Calling all citizen planners

The city of Sacramento has extended the application deadline for its popular Planning Academy, which runs from April 9 to June 11 this spring. If you want to sharpen your armchair planning skills and learn the ins and outs of transit-oriented development, smart growth and the various government cures for sprawl, visit www.cityofsacramento.org, fill out an application and turn it in before 5 p.m. on March 8, 2007.

Last fall’s Planning Academy threw together planning commissioners, real-estate professionals, representatives from local government offices, one SN&R reporter, and more than a dozen fiery community activists. Together, the group spent 10 weeks listening to guest lectures from architects, smart-growth advocates, transportation experts and city-planning staff. The best part: The narrated tours of Sacramento’s ever-changing urban landscape.