Category Archives: nature

Top Eleven Planning Lessons from Lisbon, Portugal

Posted on October 8, 2018 by

Below are my top eleven (11) planning lessons from a delightful week-long trip to Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal in late September. Many more could be added this list, but for brevity’s sake we’ll stay with these eleven (11) for now. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, architecture, art, cities, civics, civility, Cuisine, culture, diversity, downtown, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, Europe, Food, fun, geography, Geology, historic preservation, history, humanity, inclusiveness, land use, music, nature, pictures, placemaking, planning, Portugal, revitalization, spatial design, topography, tourism, transit, transportation, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Carved Cedar Skylines of the Pacific Northwest Coast

Posted on August 6, 2018 by

For centuries, coastlines, coves, river shorelines, and inlets from Alaska southward to Washington State were dotted with the sky-scraping carved cedar totem poles that depicted the history and legacies of those First Nation and Native American residents who called this … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art, Canada, cities, Communications, culture, geography, historic preservation, history, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, nature, North America, pictures, place names, planning, rivers/watersheds, skylines, skyscrapers, Statistics, topography, tourism, Travel | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Fishy Town Names

Posted on June 3, 2018 by

Here’s my working list of cities, towns, and villages that are named after fish, fish related activities, or include some form of fish terminology in their name. Please note that in some instances the place name may not have originally … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, cities, environment, fun, geography, history, Language, nature, place names, Wildlife | Tagged , | 2 Comments

It is Time to Ban Gas-powered Leaf Blowers!

Posted on May 11, 2018 by

Personally, I’m sick and tired of noisy leaf blowers disturbing the enjoyment of beautiful days. It has gotten to the point where one cannot keep their windows open or sit on the deck without these infernal things droning on and … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Alternative energy, environment, health, landscape architecture, nature, peace, planning, pollution, product design, seasons, Statistics, sustainability, technology | 3 Comments

If you drive a SUV, you need to plant 127 trees a year!

Posted on May 8, 2018 by

As the accompanying chart shows, if you own and operate a sport-utility vehicle (SUV), you’ll have a lot of tree planting to do to offset your annual emissions from driving that monstrosity. At approximately $200 per tree (a rather low … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, bicycling, Cars, civics, climate change, electric vehicles, environment, health, nature, Passenger rail, pollution, rail, Railroads, sustainability, transit, transportation, walking | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Stand Up for Avra Valley!

Posted on March 25, 2018 by

Stand Up for Avra Valley! Midst a scenic desert valley a freeway is planned to flow more useless sprawl and chaos whose outcome we all know This Sonoran panorama is a treat for jaded eyes seducing all who view her … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, art, charities, cities, civics, civility, deserts, environment, geography, historic preservation, history, humanity, infrastructure, land use, nature, peace, pictures, placemaking, planning, Poem, politics, pollution, recreation, spatial design, sprawl, sustainability, topography, tourism, transportation, Travel, urban planning, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Let’s stop dissing deserts!

Posted on March 14, 2018 by

In response to a recent post about “transit deserts” on The Market Urbanism Report’s Facebook page, I made the following comment: “I think we need to rethink using the term ‘desert’ to describe an area lacking something. Deserts can be … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Animal rights, Animals, climate change, deserts, diversity, ecosystems, environment, geography, history, land use, nature, planning, Science, sustainability, topography, tourism, Travel, weather, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Arizona DOT ponders paving over paradise

Posted on March 11, 2018 by

  Are they NUTS? Among the alternatives being considered by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) for future Interstate 11 (I-11) are two (2) options that would loop it west of Tucson through the stunningly gorgeous Avra Valley. Who in … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, civility, commerce, economic development, environment, geography, Geology, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, light pollution, Maps, Mexico, nature, planning, pollution, shipping, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, topography, tourism, traffic, transportation, Travel, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Astronomical metro areas

Posted on March 4, 2018 by

The following cities have the highest metropolitan area concentration of astronomical and radio observatories and related uses in the world. A minimum of three (3) such facilities was required for inclusion in the list. As can be seen from the … Continue reading →

Posted in aerospace, Astronomy, cities, environment, fun, geography, history, infrastructure, land use, light pollution, nature, Outer Space, pictures, planning, Radio, Science, spatial design, sustainability, technology, topography | 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