Ventura, California, where new urbanist Rick Cole became

Ventura, California, where new urbanist Rick Cole became city manager in early 2004, has now hired Ann Daigle as urban development and planning manager. Daigle is a founding principal of PlaceMakers, an urban design firm that focuses on New Urbanism. Daigle, who has also been a planning director in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Monroe, Louisiana, has been one of the strongest advocates for the SmartCode by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company. “Her coming to California has generated a lot of excitement as the ‘new urbanist’ stars align,” said Cole in an email to New Urban News. “As you may know, Stef Polyzoides and Paul Crawford did a charrette that produced our Downtown (form-based) Code, put into effect last fall, and will be doing a citywide code starting this summer.” Last year, Cole told The Planning Report that “Ventura has the potential to be the Portland of Southern California — the model for smart growth in our region.”