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Many local governments face the challenge of addressing the shortage of affordable housing. This study examines the effectiveness of incentives and construction alternatives available from Southern California cities and those used by developers to address the need for affordable housing, using a survey research method. The results suggest that while density bonus ranks highest among the incentives available from cities, other incentives—design flexibility, subsidies, and fast-track processing—contribute considerably but were not available from many cities. Because few municipalities can offer subsidies, planners might offer no-cost incentives such as design flexibility and fast-track processing to encourage inclusionary housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a typology of neighborhood-scale projects in Southern California, examines their impact on the emerging metropolitan form and discusses policy implications. This region is growing fast and is facing several problems. It is also the focus of inquiry of municipal control of land use regulations that support Tiebout sorting and contribute to social and spatial segregation. Given this, the paper examines whether certain types of projects are being built in certain types of cities and whether these projects are likely to support Tiebout sorting. A survey of city planners was used to collect data about the attributes of 169 projects. The results suggest that the association between the attributes of projects and characteristics of cities is not strong and reveal how certain types of projects might address some of the region's problems. The paper concludes with a discussion of opportunities to create a better metropolitan form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: As suburbs have grown, become more racially diverse, and become denser in recent years, the planning and design of suburban development has been fundamentally transformed. Is urban design influencing contemporary suburban form, and does this have implications for public policy? Purpose: This article examines how certain urban design ideas, images, and values, that I call city sense because they previously influenced the planning and design of cities rather than suburbs, are now influencing suburban design. Methods: I surveyed and interviewed senior planners in Southern California suburbs, asking them to compare urban design values and physical design elements in both innovative and typical development and redevelopment projects in their municipalities. Results and conclusions: I find considerable agreement among planners that innovative projects are more likely than typical projects to introduce city sense into suburban design and to have a positive impact on suburban form. The surveyed planners believe that innovative projects contribute most significantly to improving visual quality and sense of place, and least significantly to addressing inequities. Takeaway for practice: Planners' views on innovative projects in Southern California indicate that they use urban design values and physical design elements to address some of the problems of growing metropolitan regions, and these design values and elements have potential to influence suburbs positively. Research support: This research was supported by a grant from the University of California, Irvine, Academic Senate Council on Research, Computing, and Library Resources; a grant from the American Planning Association Urban Design and Preservation Division; and by a faculty fellowship from the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]