Tag Archives: Public Policy

Embedded Planning Shout Out in the Altoona Mirror

I appreciate this shout out in the Altoona Mirror about our work on the Borough of Hollidaysburg Comprehensive Plan 2035.

‘The revised plan relies on the “embedded planning” methodology espoused by California urban planner Jonathan Pacheco Bell, who was a key consultant during several stages of the process, [Andrew] Holodnik said.

Bell’s approach emphasizes planners getting “out of the office into the street,” Holodnik said, which facilitates direct dialogue between municipal leaders and the constituents they serve.

“You’re immersing yourself in the community,” he said.’

Article: https://www.altoonamirror.com/news/local-news/2025/10/hollidaysburg-borough-2035-plan-updated/

Hollidaysburg Comprehensive Plan 2035: https://hb2035.my.canva.site/

Selecting and Working with ADU Professionals

I’m moderating this important discussion for our communities.

Selecting and Working with ADU Professionals

Sep 24, 2025, 11:00 AM Pacific

Registration, free to all: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_A0-_iyZhQ4-ZoMyBNBDe2A#/registration

Want to build an ADU but feeling lost about who to work with? Don’t know where to start? Join us for this educational webinar focused on best practices for selecting and working with ADU professionals. Casita Coalition’s Director of Education, Timothy Pawlak, and Katherine Peoples, Casita Coalition Board Member and CEO of HPP Cares, will discuss the best ways to vet professionals, compare bids, review contracts, and protect yourself against fraud. This conversation will be moderated by Jonathan Pacheco Bell, VP of Policy and Programs at Casita Coalition.

ADU Condos and Unpermitted ADU Legalization

Shout out to the YimbyTown Conference New Haven for including our panel, “Much ADU About State Legislation.”

I enjoyed the conversation and learning, and uplifting Casita Coalition’s implementation priorities, AB 1033: ADU Condos aka ADU Starter Homes and AB 2533: Unpermitted ADU Legalization.

From the conference program:

Much ADU About State Legislation

Abstract: Legislatures across the country are saying “yes” to backyard housing and passing statewide accessory dwelling unit (ADU) reforms. This panel brings together leaders from successful pro-ADU movements in California, New Jersey, and Massachusetts to share lessons learned, best practices, and model legislation for legalizing second units in single-family areas.

Speakers: Max Dubler, California YIMBY, Policy Manager; Mike Kriesberg, Abundant Housing Massachusetts, Policy and Advocacy Manager; Marina Rubina, Who Killed The Starter Home? Podcast, Principal, Architect; Jonathan Pacheco Bell, Casita Coalition, VP of Policy and Programs

Mike Davis Roundtable at the Urban History Association Conference 2025

I’m on a panel recognizing the legacy of Mike Davis with writer legends Carolina A. Miranda, Kyle Paoletta, David Kipen, and Mike The PoeT Sonksen at the Urban History Association Conference 2025 in Los Angeles. More to come soon.

Join us on Saturday, October 11th, 1:15-2:45pm at the Biltmore Hotel in Downtown LA.

Register for the UHA Conference here: https://urbanhistory.org/Conference-Registration.

Florence-Firestone Walk and Roll Event

Join LA Walks + the Florence-Firestone Community Organization for a Walk and Roll event: Adapting for Community Safety & Accessibility!

What we’re doing:

VISIONING: Envisioning safer, more welcoming streets and sidewalks

WALK AUDIT: Documenting and analyzing current street and sidewalk conditions

ART: Creating a zine with artist Audrey Chan to share community experiences

*Register at Roosevelt Park Senior Center or online here.

Date: Saturday, Sept 6, 2025, 2-5pm

Location: FFCO Office, 6940 Compton Ave, LA 90001

Sponsored by AARP

Permit Pitfalls Panel at the Build the Middle National Housing Convening 2025

I learned so much from moderating this breakout session at the Build the Middle National Housing Convening 2025. And from feedback received thus far, session attendees gained many insights, tools, and practical action steps.

Big thanks to our panelists: Diana Gonzalez from Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning, Tennis Wick from Permit Sonoma, Derek Ouyang from Stanford RegLab, and Awais Azhar from HousingWorks Austin.

I Always Stop in Baker, California — and Not Just for Gas, on Medium

Baker, California. Photo by Jonathan Pacheco Bell

Read my latest, “I Always Stop in Baker, California — and Not Just for Gas” on Medium.

Excerpt:

“My family does that pit stop in Baker en route between Nevada and Pasadena. Before getting back on the 15, I like to visit Arne’s. It is always haunting seeing it up close rather than mediated through filtered #urbex depictions. This business was once somebody’s American Dream. I see memories of past grand ambitions working against all odds in the harsh California desert, still there but withering away.

Naysayers might describe Baker in those words. I don’t, because I haven’t given up on this place. The remaining residents, businesses, sites, stories, memories, and histories make this a community.“

Hostile Architecture Interview on KJZZ NPR Phoenix

I spoke with KJZZ NPR Phoenix about Hostile Architecture and public space equity. The story was cross-posted on the Fronteras Desk.

Excerpt:

BRODIE: What are the conversations like about this among your colleagues and other people who do what you do? . . .

PACHECO BELL: A lot of times city planners get blamed for this, but in fact, it’s oftentimes not city planners that are deciding to add hostile architecture. Rather, it’s the absence of mechanisms within city planning to deal with it. One of my longstanding critiques.

So, yes, there are instances where public agencies or the state might support the addition of hostile architecture, but there are also many instances where the private sector is doing this.

You have sometimes groups that form together to create hostile architecture to add in public space, to drive away those who they deem undesirable, and then sometimes you have sort of lone wolf individuals.

So this is a multidimensional issue. This is a multidimensional public space equity issue with a lot of people involved in it. My critique is that the urban planning field has done very little to address it.

The sharpest critiques that are coming out right now about hostile architecture are coming from the citizen journalists, young people on TikTok. And that is giving me hope that we’re going to have a turning point where we can start really talking about this as an international public space equity issue driven by young people on social media.

Informal ADUs Webinar

Join me this Friday, March 29th at 11:00am PST for an update on the important topic of unpermitted or informal ADUs and efforts to make the process of legalization easier and less costly, hosted by Casita Coalition, a statewide nonprofit. Our panel will cover:

– The current process for legalizing an unpermitted unit under state law
– How a safety-first legalization process can help preserve existing homes
– Designing an ADU amnesty program that addresses common barriers for homeowners
– AB 2533 (Carrillo)—a bill Casita Coalition is supporting to improve current ADU amnesty provisions

This webinar is generously sponsored by the City of Piedmont.

Register: https://www.casitacoalition.org/webinar-calendar/adu-amnesty

Housing Resource Fair

I’m speaking on an ADU, environmental justice, and affordable housing panel reflecting on lessons I learned doing unpermitted ADU enforcement.

Event: Napa Sonoma Collaborative Housing Resource Fair, SMART station depot, 960 E. Cotati Avenue, Cotati, CA 94931

Saturday, December 9, 2023, 9am – 12pm

FREE AND OPEN TO ALL

Quoted in LAist on Student Debt

Image: LAist

I’m interviewed about the history of student debt in this excellent long form reporting by Julia Barajas at LAist. I thought about my urban planning students at Cal Poly Pomona and Pitzer College for this one.

Excerpt:

In May 2022, the Washington Post reported that White House officials were exploring the promised cancellation of $10,000 in student debt per borrower, but limiting efforts to people who earned less than $150,000 last year.

Opponents to this proposal can be found across the political spectrum.

Jonathan Pacheco Bell, an urban planner and adjunct professor at Cal Poly Pomona and Pitzer College, said he appreciates that Biden has not forgotten his campaign promise, but $10,000 is insufficient.

“It’s a way to split the difference so that you make some people happy and some people mad, but you’re not going to piss off the other side of the aisle, because you didn’t wipe away all the debt. It’s a very comfortable and extremely safe position,” he said.

Some of his students have taken on tens of thousands of dollars in debt, he added. “Meanwhile, the U.S. seems to be endlessly funding wars and other priorities with almost no hesitation, but it hesitates to invest in its own workforce.”