
Demsas points out that every city, once built, will face similar pressures in the future: “It might expand for a while, but it will eventually face the same old problem: residents who don’t want change.”
For Demsas, “Solving the housing crisis doesn’t require inventing new places for people to go; it requires big cities to embrace growth, as they did in the past, and smaller cities to accept change.” It’s not about building new cities, but fixing the ones we already have.
FULL STORY: Why Don’t We Just Build New Cities?

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.

California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.

HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland