California’s Central Valley is widely regarded as rural and agricultural, even by those who live there. But its reality and future are profoundly urban. The valley’s cities appear small only in comparison with the mega-metropolitan regions along the California coast. More people live in Fresno and Sacramento than Atlanta or Miami. Now, valley cities, after struggling to build infrastructure equal to their growing size and importance, seem to be catching up with their urban needs—adding more cultural venues, revamping downtowns, and developing new transit and water systems. What more must California’s Central Valley do to embrace its new reality? Fresno State president Joseph I. Castro, Valley Vision managing director Meg Arnold, Placer County Schools superintendent Gayle Garbolino-Mojica, and Davis city manager Dirk Brazil visit Zócalo to discuss the rapidly urbanizing Central Valley.
