Category Archives: books

“A Handmaid’s Tale” – Is fiction becoming reality?

Posted on May 22, 2017 by

Though written 32 years ago, the dystopian theocratic society described in Margaret Atwood’s striking novel bears an uncanny likeness to what is (and has been for some time) being preached and advocated by far-right political and religious zealots in our … Continue reading →

Posted in art, book reviews, books, Canada, censorship, civics, civility, Communications, culture, feminism, futurism, human rights, humanity, Labor, literature, Love, Religion, Women, writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The MOST important urban planning book of our time

Posted on February 11, 2017 by

I realize that the title of this post is a bold and perhaps controversial statement to make, but I truly believe that the definitive and thought-provoking publication by Salvatore Settis entitled, If Venice Dies, is the most important urban planning book … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, architecture, art, book reviews, books, branding, business, cities, civics, civility, commerce, consumerism, culture, demographics, density, economic development, entertainment, environment, Europe, geography, government, historic preservation, history, Housing, infrastructure, land use, literature, placemaking, planning, product design, recreation, revitalization, shipping, skylines, skyscrapers, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, sustainability, topography, tourism, transportation, Travel, urban planning, writing, zoning | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Venice Effect: Destination cities imperiled by mass tourism

Posted on February 3, 2017 by

Mass tourism can be roughly defined as thousands of people going to the same destination, often at the same time of the year, and often arriving in large, consecutive human waves. Examples of these human waves of tourism include, but … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, air travel, art, aviation, book reviews, books, branding, cities, civics, civility, commerce, consumerism, culture, demographics, density, diversity, downtown, economic development, entertainment, environment, gentrification, geography, globalization, historic preservation, history, Housing, humanity, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, recreation, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, sustainability, tourism, traffic, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Rad quotes from “The Minimalists”

Posted on January 27, 2017 by

In case you have never heard of The Minimalists, they are two gentlemen, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, who have jettisoned rampant consumptive consumerism and adopted a lifestyle of minimalism. In other words, they have rejected the continuous accumulation … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, art, book reviews, books, branding, civility, consumerism, culture, economics, education, entertainment, family, health, humanity, literature, Love, minimalism, sustainability, writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Shedding light on shameful Sundown Towns

Posted on December 28, 2016 by

I feel ashamed to admit having grown up in the United States, garnered high school, undergrad, and graduate degrees, including a minor in history, and still didn’t know about Sundown Towns. Let me correct that, I didn’t know how prevalent … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, art, book reviews, books, cities, civics, civility, Communications, culture, demographics, diversity, education, geography, government, history, Housing, human rights, humanity, racism, social equity, spatial design | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The “not-so good” war

Posted on August 19, 2016 by

Often, as Americans we are told that World War II was “the good war.” But, is that really the case or is it just an example of the victors writing history to serve their needs? No one is disputing that … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, art, book reviews, books, civics, civility, Communications, culture, diversity, entertainment, geography, government, historic preservation, history, human rights, humanity, literature, military, peace, politics, racism, social equity, writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Kerouac’s eloquence in “The Dharma Bums”

Posted on June 2, 2016 by

I love reading books penned by Jack Kerouac. Somehow, his freewheeling eloquence with the written word just lifts imagery and wisdom right off the page and into your soul’s deepest crevasses. Earlier today I finished reading The Dharma Bums and … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, art, Asia, book reviews, books, civics, Communications, culture, entertainment, environment, geography, hiking, homelessness, humanity, literature, nature, peace, politics, tourism, trails, Travel, walking | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment