Making Growth Work for California’s Communities

Abstract:

If the State of California government is to become a stronger advocate for transportation and land use policies that address growth patterns and related issues associated with community planning and development, it will be helpful for state policymakers, concerned professionals, and others involved in shaping California’s land use policies to have the clearest and most up-to-date understanding of existing efforts by local governments to improve and update planning methods; the status of, and attitude toward, innovation and change in the planning and community development profession; the extent to which local governments are incorporating new ideas and concepts into local plans and then implementing them into practice; and the sources and nature of support and opposition to these changes at the local community level.

The research in Making Growth Work for California’s Communities is unique in its degree of integration of sustainable development, smart growth, and livable communities concepts, and in its assessment of the land use and transportation strategies being incorporated into both local plans and implementation activities. It is intended to help state officials, concerned professionals, and other stakeholders select and shape effective and feasible state policies and programs that will support and promote better management of California’s future growth.

Publications:

Making Growth Work For California’s Communities (778K)

Authors:

Kenneth R. Schreiber, AICP

Kenneth Schreiber, Principal Investigator of this report, is a self-employed land use and transportation planning consultant. He has served as a planner, senior planner, and assistant planning director in Rockford-Winnebago County, Illinois; an assistant planning director, director of planning and community environment, and deputy city manager of Palo Alto, California; and opened his Palo Alto-based consulting services office in January 2000. Schreiber earned a Bachelor of Science in History from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a Master of Arts in History from Columbia University, a Master of Arts in Urban Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a Master of Arts in Public Administration from Golden Gate University.

His areas of research interest include strategic planning, land use, rural and urban transportation planning, and transportation demand management.

Gary Binger, Research Associate

Research Associate Gary Binger is a self-employed land use consultant. He has extensive experience in land use, development processing and intergovernmental coordination. In California, he has served as an assistant planner in Concord; an associate planner in Oakland; planning director for the city of Del Mar; chief of planning and community development director for the city of Walnut Creek; and deputy executive director and planning director of the Association of Bay Area Governments.

Binger earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and his Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Washington, Seattle. He also pursued graduate study at the University of Manchester, England, where he studied the British New Town Program. His areas of research interest include land use, planning studies, public participation, and law and environment regulations.

Dennis Church, Research Associate

Research Associate Dennis Church is president of EcoIQ, a Cupertino-based Internet publishing, digital media, and client services company specializing in environmental management, land use planning, and transportation.

Church holds a degree in journalism from San José State University. His areas of research interest include rural and urban transportation planning, state and regional transportation planning, land use, and energy and ecological systems.

Published:

May 2003

Keywords:

Public policy

Public opinion

Regional planning

Sustainable development

Transit-oriented development