Sacramento Explores How It’s “Smart to Be Dense”

In a fascinating article published yesterday in the Wall Street Journal, the city of Sacramento, CA is profiled as a model for discovering the realities of $4 gasoline and planning for "clustering the places where people live more closely with the businesses where they work and shop," according to the article. Urban planner Mike McKeever is the architect that pushed through the "smart growth" strategies (light rail, bike paths, etc.) which wasn’t easy when he started on the job back when gas was half its price. The article in print provides maps showing the increase in per capita expenditures on public transportation from 2000 to 2008. The online article provides a map showing projected conjestion from development with and without Mr. McKeever’s "Blueprint" for growth through 2050.