Why Planning Is Essential to Solving California’s Housing Crisis

California needs more sustainable, transit-oriented, urban development, like that being developed at Metro’s North Hollywood station in Los Angeles. Image© Gensler

Cities across the country need more housing but aren’t building it. In California, this challenge has become a crisis. Despite the state’s booming economy, which recently surpassed that of the United Kingdom to become the world's fifth largest economy, California is struggling with record levels of homelessness and has lost more than one million residents to other statesover the past decade as middle and low income families flee the highest-in-the-nation housing costs. In response, politicians and policymakers are considering dramatic changes, which could have profound effects on the planning, design, and development of cities across the state. For planners, architects, and designers this presents opportunity to rethink our role in shaping how our cities grow and change.

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Envisioning Boston’s Transit Future: It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s a …?

Image © Gensler

Let’s start with a riddle. What moves 3,600 people per hour, is completely silent, runs on renewable electricity, has a small infrastructure footprint, doesn’t clog streets and is just plain fun to ride? Not Uber, not a ferry and not your Vespa. Not a subway, bus rapid transit or hydrofoil either.

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Empowering the Powerhouse

The scenic north of England is a new focus for economic equity and improved quality of life—the “Northern Powerhouse” that includes cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Hull. Image © Andrew Hawkes.

For many years, London and the South East region of England have been the focus of many of the UK’s conversations around the economy. But, in the short time since the first mention of the “Northern Powerhouse” proposal, there’s been a tangible shift towards support for the core regions of the North (including the cities of Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Hull).

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