Guide to California Planning [Paperback]

William B. Fulton (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 375 pages
• Publisher: Solano Press Books; 2 Expanded edition (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0923956549
• ISBN-13: 978-0923956547
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #842,989 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guide to California Planning, July 30, 2004

By 

M. Landy (San Diego, Ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guide to California Planning (Paperback)

This book is the bible of California planning. I have worked in the field of urban planning for several years. The complexity of coastal California development is such that even the majority of people practicing in the field can't explain the whole process. This book is the only reference that I have seen that tells you what the heck is going on, in fact college classes are taught using this book...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars California Planning, October 9, 2010

By 

eandrjue - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Guide to California Planning, 3rd Edition (Paperback)

I purchased this book for a class and found very informative and easy to read. The focus is obviously California, but I thought it conveyed information better than the book The Urban Pattern.

5.0 out of 5 stars "How planning in California really works", February 23, 2012

By 

Zeenat Capek (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guide to California Planning, 3rd Edition (Paperback)

I read this book for a course on California planning taught by Bill Fulton, the author of this guide and a thought-provoking planner. This was not my first planning course but this book made me wish it had been.

In this guide, Fulton and Shigley go through the depth and breadth of how planning in California really works. The book is very well structured and accessible. Key ideas, acronyms, and illustrations are displayed in the margins to help the reader. The authors use a lot of examples and the guide also features short articles.

Fulton and Shigley have done a fantastic job in connecting the dots between various aspects of planning (history, geography, law, economics, design, etc.) The guide goes beyond context and techniques to present dynamics and what is really at stake. In particular, the authors discuss boldly the political nature of planning in California, including pressures and manipulations. Thus, the guide enables the reader to become technically more conversant and politically more aware.

As someone who is interested in planning in California and elsewhere, I find that this guide could be an excellent blueprint for presenting planning in other regions of the world. In any case, this guide provides a strong foundation on planning in California, and more importantly, shows how to think critically about planning issues.