Category Archives: food systems

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

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

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

Hot Dog Stands and Shops With Clever Names

Posted on July 18, 2018 by

To celebrate National Hot Dog Day on Wednesday, July 18th, I thought I’d list the best names for hot dog stands and shops from across the country. Coney Islands are also included in this list. Please feel free to submit … Continue reading →

Posted in branding, business, cities, Cuisine, culture, economic gardening, entrepreneurship, Food, food systems, food trucks, fun, geography, land use, placemaking, planning, third places, tourism, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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

Planning lessons from Tucson

Posted on February 25, 2018 by

My wife and I just returned home from an amazing week in gorgeous Tucson, Arizona. Unlike many places visited, it was easy to come up with many more than ten planning lessons from this beautiful desert oasis. While we adore … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Advocacy, Alternative transportation, architecture, art, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, Cities, civics, colleges, Cuisine, culture, diversity, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, fitness, Food, food systems, fun, geography, health, hiking, historic preservation, history, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, nature, pictures, placemaking, planning, recreation, spatial design, sprawl, third places, topography, tourism, transportation, Travel, urban planning, visual pollution, walking, Wildlife, zoning | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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

Suburban food truck rodeo round-ups

Posted on July 19, 2015 by

While visiting San Antonio this past spring, several food trucks were lined up around portions of the main government square in the city’s central business district waiting for hungry diners to come bounding out of their office chutes at noon. … Continue reading →

Posted in bicycling, Biking, branding, business, cities, civics, civility, coffee shops/cafes, commerce, Cuisine, economic development, economic gardening, entrepreneurship, Food, food systems, fun, infrastructure, land use, logistics, marketing, placemaking, planning, politics, Small business, third places, tourism, traffic, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Grocery shopping au naturel

Posted on May 17, 2015 by

National organic and natural grocery chains such as Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, and The Fresh Market have become increasingly familiar in cities across the country. However, there are a number of successful local and regional chains that also offer … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, bicycling, branding, cities, coffee shops/cafes, consumerism, Cuisine, culture, economic development, economic gardening, entrepreneurship, environment, fair trade, fitness, Food, food systems, geography, health, history, land use, marketing, natural and organic foods, nature, placemaking, planning, product design, social equity, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, third places, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Down the drain – our use and abuse of water

Posted on January 20, 2014 by

A map entitled “World of Rivers” included as an insert within the April 2010 issue of National Geographic magazine provides an analysis of how much water is actually consumed (hidden water usage) to produce common everyday goods. It is an … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, agriculture, Animals, beer, civics, climate change, coffee shops/cafes, commerce, consumerism, culture, education, environment, Food, food systems, geography, globalization, health, humanity, land use, nature, planning, product design, Science, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment