Planning Attractive, Livable Communities Through Smart Growth & General Plans

California is leading the way when it comes to building smart and efficient communities that make it easier to get from point A to point B and allow less time in gridlocked traffic and more time with our families.  Two panels at the PCL/PCLF Symposium will focus on building and planning better communities.

Getting Smart Growth Where it Needs to Be

SB 375 links decisions about land use, housing and transportation with the goal of reducing vehicle miles travelled and therefore greenhouse gas emissions.  Creativity with developing (or redeveloping) our urban centers allows for communities that are transit-focused, walkable and bikable, and include a mix of uses.  This panel will showcase smart growth policies that are already in place or being implemented in specific California communities.

  • Meea Kang, Domus Development LLC
  • Joseph Horwedel, City of San Jose
  • Marc Roberts, City of Livermore
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General Plans: Still Critical, Still Contentious

General Plans lay the groundwork for how our cities and counties evolve and allow local communities to chart their own futures through adopted policies.  These policies impact our daily lives from traffic congestion, safe routes to school, clean energy, and transit and housing choices for local residents. In this session, participants will learn about the results of recent litigation to improve local general plans, attempts to reform general plan law through the legislative process, and the role of general plans in California’s new land use policy landscape.

  • Richard Taylor, Shute Mihaly & Weinberger LLP
  • Tom Jacobson JD, MCP, AICP, Sonoma State University
  • Al Zelinka FAICP CMSM, City of Fullerton

The Symposium is Saturday, January 29, 2011 at the Sheraton in downtown Sacramento.  Early bird (discounted) registration is available through December 31.   Register early to ensure you have a seat at this annual event!