Category Archives: advertising

Forget the latest planning buzzword and just plan

First it was “context sensitive solutions,” then “cool cities,” followed by “third places,” and most recently it has been the term “15 minute city.” All of these terms (and a myriad of others) are principally buzzwords meant to promote and … Continue reading

Posted in advertising, Advocacy, books, branding, business, cities, civics, civility, Communications, consumerism, culture, education, history, land use, literature, marketing, opinion, placemaking, planning, politics, product design, reading, Social media, third places, urban planning, writing, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Celebrity bridges of the United States in pop culture

The following images and information identify 12 of the most well-known and recognizable “celebrity” bridges in the United States . These impressive structures have starred in a variety of pop culture media, including movies, documentaries, television and radio shows, books, … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, advertising, archaeology, architecture, art, bicycling, books, branding, bridges, business, Cars, cartoons, cities, civics, commerce, Communications, culture, economic development, engineering, entertainment, film, fitness, fun, geography, highways, hiking, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, movies, music, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, product design, psychology, recreation, scenic byways, Science fiction, skylines, songs, spatial design, Statistics, technology, Television, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, video, walking, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“All aboard”: Ten planning lessons from riding USA railways

Moonlight over Fort Madison, Iowa After completing a long-distance trip across much of the United States this week, it seemed appropriate to list those planning lessons learned from this and previous rail travel experiences. While much of my ridership has … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, advertising, air travel, Alternative transportation, art, books, Canada, Cars, cities, commerce, downtown, economic development, engineering, entertainment, environment, Europe, fun, geography, government, highways, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, Passenger rail, pictures, placemaking, planning, product design, rail, Railroads, spatial design, technology, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, visual pollution | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cleverly cultivated cannabis shop names

Source: cannabliss-nm.com The following list identifies those existing cannabis shop names that are catchy and clever from a business branding, marketing, and advertising standpoint. Of these, my selections for the best five names are the following: 2. Karmaceuticals 3. Atomic … Continue reading

Posted in advertising, branding, business, commerce, Communications, consumerism, culture, economic development, entrepreneurship, health, Health care, land use, marketing, natural and organic foods, place names, product design, tourism, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cities with a lengthy formal, original, or ceremonial name

Below are twelve cities around the globe that have very long formal, original, or ceremonial names. Needless to say, these would be tough to include on postage or any document for that matter. The majority have long names associated with … Continue reading

Posted in advertising, Asia, cities, civics, Communications, culture, Europe, fun, geography, history, Language, Latin America, North America, place names, Religion | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Place Name Hall of Fame: Distinctly recognizable town/small and mid-sized city names

The following list identifies those towns/small cities that have distinctly recognizable names — ones that are well-known enough that most people would have immediately have a mental image of it if the place was mentioned in conversation or literature, even … Continue reading

Posted in advertising, archaeology, architecture, art, branding, business, Canada, cities, civics, commerce, Communications, Cuisine, culture, diversity, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, Economy, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, fun, geography, Geology, hiking, historic preservation, history, inclusiveness, land use, marketing, Mexico, music, Native Americans, natural history, nature, North America, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, recreation, scenic byways, shopping, spatial design, sustainability, third places, topography, toponymy, tourism, Trade, trails, Travel, urban design, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Strict planning & zoning destroys eclectic, offbeat, and funky

After three decades in the planning profession and several more years since retirement, I’ve come to the conclusion that if you want your community to maintain or build a funky, hip, offbeat, or eccentric vibe, it can not be done … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, advertising, Advocacy, archaeology, architecture, art, branding, business, cities, civics, commerce, consumerism, Cuisine, culture, demographics, deregulation, diversity, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, entrepreneurship, family, Food, fun, gentrification, health, historic preservation, history, homelessness, Housing, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, marketing, Mining, opinion, pictures, placemaking, planning, poverty, product design, revitalization, shopping, signs, Small business, social equity, spatial design, third places, tourism, Travel, urban design, urban planning, visual pollution, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Regional and semi-national fast food burger chains

Most of us are familiar with the national fast food burger chains like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, Dairy Queen, Five Guys, Sonic, and Hardee’s/Carl’s Jr. But, there are many local, regional, and semi-national burger chains that dot the map and … Continue reading

Posted in advertising, branding, cities, consumerism, Cuisine, culture, Food, food systems, fun, geography, history, land use, product design, shopping, Statistics, third places, tourism, traffic | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Tucumcari – Where signs are art

A recent trip through Tucumcari, New Mexico on old Route 66 revealed a litany of roadside history, not least of which were some amazing signs. The following photo montage depicts a sample of these structures and reveals the artistry of … Continue reading

Posted in advertising, architecture, art, branding, Cities, commerce, Communications, consumerism, culture, fun, geography, highways, historic preservation, history, land use, pictures, placemaking, product design, signs, tourism, Trade, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Ice Ice, Baby” Planning for freestanding ice kiosks/houses

Traditionally, ice has been sold at stores via large ice chests or boxes situated just inside retail stores or along the front sidewalk near the building entrance/exit. These units were often rented from, maintained, and serviced by ice manufacturers such … Continue reading

Posted in advertising, architecture, branding, business, commerce, Cuisine, economic development, entrepreneurship, Food, industry, infrastructure, land use, marketing, pictures, planning, product design, Statistics, technology, Travel, urban planning, visual pollution, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment