Northern News December 2020-January 2021

Northern News

A publication of the American Planning Association, California Chapter, Northern Section
Making great communities happen
December 2020-January 2021
Megaproject planning in a pandemic
By Timothy Rood, AICP, and José Ruano, December 2, 2020. To reach populations typically underrepresented in planning, the City offered meetings and materials in Spanish and Vietnamese and partnered with community-based organizations for outreach and engagement.
Meet a local planner – Elizabeth “Libby” Tyler, Ph.D., FAICP
By Catarina Kidd, AICP. Libby Tyler worked in both the public and private sectors and in planning education. Her longest tenure — 17 years — was as Community Development Director for the City of Urbana, Illinois.
Activating the Civic Commons in San Jose’s Guadalupe River Park
Justin Flynn et al, December 2, 2020. Despite the pandemic, a class of 14 urban planning graduate students at San José State University spent the fall 2020 semester helping to survey, revitalize, and activate the city’s downtown linear park, a critical civic asset.
An overview of historical reports on HUD User
November 17, 2020. A collection of 1,750 scanned historical reports and archived publications — going back to 1910 — is now available to the public. The documents offer insight into how housing conditions and policies have changed over time and inform policies today.
Where in the world?
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Northern Section news, views, and announcements
Share your #PlanningPositivity story and join us December 16th!
Share on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram what made this year special and positive for YOU, your teams, your families, your communities. Tag your story with #PlanningPositivity.
Planners must care, especially now
By James Rojas, November 14, 2020. Planners, we need to bridge the gap between our formal, infrequent engagement and the ongoing community organizing, and share problem solving with community members.
Director’s note: Nearing the end of the longest year
By Jonathan Schuppert, AICP. What a year! I’ve been “a little terrified every day.” I became — unexpectedly — Section Director in February. Now I’m handing the reins to Florentina Craciun, AICP.
Call for nominations, Northern Section Treasurer
Do you want to be more involved with APA? Do you want to serve your fellow Northern Section members? Consider joining your Northern Section Board as Treasurer.
2021 Planning Leadership Academy, February 5
Registration is open until Dec. 27 for the 2021 Leadership Academy hosted by the California Planning Roundtable.
California’s approach to housing crisis is ineffective, Auditor says
By Jared Brey, November 20, 2020. The state is failing to build enough affordable homes for lower-income residents in part because it lacks an effective approach to planning and financing the development of affordable housing.
Who’s where
News about Haeseo (Hazel) Choi, Christopher Dacumos, Shannon Fiala, Sanhita Ghosal, AICP, Leila Hakimizadeh, AICP, Julia Hoffman, Sailesh Mehra, Jonathan Schuppert, AICP, Darcy Smith, AICP, and Rachael A. Tanner.
Northern Section leadership election results
Northern Section’s new Director-Elect is Michael Cass, and Veronica Flores continues as Administrative Director.
Planning news roundup
By Jasmine Lee, Daily Californian, December 7, 2020. State funding will support multi-modal transportation infrastructure, including BART upgrades.
By Sarah Klearman, CP&DR, December 6, 2020. San Mateo voters narrowly extended existing height and density caps, potentially precluding a push for more housing.
By Annie Sciacca, Bay Area News Group, December 3, 2020. The state has approved a site remediation plan, but activists and residents want a more thorough removal of soil.
By CBS SF Bay Area, December 3, 2020. Vacancy data may be used to reduce speculation on rental units.
By Nisma Gabobe, Sightline Institute, December 2, 2020. In 2018 and 2019, cities across the West Coast successfully promoted accessory dwelling unit reforms to address the housing crisis.
By J.K. Dineen, San Francisco Chronicle, November 30, 2020. Livermore’s experience could become more common as California pursues 100 percent zero-carbon electricity.
By J.K. Dineen, The San Francisco Chronicle, November 27, 2020. Trade leaders argue that cutting housing costs should not sacrifice workers’ wages.
By Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, November 27, 2020. A Bay Area glimpse into the future for other coastal communities facing sea-level rise.
By Kate Cimini, Salinas Californian, November 23, 2020. As farmworkers and their families dangerously overcrowd available housing, California’s coastal counties look to streamline production of safer housing.
From ABAG, November 19, 2020. The tool uses one of the largest sets of disaggregated building energy data available in the nation.
By Jennifer Wadsworth, San Jose Inside, November 19, 2020. The sweeping audit uncovered mismanaged and lapsed funds that could have supported affordable housing.