John Rahaim's guest appearances

John Rahaim

State of the Bay

American Planning Association

Leading Voices in Real Estate

Edward Thomas

David Miller

Laurie Johnson

Greg Lindsay

Bob Mitchell

Jane Jacobs

Bev Wilson

Julie Burros

Doug Farr

Dale Morris

Peter Katz

Michael Greenberg

Jarrett Walker

Sharon Sutton

Roger Hart

OwlTail

During NPC19 in San Francisco, host Courtney Kashima, AICP, sat down with John Rahaim, the city and county's planning director. On the table during their conversation are issues the city's grappling with now, from the housing crisis and homelessness to design review and short-term rentals. John divulges the route he took to his current position — he grew up in Detroit, got plugged in to planning in Pittsburgh, and eventually made a move to the West Coast. The two unpack the phenomenon of highly visible planning leaders, the growing pains San Francisco experienced in dealing with Airbnb, and the importance of the Citywide LGBTQ+ Cultural Heritage Strategy. Through concrete examples of actions the department has taken in its work, John underscores the need for planners to experiment with the programs and policies they develop.

People Behind the Plans: John Rahaim