CP&DR - Blogs

UCLA Ext: 24th Annual Land Use Law & Planning Conference

Jan 4, 2010

24th Annual Land Use Law & Planning Conference

Friday, January 29, 2010
8:30am - 5:00pm
Millenium Biltmore Hotel
Downtown Los Angeles
506 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90071-2607
(310) 825-7885

A Stadium Warning From The Midwest

Dec 31, 2009

Paul Shigley

Ask the people in Cincinnati about the wisdom of building publicly funded stadiums for major league sports teams.

3 Predictions For The Coming Year

Dec 28, 2009

California, Paul Shigley

The close of one year always induces predictions for the coming year. Putting one's forecast in print – even virtual print – is a dangerous business. But I can't help myself.

Apple Valley Trades General Plan For Stadium

by Paul Shigley on Dec 10, 2009

Arenas, Deals, San Bernardino County, Stadiums, Vol. 24 No. 17 Dec 2009 - 1

The Town of Apple Valley wants to build a minor league baseball stadium. That’s not unusual in California, where stadium building seems only a slice less popular than tailgate parties with free-flowing beer. What is unusual, however, is the way that the town plans to pay– or rather, not pay – for this $20 million to $25 million project. >>read more

Hazards Of The Car Culture

Nov 24, 2009

Which comes first, the car culture, or the infrastructure for cars?

The Balancing Act: Reducing Greenhouse Gases While Still Growing

Nov 23, 2009

The Regional Targets Advisory Committee reached agreement on basic principles that the California Air Resources Board should adopt in implementing SB 375 and setting land use/transportation targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions. But if a panel discussion at an SB 375 event in Ontario last week is any indication, the individual RTAC members are still having a big of a hard time getting past their own agendas.

Divisions Emerge Over SB 375's Reach

Nov 20, 2009

As the full weight of SB 375 starts to become evident, divisions on the state board charged with implementing the legislation are coming to the forefront. Some members of the Air Resources Board (ARB) are welcoming what they see as an opportunity to overhaul land use planning and remake cities, while others see the state intruding into an area where it is not wanted and has no experience.

Solving Downtown Sacramento's Problems With An Arena

Nov 17, 2009

The environmental impact report for the huge Sacramento rail yards redevelopment project was upheld earlier this month by Superior Court Judge Lloyd Connolly.

Two lawsuits over the EIR were filed – one by a group of environmentalists and one by Westfield, which owns Downtown Plaza not far from the rail yards. Both suits claimed Sacramento did not adequately address traffic and air impacts.

In Bad Times, ULI Talks Planning, Not Development

Nov 10, 2009

The Urban Land Institute has a reputation of being an organization in which enlightened developers get together with the occasional savvy planner and designer. So with a real estate downturn in full swing, it's not surprising that the main topic at ULI's Fall Meeting in San Francisco last week was ... planning, not development.

More On The Broken Public Review Process

Nov 6, 2009

Maybe California's public process for making land use decisions really is "old and sick," as new urbanism champion Andrés Duany said during a recent presentation in Sacramento.

Duany's criticism of the system and his praise of a jury-style process used in Perth, Australia, seems to have struck a chord. The piece I wrote about Duany's presentation drew quite a bit of readership on Planetizen, and I've been receiving emails ever since.

Water Reality Trumps Water Politics

Oct 30, 2009

California's water politics are hopeless. That's the only conclusion I can reach, and it was reaffirmed earlier this week when I attended a Great Valley Center forum on water.

The Public Process: How NIMBYs Encourage Suburban Sprawl

Oct 29, 2009

Now is the time to roll out new planning ideas – different codes, new public review processes, original ways of thinking. "These are revolutionary times," new urbanism guru Andrés Duany told about 150 planners, state government officials, architects and consultants during a gathering in Sacramento on Thursday.

Are The Days Of The 'CEQA Stadium' Numbered?

Oct 26, 2009

For the second time this year, we've been reminded that the California Environmental Quality Act is not a set of tablets brought down from Mount Whitney. It's just a state law, and it can be changed whenever the Legislature and the governor can agree on changing it – especially during bad economic times.

The latest reminder is AB 81X3, signed by the governor the other day, which exempts the proposed football stadium in Industry from CEQA – and even from several pending CEQA lawsuits. This law comes only a few months after the state budget deal, which truncated or eliminated CEQA review on several highway projects that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to get moving.

Are Conservation Groups Truly Fighting The Wrong Battle?

Oct 22, 2009

Ah, the growth wars. What would we land use journalists do if there were ever a truce?

Blogs

Articles