Category Archives: Europe

Russian cities that arose from the Gulag era

Posted on August 22, 2017 by

Below is a list of some of the larger cities that were founded, built, or significantly enhanced through Gulag-era forced labor. If the city was founded during the Soviet Union’s Gulag era, the date is provided in parenthesis. Otherwise, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, cities, culture, Europe, geography, human rights, humanity, land use, Mining, pictures, place names, politics, Statistics | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A physical Brexit with Iberian flair

Posted on July 4, 2017 by

Imagine, if you will, a place known as Iberia, a peninsula consisting of two great nations (Portugal and Spain). One day, for no apparent reason or cause, this geographic feature abruptly adopts a mind and a course of its own … Continue reading →

Posted in art, book reviews, books, entertainment, Europe, geography, Geology, globalization, government, history, humanity, literature, Maps, politics, topography, Travel, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Regional place names that sound like names of nations

Posted on June 27, 2017 by

  Below is my list of regions whose name sounds more like a nation’s name. Some of these are geographic regions while others are political. In some cases they correspond with the boundaries of a state, multiple states, and/or province(s). … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Asia, Europe, geography, North America, Oceania, place names, South America | 2 Comments

From protective to active – repurposing historic city walls

Posted on March 23, 2017 by

When we think of city walls, some of the first images that come to mind are imposing structures erected as a protective or defensive barrier. More often than not, city walls were constructed from stone, masonry, brick, and/or concrete. Unfortunately, … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, bicycling, Canada, cities, culture, economic development, entertainment, environment, Europe, fitness, geography, health, hiking, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, recreation, revitalization, spatial design, topography, tourism, transportation, Travel, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Urban atrocities – Aleppo is the latest sad example

Posted on December 16, 2016 by

All of us bear responsibility for the unfolding humanitarian disaster in the city of Aleppo, Syria. It doesn’t matter whether our nation is involved in the on-going conflict or not. As  human beings we should not let such a series … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Asia, China, cities, civility, Europe, geography | Tagged , | Leave a 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