2.7. Exploding Davis, 1946-71

Population, territory and much else experience explosive growth.

Bicycles in Davis

Items on the history of the bicycles in Davis.

Obituary of Lawrence Livington Jr, 1918-2007, lead author of the Davis "Core Area Plan," 1961

In the early 1960s, Lawrence Livingston and his firm devised the high-rise plan for rebuilding central Davis that was embraced by Davisites but then rejected in the wake of the "revolution of '72." To his credit, Mr. Livingston later himself "saw the light" and renounced his own early work such as done in Davis in a famous essay published in 1981 titled "Confessions of a Planner." For more information on Mr. Livingston and his essay, see John Lofland, Davis City Planning, 1925-2005 at http://www.davishistoricalsociety.org/ondh/1-3-the-grisly-history-planning-zoning-in-the-on

"Mr. Open Space? Let's Remember Larry Livingston as Mr. Rational Instead" by Bill Fulton

An appreciative commentary on the San Francisco Chronicle Larry Livingston obituary by Bill Fulton, famed liberal planner and moving spirit in the influential California Planning and Development Report.

Davis High School

Documents relating to Davis High School, 1946-71

Livingston & Blayney, Davis Core Area Plan, 1961

This is a high-resolution scan of the pivotal, 1961 booklet by city planners Lawrence Livingston and John Blayney depicting a high-rise, high-density downtown for Davis that local leaders adopted but that was then eclipsed by the "progressive revolution" that began with the City Council election of 1972. It is 17MB, which means it moves slowly in response to "clicks." But, the resolution and historical detail are wonderful and worth the wait. For more on this document, see the blog Davis History Today (www.davishistorytoday.org), posts numbers 269, 270 and 271, among other sources.