Josh Stephens, who is quickly becoming the SB 375 defender par excellence, responds to recent criticisms of California’s land use policies by Joel Kotkin in the pages of The Wall Street Journal.
Stephens, who deftly responded to Wendell Cox's declaration of war on California's planners, has his sights set on Joel Kotkin this time around. You may recall a recent "sycophantic quasi-interview" conducted with Kotkin by Allysia Finley, again in the pages of The Wall Street Journal, in which he derided the state's "progressive apparatchiks" who want "to destroy the essential reason why people move to California in order to protect their own lifestyles." Stephens challenges Kotkin's "strained logic and offensive biases" head-on.
"Kotkin disparages people like me for liking a lifestyle that he disagrees with. He thinks that more people should live where I live (i.e. near the coast) but he doesn't think that coastal areas should build more housing, and he definitely doesn't think that the state should promote that housing. Because then there'd be too much of a bad thing, even though people want that bad thing very badly if it's located in the right places.
And that's why, according to Kotkin, California shouldn't have passed SB 375 and instead should have maintained the status quo. Or something like that."
FULL STORY: Smart Growth Strategies Prompt Dumb Objections
California's Growing Housing Imbalance
Robert Steuteville looks at a recent report on the Golden State's supply and demand imbalance in the housing market. It's not what the The Wall Street Journal has led you to believe.
WSJ Hears From CA Smart Growth Bill Author
The Wall Street Journal printed a response to the Wendall Cox opinion, “California Declares War on Suburbia” by none other than the author of the bill (SB 375) that Cox holds responsible for the war, Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg.
Ballot Initiative Could Overturn California's Zoning Reforms
The "mother of all NIMBY initiatives" is seeking signatures to qualify for the statewide ballot in California.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service