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17 Sep 08

Protein® Feed | To Tackle Global Warming, California Takes Aim at Sprawl

Interesting short notice by Adam Stein about California's proposal to "pass legislation that would harmonize regional planning efforts with the state’s overarching goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The most ambitious anti-sprawl legislation in the country, the bill seeks to coordinate housing, transit, and commercial development to reduce the impact of growth on the environment."

Stein reviews this in relation to Robert Bruegmann's "Sprawl: A compact history," which he happens to be in the middle of reading. Some interesting thoughts here on whether or not sprawl can really be mandated away. Also, not mentioned directly, but I can't help but hear Jane Jacobs, too, warning about restrictive overplanning...

proteinos.com/...ng-california-takes-aim-sprawl - Preview

sprawl worldchanging urbanplanning california green_strategies robert_bruegmann

Although not quite pro-sprawl, the book is decidedly anti-anti-sprawl, portraying efforts at shaping or controlling land use as largely the outgrowth of shifting and highly subjective aesthetic standards that disregard the desire of ordinary citizens for privacy, mobility, and choice.
Without entirely dismissing the problems associated with sprawl, Bruegmann suggests that many of the proposed solutions are destined to fail, either because complex urban systems respond in unexpected ways to simplistic planning measures, or because such measures offer fragile levees against so strong a flood of consumer desire for room to stretch out.
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- Although Bruegmann’s argument is thin in places, the book does raise useful questions about how, when, and even why to try to shape the development of our cities and their surroundings. Such questions are helpful in clarifying goals and focusing legislative efforts toward areas they are most likely to have a positive impact (and least likely to do harm).
- In many respects, California’s new regulations start in a strong place. They have a clear and quantifiable aim: the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly those from transportation. Further, the regulations avoid a one-size-fits-all approach, as they must in a state as large and diverse as California. Instead, local governments will submit regional plans to state officials, who have billions of dollars of infrastructure funding to grant as incentives.
  - - sounds a bit like what Campbell Liberals are trying to do in BC with Bill 27...? - on 2008-09-17
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- Further, the bill unites a diverse coalition of often adversarial groups. Developers, affordable housing advocates, and environmentalists (with some notable holdouts) have rallied around the legislation’s balance of carrots and sticks.