Category Archives: consumerism

My Amazon HQ2 prediction

Posted on September 21, 2017 by

Ever since Amazon announced they would be establishing a dual headwaters, a virtual cottage industry of predictions and analyses has developed. Everyone has an opinion on what metro will be selected. Here are my thoughts on the subject: My heart would … Continue reading →

Posted in air travel, airports, Biking, branding, Bus transportation, business, Canada, Cities, civics, Climate Change, commerce, Communications, consumerism, culture, economic development, education, entertainment, entrepreneurship, Environment, fun, futurism, geography, Housing, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, logistics, marketing, North America, placemaking, planning, recreation, revitalization, shopping, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, States, Statistics, sustainability, traffic, transit, Transportation, Uncategorized, urban planning | Tagged , | 4 Comments

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

Michigan’s absurd groundwater giveaway

Posted on December 13, 2016 by

While the good people of Flint still await safe drinking water following the horrible decision to change the city’s water source, our un-illustrious state leaders appear to be about to commit yet another environmental blunder that further tarnishes their role … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, civics, consumerism, environment, geography, Geology, infrastructure, land use, nature, planning, rivers/watersheds, Science, Statistics, topography | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Birthplace geography of iconic pop/soda/cola brands

Posted on September 12, 2016 by

The following list identifies well-known soft drink brands (pops, sodas, and colas) from across much of North America. The criteria for inclusion in the list includes: Founded a minimum of 40 years ago – Vernor’s leading the way at 150 … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, branding, Canada, commerce, consumerism, culture, economic development, economic gardening, Food, fun, geography, history, Maps, marketing, Mexico, North America, product design, States, Statistics | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Faded orange rooftops

Posted on September 5, 2016 by

Tomorrow, September 6th the next to last Howard Johnson’s restaurant in the United States, located in Bangor, Maine will be closing. This leaves but one Howard Johnson’s Restaurant in the country – in Lake George, New York. To this baby … Continue reading →

Posted in branding, cities, consumerism, culture, geography | Leave a comment