David Gest
David Gest is both a master's candidate in City and Regional Planning and a juris doctorate candidate at the University of Pennsylvania.
Contributed 827 posts
David Gest is pursuing a dual degree in Law and City and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Originally from Washington, D.C., he received a bachelor's degree in architecture with a focus in urban studies from Yale University in 2003. After graduation, David moved to Los Angeles and joined the historic preservation consulting firm Chattel Architecture, Planning & Preservation, Inc. In 2006, David worked for Planetizen as Managing Editor after working part-time as Associate Editor for two years. David has volunteered his time for the Planning and Law Division of the American Planning Association, the Los Angeles Section of the APA, and as writer and editor for The Next American City magazine. He enjoys traveling with his fiancée and playing ultimate frisbee.
Urban Issues Absent On Campaign Trail, Although Edwards Has Plans
<p><em>City Limits</em> magazine recently completed a <a href="http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/viewarticle.cfm?article_id=3343&content_type=1&media_type=3">review</a> of the 18 presidential candidates' stances on urban issues, and the major news is that there is no news. Most domestic issues, let alone those related to cities, don't even appear on the candidates' -- or the media's -- radar screens. Their article quotes a p<span class="content2">olitical scientist who "says 2008 is shaping up as 'yet another gigantic referendum on Bush and Iraq.'" The bright spots? Although <a href="/node/23153">Bill Richardson</a> has advocated for greater energy conservation and public transportation, John Edwards has articulated an intriguing <a href="http://www.johnedwards.com/about/issues/poverty/">plan</a> to end poverty in the U.S. by 2036 and <a href="http://johnedwards.com/about/issues/housing/">overhaul</a> the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
Physical Effects Of The Declining Housing Market
This week, the <em>Economist</em>’s cover story, "The trouble with the housing market," details the downward-spiraling "subprime" mortgage market and its potential effects on the U.S. economy.<span> </span>The collapsing market certainly poses problems to Wall Street traders and taxpayers in general, but what about the physical toll it's taking on our cities?<span> </span>Abandoned, foreclosed homes now increasingly dot the nation's inner ring suburbs, helping spread neighborhood decline out from inner cities, while developers build more homes farther into the urban periphery.
Bill Richardson -- The Planner's Candidate?
<p class="MsoNormal">As planners and most allied professionals know, the federal government lacks cohesive urban and environmental policies, and especially during the tenure of the current Bush administration, there has been a relative lack of investment in cities, public transportation systems, and alternative sources of energy.<span> </span>With the ongoing war in Iraq and perennial issues like social security, healthcare, and immigration dominating the political landscape, important domestic issues like affordable housing, public transit, and compact urban growth seem little more than a microscopic blip on the radar screens of potential 2008 presidential candidates, if they discuss these issues at all.</p>
Car-less In Seattle
Pedestrian pioneer Alan Durning describes what his family of five is learning by living without four wheels in Cascadia's largest city. Can they survive without the essential currency of the modern American community?