Category Archives: education

Chronology & Geography of Civil Rights Lunch Counter Sit-ins

Posted on November 12, 2019 by

Below is a chronological and geographical list of the start date(s) of known lunch counter sit-ins that took place to protest Jim Crow-style segregated seating and dining accommodations for African-Americans. While segregated lunch counter were most common in the South, … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, business, cities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, colleges, culture, downtown, economics, education, Food, geography, historic preservation, history, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, Maps, politics, racism, social equity, Statistics, third places | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thriving and Inclusive First-Ring/Inner Suburbs

Posted on September 5, 2019 by

As metropolitan areas grow in population or enlarge their land area by sprawl, gradually, the innermost or first-ring suburbs start to experience some of the same problems that the core city have found challenging. This is particularly true in regions … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, architecture, art, bicycling, cities, civics, colleges, commerce, culture, density, diversity, economic development, economic gardening, education, entertainment, entrepreneurship, fun, geography, government, health, historic preservation, history, Housing, human rights, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, Passenger rail, placemaking, planning, racism, revitalization, Science, shopping, skylines, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, third places, tourism, traffic, transit, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Ten Planning Lessons from Traverse City

Posted on August 25, 2019 by

Now that we have lived in Traverse City for almost four years, it is time to list the ten top planning lessons learned from our hometown. Sometimes, evaluation of the places closest to you are the toughest. Smaller cities and … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Advocacy, air travel, branding, cities, civics, civility, commerce, Communications, culture, demographics, diversity, downtown, economic development, education, entertainment, environment, family, gay rights, geography, government, health, historic preservation, history, homelessness, Housing, human rights, humanity, immigration, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, politics, poverty, racism, Sexism, social equity, spatial design, sustainability, third places, tourism, transportation, Travel, urban planning, volunteerism, Welcome | 6 Comments

Ten Planning Lessons from Detroit’s Corktown Neighborhood

Posted on July 29, 2019 by

Some planning lessons learned from one of my favorite neighborhoods in all of Detroit. A city’s oldest neighborhood can also be a leader in its revival. The historic site of a former major league stadium (Tiger Stadium) can enjoy a … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, art, branding, business, cities, civics, culture, economic development, economic gardening, education, fun, geography, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, politics, revitalization, Small business, spatial design, sports, third places, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

America’s First Great Town Planners…

Posted on May 30, 2019 by

…were not William Penn (Philadelphia), Pierre Charles L’Enfant (Washington, DC), James Oglethorpe (Savannah), nor other post-Columbian examples. No, America’s first great town planners were the Native American Indians. Whether they were the builders of magnificent cliff dwellings and mesa-topped pueblos … Continue reading →

Posted in archaeology, architecture, art, cities, civics, culture, education, environment, geography, Geology, historic preservation, history, humanity, land use, Native Americans, placemaking, planning, spatial design, topography, tourism, Travel, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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

Are You a Socialist?

Posted on August 2, 2018 by

This question was posed on a former sister blog (Progressive Blogic) some seven years ago during the rancorous debate about the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. It was meant to point out to the average person that “socialism,” particularly democratic … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, branding, civics, consumerism, culture, economic development, economic gardening, education, fair trade, Food, food systems, government, history, land use, politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Great ‘Reverse’ Migration May Be Disastrous for Many Northern Cities and States

Posted on June 8, 2018 by

Between 1916 and 1970, more than six million African-Americans migrated northward to work in factories and live in cities across the Northeast and Midwest. Today, there is mounting evidence that this great migration has reversed itself, as those who can … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, culture, demographics, economic development, economic gardening, Economy, education, entrepreneurship, family, geography, government, history, Housing, humanity, immigration, inclusiveness, planning, politics, poverty, social equity, Statistics, urban planning | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Is your community a bully?

Posted on March 29, 2018 by

The title of this post may sound odd, but I am convinced that the persona of certain communities is to act like bullies towards their counterparts on the local and regional stage. In reality, this assertion shouldn’t be so strange … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, civility, Communications, culture, education, health, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, Love, peace, politics, social equity | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

People can be so disgusting!

Posted on October 12, 2017 by

A recent report by the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore highlights how disgusting humans can be, even when visiting a national park. The report identifies the extent and content of litter collected from beaches in the park this past summer … Continue reading →

Posted in civics, civility, education, environment, geography, health, infrastructure, land use, peace, placemaking, planning, pollution, recreation, Statistics, topography, tourism, Travel | 1 Comment