We all have a secret planning geek lurking inside. If you came of age in the 1990s, 1980s, 1970’s, or 1960’s, you may have played a game like SimCity, Oregon Trail, or Risk, and reveled in the ability to virtually control how a community is shaped. Heck, going back further, any Lego fanatic probably reveled in their childhood fantasy to create a new, alternate world. Of course real life isn’t a virtual reality game or made up of blocks.  Most of us don’t know what rules shape our physical environment, let alone how those rules get influenced or made. It falls under the domain of local government. And let’s be honest, municipal policy and planning just isn’t terribly sexy.  It reeks of bureaucratic process and inefficiency, petty discourse and incivility.  Those perceptions are not unfounded.  But in our local democracies, citizen voices do carry weight.  And if you live in Palo Alto (or any Bay Area Peninsula community) and are concerned about the crazy housing prices or limited alternative transportation options, here’s why you might want to unleash that planning geek and learn more about the process. Read more

Whew… launch week!     Here at Palo Alto Forward World Headquarters --usually just a table at Scotty’s Bar and Grill-- we have had a great reception to the launch of our website (www.paloaltoforward.com) on Friday.  As of this writing, we have had over a thousand visitors, and over 100 registrations, and over 50 volunteers. For a 4 day tally, we’ve come out of the blocks strongly!   Last night, we were active in two venues: City Council Chambers and Scotty’s Bar.  This reflects our organizational philosophy: we want to join the public debate, and also engage in amicable, respectful discussion among engaged citizenry-- sometimes best conducted over a beer.   Read more