Job Sprawl and the New Suburbia

How the nation emerges from this recession in terms of the structure of its economy, infrastructure, energy supply, and approach to the natural environment will determine our ability to compete and prosper in the 21st century.

Planning efforts to address the Delta’s complex ecosystem and water supply crisis may also greatly enhance the Delta’s open space values.

Job decentralization has expanded the boundaries of our megaregion — increasing commute times and greenhouse gas emissions in Northern California. We propose a framework for developing strategies to drive jobs back into centers already served by regional transit.

The parking lot opens at 6 a.m., as workers put out their signs, and order the homeless out. For as long as I can remember, the lot was just dirt, littered with trash and construction refuse. Those without homes used the lot, protected by the cement freeway underbelly, for shelter. Now, the lot has been paved over, providing parking spaces for commuters to the SOMA district. Every morning, the homeless pack up their belongings in shopping carts and move everything on to the sidewalk. There's furniture, bedding rolls and even a shoe-shine booth. At 5 p.m., when the parking attendants go home, the homeless move everything back, awaiting another day to repeat the routine.