With its new redevelopment strategy creating new downtown shops and residences, "urban living" could be the new motto of South Pasadena, California -- a city renowned for its preservation efforts and resistance to change.
"South Pasadena is the kind of town that takes its history seriously -- a place that's proud of slogans like 'South Pasadena -- where the past is the present' and 'South Pasadena: 1888 with all the modern amenities.'
And that was Sherry Hodge's life.
The mother of one child lived in a 100-year-old house on a historic preservation list. She devoted countless hours as a volunteer in the city's heralded school district. She even bought a T-shirt that said "no" to the extension of the 710 Freeway, which the city has long opposed because it would carve up historic neighborhoods.
But now, Hodge has become a pioneer of sorts in the San Gabriel Valley city.
Hodge, a TV producer, quit her job, and she and her husband sold their Craftsman home to buy a two-bedroom unit in a modern condominium building in the city's revitalized downtown.
'We discovered this whole new urban South Pasadena,' Hodge, 47, said. 'There's a wine bar, organic food and a kitchen store. We never had date nights in town. We do now.'
Hodge's move underscores a quiet revolution in a town where 10,000 homes are on a historic protection inventory.
Long averse to any change, South Pasadena has embraced an aggressive redevelopment strategy that has brought loft condos, high-end restaurants and trendy shops to a city that has prided itself on a Main Street USA feel even though it's less than seven miles from downtown Los Angeles."
FULL STORY: A new era in South Pasadena

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.

Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution
Expanding the city’s ultra low-emission zone has resulted in dramatic drops in particle emissions in inner and outer London.

San Jose Mayor Takes Dual Approach to Unsheltered Homeless Population
In a commentary published in The Mercury News, Mayor Matt Mahan describes a shelter and law enforcement approach to ending targeted homeless encampments within Northern California's largest city.

Atlanta Changes Beltline Rail Plan
City officials say they are committed to building rail connections, but are nixing a prior plan to extend the streetcar network.

Are Black Mayors Being Pushed Out of Office?
The mayors of New York, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh all stand to lose their seats in the coming weeks. They also all happen to be Black.
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.
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments
City of Edmonds
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research