Category Archives: economics

Ten Planning Lessons from Detroit’s Eastern Market

Posted on November 8, 2018 by

Anyone fortunate enough to visit engaging Detroit’s Eastern Market knows exactly what I am talking about in this post. Enjoy the list below! Great third places like Detroit’s Eastern Market can and will survive and thrive through both good and … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, agriculture, business, cities, commerce, consumerism, culture, economic gardening, economics, entertainment, entrepreneurship, Food, food systems, fun, geography, health, history, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, revitalization, shopping, Small business, social equity, spatial design, sustainability, third places, tourism, Travel, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Surviving Clusters of Shotgun Houses

Posted on April 14, 2018 by

The shotgun house, or shotgun shack is an easily recognizable long and narrow residential dwelling style that was most commonly constructed in the Deep South and along/near the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys in the decades between the end of the … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, Africa, architecture, art, cities, culture, density, diversity, economics, geography, historic preservation, history, homelessness, Housing, humanity, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, revitalization, spatial design, Statistics, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fracking sprawl across West Texas

Posted on March 8, 2018 by

Many places across America lament the urban sprawl taking place in their midst. Meanwhile, parts of Texas have a different kind of sprawl to contend with – fracking sprawl. As can be seen in the photos taken as I flew … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, air travel, Alternative energy, aviation, Cities, Climate Change, economics, energy, geography, Geology, health, Housing, infrastructure, land use, pictures, planning, politics, pollution, spatial design, sprawl, topography, Travel, Uncategorized, visual pollution | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Driving and striving to survive a broken ‘Merica

Posted on January 6, 2018 by

I will never, ever look at a recreational vehicle, van, motor home, or campground the same way again. Not since reading Jessica Bruder’s engrossing, informative, and heartbreaking new book entitled Nomadland. I have long imagined, envied, and eagerly anticipated my … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, ageism, art, book reviews, books, Cars, civics, civility, consumerism, culture, demographics, economics, Economy, family, geography, health, Health care, history, homelessness, Housing, human rights, humanity, Labor, literature, logistics, minimalism, politics, poverty, product design, reading, shopping, social equity, Statistics, transportation, Travel, unemployment, Women, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Canaries in the climate change coal mine

Posted on January 19, 2017 by

I challenge any partisan climate change denier to travel to Alaska and tell the residents of the 31 communities shown on the map depicted above that climate change isn’t real. It’s easy to sit behind a microphone and blow steam … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, civility, climate change, Climate Change, culture, diversity, economics, environment, geography, health, humanity, land use, Maps, nature, planning, poverty, rivers/watersheds, Science, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, topography, urban planning, weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Portland Conundrum 

Posted on June 20, 2016 by

Below is an eye-opening summary of the housing market in Portland, Oregon from the perspective of a new resident to the region, who also happens to be an urban planner and a friend of mine. The parallels to what we … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, civility, climate change, culture, demographics, diversity, economic development, economics, environment, fitness, food systems, futurism, gentrification, geography, health, holiday, Housing, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, logistics, Maps, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, politics, revitalization, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, sustainability, transit, transportation, urban planning, walking, zoning | 1 Comment

“Brainbelt” cities

Posted on May 31, 2016 by

I recently completed reading an interested and insightful book entitled The Smartest Places on Earth. Written by Antoine Van Agtmael and Fred Bakker, the book identifies and concentrates on those Rustbelt cities in the North America and Europe that have … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, aerospace, aviation, book reviews, books, branding, business, Canada, Cars, cities, commerce, Communications, culture, economic development, economic gardening, economics, education, energy, environment, Europe, EVs and hybrids, geography, government, health, Health care, history, infrastructure, internet, land use, literature, Maps, Mexico, North America, planning, product design, Renewable Energy, revitalization, schools, Science, Small business, Social media, spatial design, States, technology, Trade, transportation, UK, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Homelessness in paradise

Posted on April 5, 2016 by

 Since moving to Traverse City approximately six months ago we have observed a number of political and planning issues that are fairly common in larger cities, but which have percolated to the surface here more recently as the region has … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, Advocacy, cities, civics, civility, demographics, economics, health, homelessness, Housing, human rights, humanity, infrastructure, land use, Love, planning, politics, poverty, social equity, Statistics, unemployment, urban planning | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Acts of DIS-placemaking

Posted on February 26, 2016 by

Just when you think society in general is starting to “get it” on the numerous benefits of placemaking, a couple of state legislators propose bills that could potentially wipe out one of the best tools for successful placemaking in Michigan … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, Advocacy, architecture, art, business, cities, civics, culture, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, economics, entrepreneurship, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, politics, revitalization, Statistics, third places, Uncategorized, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments