San Jose officials will discuss how to finance public amenities in its future urban villages, pockets of dense mixed-use development.

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo on Monday unveiled an ambitious plan to build 25,000 new homes over the next five years.

The City Council on Tuesday will consider relaxing requirements that have stymied the type of development prescribed by the General Plan.

City planners admit there are serious obstacles to turning San Jose into a vibrant, interconnected system of urban villages.

The city’s commitment to urbanizing our communities should be applauded, but the means to house San Jose’s most vulnerable populations must not be overlooked.

Apparently it’s illegal to fire slingshots, crossbows, BB guns and other projectile weapons in San Jose. But a club of model ship makers hopes the city will make an exception.

Statistics show that the number of people under 25 who have drivers licenses has decreased steadily over the last 20 years. This may seem like random trivia on its face. But a closer look reveals a social trend that has significance to San Jose and other metropolitan areas across the country.

Planning departments across the USA commonly create “specific plans” and/or “master plans” for certain streets and neighborhoods within a city. San Jose, not unlike other cities, has many of these same plans. Most of the time these plans are put together with the best of intentions, but they end up sitting on a shelf due to their inherent lack of practicality or feasibility.