Category Archives: globalization

The global network of subsea digital communication cables and the coastal hub cities that stand to benefit from them

Despite the fanfare surrounding satellite networks, subsea cables still transmit 99 percent of all data between continents. Much like the interstate highway system, airline networks, and railways, undersea global communication cables form a hub and spoke system, albeit being somewhat … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, Africa, architecture, Asia, business, cities, commerce, Communications, digital communications, distribution, ecommerce, economic development, economic gardening, economics, engineering, environment, Europe, futurism, geography, globalization, government, history, industry, infrastructure, internet, land use, logistics, Maps, marketing, nature, North America, Oceania, placemaking, planning, politics, Science, Social media, South America, spatial design, spying, Statistics, technology, topography, Trade, traffic, urban planning, video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Really big, biG, bIG, BIG coin statues!

Just when you thought it was safe to come outside from winter hibernation and Covid lock downs, the Earth is now being overrun by very large coin statues. Will it ever end? Can only cryptocurrencies save us from such a … Continue reading

Posted in art, Canada, China, civics, commerce, currency, fun, geography, globalization, government, historic preservation, history, Mexico, Mining, money, pictures, placemaking, Statistics, tourism, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Seaport suburbs of major inland cities

Some of the largest cities in the world are located a relatively short distance inland. As a result, their primary seaport developed at a coastal suburb instead. Secondarily, several of these cities once had harbors, but due to their shallow … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, Asia, business, cities, economic development, Europe, geography, globalization, history, India, industry, infrastructure, land use, Latin America, logistics, Maps, Mexico, North America, planning, rail, rivers/watersheds, shipping, South America, spatial design, Statistics, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel, UK, Uncategorized, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Memphis – “The Cradle of American Music”

  Yes, Nashville may bill itself as “Music City” and Austin claims to be America’s “Live Music Capital,” but if there is one city in the United States that has truly given birth to the greatest variety of music genre … Continue reading

Posted in air travel, architecture, art, aviation, branding, business, cities, civics, Civil Rights, Communications, culture, demographics, diversity, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, entrepreneurship, fun, geography, globalization, historic preservation, history, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, logistics, Maps, music, music reviews, placemaking, planning, Radio, rivers/watersheds, social equity, songs, Statistics, theaters, third places, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel, urban planning, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reestablishing “true community”

In far too many aspects of our modern lives, there is no longer “true community,” as more and more people have physically and socially walled themselves off from one another through a variety of means. Physically, these may include dead-end … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Cities, civics, civility, Communications, culture, diversity, education, family, geography, globalization, Housing, human rights, humanity, land use, politics, Privatization, social equity, Social media, spatial design | Tagged , | 2 Comments

A physical Brexit with Iberian flair

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

The Venice Effect: Destination cities imperiled by mass tourism

Mass tourism can be roughly defined as thousands of people going to the same destination, often at the same time of the year, and often arriving in large, consecutive human waves. Examples of these human waves of tourism include, but … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, air travel, art, aviation, book reviews, books, branding, cities, civics, civility, commerce, consumerism, culture, demographics, density, diversity, downtown, economic development, entertainment, environment, gentrification, geography, globalization, historic preservation, history, Housing, humanity, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, recreation, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, sustainability, tourism, traffic, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Is there a student housing bubble and is it about to burst?

For many collegiate cities and towns across the United States, the steady influx of international students (and often with their families), from primarily China/Asia, have lifted the local real estate markets out of the post-2008 doldrums. The concern now becomes … Continue reading

Posted in Asia, China, cities, colleges, culture, demographics, diversity, economic development, education, geography, globalization, Housing, humanity, immigration, land use, marketing, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, Statistics, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

World’s busiest single-runway commercial airports – UPDATED

Every once in a while when you cannot find a list or comparison on the internet, it is time to find the individual data sources and create the comparison database yourself. First it was the tallest airport control towers, then … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, aerospace, Africa, air travel, airport planning, airports, Asia, aviation, China, cities, commerce, economic development, Europe, geography, globalization, history, India, infrastructure, land use, logistics, North America, planning, South America, Statistics, tourism, Trade, traffic, transportation, Travel, UK, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Soaring into aviation history aboard the Southern Cross

Those of us who grow up in the United States tend to get taught a largely American-centric view of world history. Not to say that is bad or that the same thing doesn’t happen elsewhere, but given our diverse, melting … Continue reading

Posted in aerospace, air travel, airport planning, airports, art, aviation, book reviews, books, Communications, culture, diversity, economic development, education, entertainment, geography, globalization, historic preservation, history, literature, Maps, movies, Oceania, pictures, planning, product design, topography, transportation, Travel, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment