☆ Smith: what kind of city do we want to be?

Mxt08, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In an Opportunity Now exclusive series, we’re asking local leaders what this election cycle reveals about the bigger issues shaping Silicon Valley’s direction. Irene Smith of United Housing Alliance wonders whether SJ’s Land Use Planning debate is asking the right questions:

Upzoning raises harder questions than how many homes we can build or whether taxpayer money can make them “affordable.” What kind of city do we want Rome to be? Do we want to preserve Rome’s character, or remake it into Hong Kong? And will we make irreversible zoning choices today affecting infrastructure capacities and chronic congestion—that will define Rome for generations?—Irene Smith, United Housing Alliance

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