Your trusty CP&DR correspondents have been writing about planning and development matters for other publications of late. I have a story in Planning magazine's latest edition about access to healthy food, while Morris Newman has a story in the August 12 edition of The New York Times about redevelopment of the Sacramento rail yards.
I will admit I did not fully understand the issue of food access until I was personally affected. It was during the 2002 American Planning Association, California Chapter, conference in downtown San Diego. One afternoon while walking back to my motel several blocks from the conference site, I went in search of some snacks. I wasn't looking for anything fancy –a bunch of bananas, a package of raisins, maybe a couple oranges.
I walked block after block, finding plentiful junk food and liquor but little else. I think I finally ended up with a small bag of peanuts.
The gentrified downtown San Diego has grocery stories and at least one weekday farmers market. But seven years ago, in the struggling neighborhood where I was living for a few days, I couldn't find even an apple.
This unhealthy situation is not limited to inner-city neighborhoods. While researching my story for Planning, I learned that residents of poor towns in the Central Valley – where much of the country's fruits, vegetables and nuts are grown – often must rely on a liquor store or gas station mini-mart for their day-to-day needs.
Thankfully, planners and public agencies are tackling the issue in a variety of ways. My story in Planning explains some of those efforts in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York. (You must be an APA member to access the story.)
Meanwhile, Morris Newman has written a piece for The Times' Real Estate section about reuse of Sacramento's rail yards. This could be one of the great large-scale infill projects in the country, as Morris explains in a story that explores not only the development, but the site's rich history as the terminus of the transcontinental railroad.
You may read more about Sacramento's rebirth in Morris's latest piece for CP&DR about a riverfront project called The Docks. The long-discussed project between the Sacramento River and Interstate 5 would provide River City's first true riverfront development.
– Paul Shigley
