Category Archives: diversity

Pendulum Urban Planning – The Wild Ride Between Pro and Anti-development

Posted on March 2, 2019 by

As with nearly every other topic these days, there are strongly held viewpoints in planning circles over development. It seems like either you must be pro-development in all cases, or anti-development in all cases, with no room for middle ground. … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, civility, Communications, culture, diversity, education, gentrification, history, land use, planning, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, urban planning | Leave a comment

The Descriptive Detail of Inuit Town Names

Posted on December 18, 2018 by

As Inuit town names are being reestablished in the Arctic regions of Canada, Alaska, and Greenland, this author has found them to often be much more interesting and descriptive than the former English or Danish (in Greenland) names. Too often, … Continue reading →

Posted in Arctic, Canada, cities, civics, culture, diversity, environment, Europe, geography, land use, Language, North America, place names, placemaking, planning, topography, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Top Eleven Planning Lessons from Lisbon, Portugal

Posted on October 8, 2018 by

Below are my top eleven (11) planning lessons from a delightful week-long trip to Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal in late September. Many more could be added this list, but for brevity’s sake we’ll stay with these eleven (11) for now. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, architecture, art, cities, civics, civility, Cuisine, culture, diversity, downtown, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, Europe, Food, fun, geography, Geology, historic preservation, history, humanity, inclusiveness, land use, music, nature, pictures, placemaking, planning, Portugal, revitalization, spatial design, topography, tourism, transit, transportation, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Images of Art Prize 2018 in Grand Rapids

Posted on September 21, 2018 by

Some of the approximately 1,200 works of art currently on display in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Posted in art, Cities, Communications, culture, diversity, downtown, entertainment, fun, inclusiveness, Music, pictures, placemaking, planning, tourism, Travel | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Unofficial Guide to Hipsterhoods of the Iberian Peninsula

Posted on July 26, 2018 by

The following is a list of current hipster hoods and/or streets identified in cities across the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain). If there are any neighborhoods that were missed in these or other cities, please let us know and they … Continue reading →

Posted in cities, Cuisine, culture, diversity, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, Europe, fun, gentrification, geography, history, humanity, inclusiveness, placemaking, tourism, Travel, urban planning | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“Just Mercy” Will Rip Your Heart to Shreds

Posted on June 11, 2018 by

In all my years, I have never read a more disturbing, yet compelling book. The injustice and inhumanity described in Just Mercy will literally rip your heart to shreds and bring tears to your eyes. Just Mercy must be made … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, art, book reviews, books, charities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, culture, diversity, history, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, injustice, literature, politics, poverty, reading, social equity, Statistics, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Tally of Food Truck Courts, Lots, Parks, and Pods 

Posted on May 21, 2018 by

Here’s my working tally of permanent or semi-permanent (seasonal) food truck courts, lots, parks, and pods that are open to the public on most, if not all, days of the week. The list does NOT include temporary rodeos, events, festivals, … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Cuisine, culture, diversity, economic development, economic gardening, Food, food systems, food trucks, fun, geography, inclusiveness, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, Small business, spatial design, third places, tourism, Travel, urban planning | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Designate I-85 the “Civil Rights Freedomway”

Posted on May 3, 2018 by

It is my suggestion that Interstate 85 (I-85) Between Virginia and Alabama should be named the Civil Rights Freedomway. I make this suggestion because of the large number of important historical sites of the Civil Rights era located along or … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, Advocacy, Bus transportation, charities, cities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, culture, diversity, geography, historic preservation, history, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, land use, Maps, peace, placemaking, planning, politics, poverty, social equity, tourism, trails, transportation, Travel, volunteerism | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mending Interstate Injustice – Freeway Capping Projects

Posted on April 28, 2018 by

In recent years there has been an effort in some cities to mend some of the wounds of Interstate Highway era gashes that were savagely cut through American cities. A method for healing these scars has been to cap the … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Advocacy, architecture, Cars, cities, Civil Rights, civility, density, diversity, downtown, economic development, environment, geography, Green roofs, historic preservation, history, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, pictures, placemaking, planning, poverty, racism, revitalization, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, transit, transportation, Travel, tunnels, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

No words…

Posted on April 26, 2018 by

…can possibly describe the sad and disturbing aspect of American history depicted by the new National Memorial for Peace and Justice (a.k.a. Lynching Memorial) that opened today (4/25/18) in Montgomery, Alabama. I will let these photographs of this solemn site … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Rights, civility, diversity, history, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, peace, pictures, racism, social equity, Statistics | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment