A new city has been proposed in California, and the plan is going to a vote in Solano County’s November election. The proposed location is in Solano County, about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento, and the group behind the proposal is named California Forever.

As a native Californian, I’ve never been more captivated by a vision for the future of my home state in my lifetime. This new city could make a huge impact on making housing more affordable across the state, improving quality of life by creating the first new walkable city in America in the last 100 years, and reducing environmental impacts. While the new city also has serious technical and political barriers to overcome, the proposal is bold yet also grounded in reality.
A map showing the location of the new city that California Forever has proposed in Solano County
California Forever's renderings depict a walkable urban fabric with with schools, office, & factories
I spent the last few weeks studying California Forever’s plan and talking to their team, and I’m impressed by the depth of their thinking. I also know several of the key people involved, so some of what I know is from talking with them on background as well. I’ve written up what I’ve learned into this series. I hope it can be helpful to anyone else who’s trying to get a clear picture of what’s going on, and I’ll continue adding to the series as I learn more:

California Forever is a moonshot, and like all moonshots it’s also a longshot. But if they do get approval from voters in November, the new city could improve the quality of life and opportunity not just for Solano County residents but for everyone in California.

I’ve written about urban planning and new cities in particular a lot over the years. You can find those posts here to read more about how I think about cities and to put California Forever’s proposal into context.
*These are planned posts, still works in progress! I will publish them soon.