Palo Alto at 125 Years

Visions of the Future:
Past and Present

FGA partner, Dan Garber, shares his research on the history of Palo Alto at the 2019 Annual Meeting for Palo Alto Stanford Heritage. Dan’s work traces the social and architectural histories behind the development of Stanford University and the City of Palo Alto. He explores, for example, a campus laid out to connect us to the tradition of academic excellence; a Spanish Colonial style of architecture that reminds us of a shared romantic past; and the Stanford research park that brought thousands of high paying jobs to Palo Alto, but denied its impact on the neighborhood. 

Reviewing the publication by San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR), 'Four Future Scenarios for the San Francisco Bay Area,' Dan’s investigation asks Palo Alto citizens to consider: What path will we take into the future? What vision will compel us now to change our city and how we see ourselves in it? And can it be shared broadly enough for us all to see through it to the end?

To read the full text of the presentation with images, click here:
PALO ALTO AT 125 YEARS