urban planning

Is San Diego America’s Biggest Underperforming City?

Call Us ‘Sleepy.’ Mock Our Airport. We’re Just Happy We’re L.A.-Not.

As a veteran member of the San Diego media, I have been asked by Zócalo editors to write a brief essay which throws light on this question: “Why is San Diego, the nation’s sixth-largest city, which has so much potential, underperforming?”

That is a heck of a good question. How in the world does a city become the sixth-largest in the United States while underperforming at the same time?

Actually, we are not “sixth-largest.” The 2010 census shows us at number eight, with Phoenix at six and San Antonio at seven. Estimates …

by Michael Grant |

Read More

My Horrible, Hopeful L.A. Commute

The Hours I Spend Stuck in Traffic Are Bad for My Health. But Along the Way I Get a Front Seat View of Southern California’s Transportation Transformation.

by Joe Mathews |

If you want to know why this column isn’t better, I’ve got an excuse for you: I have a killer Southern California commute.

Since I started driving from my South Pasadena …

Figuring Out the 710 Freeway’s Future

How Does This Road Impact Traffic, Pollution, and Commerce Across Southern California?

by Sarah Rothbard |

The future of the 710—one of Southern California’s most important freeways—is an important issue and the subject of passionate debate. It’s also at the center of one of the region’s …

Can’t Our Governments Just Get Along?

Good Regional Planning in Southern California Is Hard to Find. Here's Proof That It’s Possible.

Isaac Newton’s Law of Inertia applies equally well to rocks and politics: A body in motion resists any change to its speed or direction. If you’ve ever sat in on …

When Missing the Bus Is a Matter of Life and Death

In Our Rural San Joaquin Valley Town, Getting to School on Foot Is the Toughest Part of the Day

by Jonathan Hernandez and Uriel Sanchez |

We live in Planada, California, a small, unincorporated town of 4,500 people nine miles into the croplands outside Merced. In December 2012, we joined a youth group here organized by …

You Got a Better Idea For the Grand Avenue Project?

The Latest Design Got the Boot. The Saga Continues. Here Are Some Thoughts For the Next Round.

If you’re an Angeleno, you’ve probably had occasion to park in a large and ugly lot across from Walt Disney Concert Hall. That spot is also known as Parcel Q …


By continuing to use our website, you agree to our privacy and cookie policy.

✕

Get More Zócalo

No paywall. No ads. No partisan hacks. Ideas journalism with a head and a heart.

You may opt out or contact us anytime.

×