Category Archives: downtown

The Old West Personified in a Town’s Iconic Name

Posted on March 21, 2019 by

Frontier Towns, Chapter 2: Pecos, Texas Few names portray a better image of the Old West than “Pecos.” The Pecos River is the natural dividing line between central and western Texas, as to the west of this iconic river the … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, books, branding, cartoons, cities, civics, commerce, culture, deserts, downtown, economic development, environment, fun, geography, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, Maps, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, recreation, spatial design, topography, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Town That Was Moved Four Times!

Posted on March 13, 2019 by

The first of our new “Frontier Towns” series is about the historic Great Plains town of Julesburg, Colorado. At the crossroads of multiple important and historic transcontinental routes lies the quaint Great Plains town of Julesburg, Colorado. This classic western … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, architecture, bicycling, Biking, branding, cities, civics, commerce, culture, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, environment, film, fun, geography, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, Maps, movies, nature, Passenger rail, place names, placemaking, planning, rail, Railroads, recreation, rivers/watersheds, signs, Small business, sustainability, theaters, topography, tourism, Trade, trails, transportation, Travel, urban planning, Welcome | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Flint You Don’t Hear About

Posted on January 15, 2019 by

Flint, Michigan has had a tough couple of decades. If the auto plant closings and shutdowns weren’t enough, terrible decisions by the state legislature and officials under the Snyder administration put its residents in jeopardy. Those same residents will be … Continue reading →

Posted in cities, civics, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, geography, health, Health care, historic preservation, history, Housing, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, pollution, poverty, racism, revitalization, Statistics, third places, tourism, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Tallest Suburban Skyscrapers of the Midwest

Posted on December 3, 2018 by

Criteria for inclusion in this list: Minimum building height of 200 feet. Must be located outside the city limits of the core city(ies) of the metro area – suburban towers within the main city’s limits are not included. Must be … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, cities, downtown, economic development, geography, history, Housing, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, planning, skylines, skyscrapers, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Geography of Target’s Smaller/Flexible Urban Store Format

Posted on November 26, 2018 by

While visiting Chicago earlier this month, one could hardly miss seeing the influx of major retailers into urban areas. Particularly noticeable was Target with its trending urban and collegiate smaller/flexible format stores popping up over much of the city and … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, architecture, bicycling, Biking, business, cities, commerce, downtown, economic development, gentrification, geography, historic preservation, infrastructure, land use, logistics, Maps, new urbanism, Passenger rail, placemaking, planning, rail, revitalization, shopping, spatial design, Statistics, Trade, transit, transportation, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

After Hours at Detroit’s Eastern Market

Posted on November 3, 2018 by

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, art, Cars, Cities, commerce, downtown, entertainment, Food, food systems, fun, historic preservation, history, land use, pictures, placemaking, planning, revitalization, shopping, spatial design, Travel, urban planning | Tagged | Leave a comment

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

The Beauty of the Contrasting-Chaotic City Form

Posted on October 3, 2018 by

As urban planners we have a tendency to emphasize the importance and efficiency of the traditional grid street pattern. Compared to the disconnected neighborhoods and subdivisions constructed over the past 75 years, the traditional street grid is far and away … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Cars, Cities, culture, density, downtown, Europe, geography, government, health, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, Maps, North America, pictures, placemaking, planning, Portugal, spatial design, sprawl, topography, tourism, traffic, transit, transportation, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Lisboa, Glorious Lisboa

Posted on September 28, 2018 by

Posted in air travel, architecture, art, bridges, Cities, commerce, culture, downtown, entertainment, Europe, fun, geography, historic preservation, history, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, pictures, placemaking, planning, Portugal, rail, sailing, skylines, spatial design, topography, tourism, transit, Transportation, Travel, Uncategorized, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

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