In tomorrow's citywide election, San Francisco voters are faced with a suite of ballot propositions essentially offering a referendum on hot button issues like gentrification, neighborhood character, and supply vs. demand.
For years now, the news from San Francisco has spoken of bubbling over tensions with regard to the demographic forces at work as the booming tech industry takes a greater hold on the city's neighborhoods. The chickens will come home to roost, tomorrow, however.
"On Tuesday, San Francisco voters will weigh in on 11 propositions and candidates for various offices in an election that has essentially become a referendum on the city’s booming technology industry and a vehicle for voters to vent as they seethe over the sky-high housing prices that have come with it," according to an article by Conor Dougherty.
Dougherty adds: "Seven of the propositions on the San Francisco ballot are either directly or indirectly related to the technology industry and housing costs." That includes Proposition F, which will limit the number of short-term rentals (i.e., Airbnb supply), and "two affordable-housing measures and a proposal to help old-line businesses make rent in neighborhoods that are filling up with boutiques and organic restaurants."
Savvy observers of the San Francisco political scene will also recall Proposition I, or the "City of San Francisco Mission District Housing Moratorium Initiative," which would place an 18-month moratorium on the construction of market rate, multi-family residential developments.
FULL STORY: San Francisco Ballots Turn Up Anger Over the Technical Divide
San Francisco Election Results: Airbnb Regulations, Mission Moratorium, Housing Bond
San Francisco voters rejected a moratorium on market rate housing in The Mission (Prop. I) and tighter restrictions on Airbnb (Prop. F), while approving the city's largest-ever housing bond (Prop. H) and a large mixed-use development.
Spain Moves to Regulate Short-Term Rentals
Calls for regulation at the national level have prompted lawmakers to consider limiting tourist rentals amidst a growing housing crisis.
How Much Are Short-Term Rentals to Blame for the Housing Crisis?
Whether and how deeply Airbnb and other short-term rentals affect housing costs depends largely on local conditions and economies.
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