Posted on 07/24/2008 9:37:47 AM PDT by calcowgirl
Former Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown is waging war on California suburbs because of global warming, says Joel Kotkin, a presidential fellow in urban futures at Chapman University.
Brown is concerned about the alleged environmental damage caused by the suburbs. He wants to compel residents to move to city centers or to high-density developments clustered near mass transit lines:
• Brown has threatened to file suit against municipalities that shun high-density housing in favor of building new suburban single-family homes, on the grounds that they will pollute the environment.• He is also backing controversial legislation -- Senate bill 375 -- moving through the state legislature that would restrict state highway funds to communities that refuse to adopt "smart growth" development plans.
The problem is, Californians do not want to leave the suburbs for the cities:
• For two generations, residents have been moving to the suburbs, attracted to the prospect of good schools, low crime rates and the chance to buy a home.• A 2002 Public Policy Institute of California poll found that 80 percent of Californians prefer single-family homes over apartment living.
Ali Modarres, associate director of the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs at California State University Los Angeles, points out that there is little evidence behind the science used to justify the drive to resettling the cities -- and plenty of power behind the argument that suburbs are better for Mother Earth:
• Forcing developers to build near transit lines, a strategy favored by "smart-growth advocates," does not mean residents will actually take the train or bus; in fact, a survey by the Los Angeles Times found that only a small fraction of residents shunned their cars during rush hour.• Several prominent scholars have found there is little evidence linking suburbanization to global warming, pointing out that density itself can produce increased auto congestion and pollution.
Source: Joel Kotkin, "Jerry Brown's War on California Suburbs," Wall Street Journal, July 20, 2008.
For text: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121642163643366589.html
For more on Global Warming Impacts and Responses: http://eteam.ncpa.org/issues/?c=impacts-and-responses
For more on Global Warming: http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_Category=32
read
Jerry Brown's War on California Suburbs
By JOEL KOTKIN
July 19, 2008; Page A7In the 1960s, California Gov. Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown laid the foundation for building modern, suburban California with massive new highway projects and one of the most significant public water projects in history. The resulting infrastructure gave us broad, low-density developments with room for millions of Californians to have a home with a backyard and two cars in the driveway.
Those were the good old days. Today, Pat Brown's son Jerry is waging war on the very communities his father helped make possible. Why? Global warming.
Jerry Brown has been a fixture of the state's politics for more than three decades. ... in 2006, he was elected attorney general. Today he is mulling a run for governor in 2010, when he will be 72.
In the meantime, Mr. Brown is taking aim at the suburbs, concerned about the alleged environmental damage they cause. He sees suburban houses as inefficient users of energy. He sees suburban commuters clogging the roads as wasting precious fossil fuel. And, mostly, he sees wisdom in an intricately thought-out plan to compel residents to move to city centers or, at least, to high-density developments clustered near mass transit lines.
Mr. Brown is not above using coercion to create the demographic patterns he wants. In recent months, he has threatened to file suit against municipalities that shun high-density housing in favor of building new suburban singe-family homes, on the grounds that they will pollute the environment. He is also backing controversial legislation -- Senate bill 375 -- moving through the state legislature that would restrict state highway funds to communities that refuse to adopt "smart growth" development plans. "We have to get the people from the suburbs to start coming back" to the cities, Mr. Brown told planning experts in March.
(snip)
As long as the voters keep voting for DemoFascists, this is what will be engineered for them. Take yer medicine and shut up about it.
FYI Ping
Jerry still embracing the Soviet model, apparently.
Brown is an idiot. I love the fact that my town is not high-density. Heck, we’re one of the last Bay Area towns that hasn’t packed them in on the hillsides.
Reminds one of the Khmer Rouge...
Was it in the 34 Undeniable Truths of Life that it was first stated that ‘liberalism is about spreading misery equally’??
Liberals seem hell bent on making sure that there is nobody out there who is allowed to be happier than they are. And that is hard since they all seem to be complaining about something virtually every day of their lives. When was the last time Jerry Brown made news being happy about anything?
Of course, this would shift all development to the cities. The increased costs for mandated green construction would push up housing costs beyond what the average person could afford, especially after their tax/services-disadvantaged property became worthless. The cities infrastructure would be stressed, city taxes/fees for services and utilities would go up, the present urban mass transit would be inadequate and once again, people will be forced to leave California.
We have enough of them where I live. We have taken our share. No more!
Scroogie you Moonbat! Let people live where they choose....its bad enough the Federal, State and local governments extort oodles of their hard earned tax $$....BTW..the Ca. wildfires spew more smoke and carbon pollutants into the atmosphere collectively than all suburbs combined could ever do. Worry more about the Ca. budget deficit and illegals sucking it dry you blasted moron!
They kill three birds with one stone: Force the proletariat into the localized city surveillance centers, protect the environment by ending the Bourgeoisie's development and rape of our planet, and require everyone to rely on the government's approved means of transport.
Give it ten years or so under Obama and those of us who don't live in the big cities in this nation will be regarded as brain-eating zombies bent on destroying their great social plan. We must be eliminated!
Oh wait, that's the way they regard us now.
More evidence that Californicate’s government is broken.
Just curious. Does he live in the city? Does he travel by bus to work?
What was it, like $5000.00 to this nitwit
My mother has owned 2 lots in Aptos, CA for 50 years. She is prohibited from building on them, or using them in any way, yet they tax her on them.
After all comrade Brown should lead by example. I am sure there is a studio apt. ready for him in Sacramento.
Actually since he is such hero to the proletariat...he could get a 2 Bedroom / 1 Bath condo.
communist in thought and action
After all comrade Brown should lead by example. I am sure there is a studio apt. ready for him in Sacramento.
Actually since he is such a hero to the proletariat...he could get a 2 Bedroom / 1 Bath condo.
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