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- Cities/suburbs should replan street networks for low-speed electric vehicles
- Celebrity bridges of the United States in pop culture
- Cricket grounds with the largest capacity in South Asia
- Cities most often destroyed in movies – both real and imagined
- Skyscrapers of 100 stories or more above ground
- Three superb and fresh reads about Los Angeles
- Finding “Los Angeles” amid the aura of “LA”
- Humorous nicknames for complicated freeway interchanges
- Confessions of a recovering freeway nerd
- America’s most charming walkable neighborhood is in…
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Category Archives: nature
Cities most often destroyed in movies – both real and imagined
We’ve all seen them. Disaster flicks or superhero films that wreak havoc on a major city. It could be the result of a natural disaster, a war, a terrorist attack, nuclear attack or meltdown, an alien invasion, a plague, zombies, … Continue reading
Posted in art, atomic age, cartoons, cities, entertainment, film, history, military, movies, nature, Outer Space, pictures, politics, pollution, Science fiction, theaters, video
Tagged anime, Berlin, Chicago, cinema, disasters, earthquakes, film, floods, Hiroshima, invasions, Las Vegas, Leningrad, London, Los Angeles, movies, Nagasaki, New York City, Paris, Pompeii, Rome, San Francisco, Stalingrad, Tokyo, war, warfare, Washington
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Three superb and fresh reads about Los Angeles
“These three books will certainly introduce readers to the width and breadth of mighty Los Angeles. If that entity, however you define it, resists a simple explanation, then so be it. For that may be one of the LA’s most endearing and enduring qualities.” Continue reading
Posted in art, book reviews, books, business, Cars, cities, culture, diversity, downtown, economics, entertainment, environment, fun, geography, government, Highway displacement, highways, hiking, historic preservation, history, homelessness, Housing, humanity, immigration, inclusiveness, industry, infrastructure, injustice, land use, literature, mountains, movies, Music, natural history, nature, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, pollution, racism, rail, recreation, Renewable Energy, revitalization, skylines, social equity, songs, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, sustainability, technology, Television, third places, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, trucking, urban design, urban planning, walking, weather, Wildlife, writing, zoning
Tagged arts, book reviews, books, Califronia, fresh, LA, literature, Los Angeles, new publications, reading, writing
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Finding “Los Angeles” amid the aura of “LA”
Downtown Los Angeles with the San Gabriel Mountains in the background – Source: unsplash.com Every city is unique unto itself. Just like human beings, cities have their own character, appearance, identity, flaws, attributes, and aesthetics. As a result, no single … Continue reading
Posted in Active transportation, Alternative transportation, architecture, art, bicycling, Biking, books, branding, business, Cars, cities, civics, commerce, culture, diversity, downtown, economic development, engineering, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, film, fun, geography, highways, hiking, historic preservation, history, homelessness, Housing, humanity, inclusiveness, land use, literature, Love, mountains, movies, Music, nature, new urbanism, Passenger rail, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, politics, rail, Railroads, recreation, skylines, skyscrapers, songs, spatial design, sprawl, technology, Television, theaters, third places, topography, toponymy, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, walking, writing, zoning
Tagged book reviews, books, California, cities, freeways, geography, history, LA, La La Land, land use, literature, Los Angeles, megacity, movies, planning, shows, Southern California, writing
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Confessions of a recovering freeway nerd
Source: wired.com I’ll admit it. In my younger days, I was a certified freeway nerd. Growing up in Indianapolis, I was in awe of the Interstate Highway System. Lucky for me, Indy had plenty of them, including my teenage and … Continue reading
Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, Alternative transportation, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, bridges, Bus transportation, Cars, cities, civics, climate change, commerce, culture, density, distribution, downtown, economic development, electric vehicles, energy, engineering, environment, EVs and hybrids, fun, futurism, geography, health, Highway displacement, highways, historic preservation, history, humanity, infrastructure, land use, nature, new urbanism, Passenger rail, pictures, placemaking, planning, politics, pollution, poverty, product design, racism, rail, Railroads, recreation, Renewable Energy, revitalization, scenic byways, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, sustainability, technology, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, trucking, tunnels, urban design, urban planning, visual pollution, walking
Tagged expressways, freeways, highways, history, Interstate Highways, Interstates, mass transit, micromobility, nerd, planning, roads, transportation
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America’s most charming walkable neighborhood is in…
Los Angeles! Yes, you read that correctly. The city known for miles of freeways and lengthy traffic jams is also home to what this retired urban planner feels is the most charming walkable neighborhood in the United States. In fact, … Continue reading
Posted in Active transportation, Alternative transportation, architecture, art, books, Cars, cities, civics, culture, density, engineering, entertainment, environment, fitness, fun, geography, health, hiking, historic preservation, history, Housing, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, Maps, mountains, nature, new urbanism, parking, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, product design, recreation, skylines, spatial design, technology, third places, topography, tourism, traffic, trails, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, walking, zoning
Tagged architecture, California, cities, design, High Tower Elevator, history, Hollywood Heights, LA, Los Angeles, neighborhoods, planning, stairways, urban design, walkability, walking, walkways
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Ten planning lessons from LA’s South Bay beach cities
We had the pleasure of visiting the three South Bay beach cities of Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Hermosa Beach over the Christmas holiday weekend. Below are ten planning lessons learned from these charming and beautiful communities. Peace! Esplanade nearest … Continue reading
Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Alternative energy, Alternative transportation, architecture, bicycling, Biking, branding, business, cities, civics, climate, climate change, commerce, culture, demographics, density, economic development, Economy, ecosystems, electric vehicles, entertainment, environment, fun, geography, health, hiking, historic preservation, history, Housing, humanity, industry, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, nature, pictures, placemaking, planning, pollution, recreation, Renewable Energy, revitalization, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, third places, topography, tourism, trails, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, visual pollution, walking, water, zoning
Tagged beaches, California, culture, Hermosa Beach, industry, LA, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Pacific Ocean, Redondo Beach, South Bay, surfing, trails
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Ten planning lessons from the death of Mountain Lion P-22
Source: Steve Winter of National Geographic via bbc.com and reddit.com The tragic death this weekend of Mountain Lion P-22 in/near Los Angeles’ Griffith Park struck a somber chord within me, much like the euthanized death of a neighborhood-roaming black bear … Continue reading
Posted in Advocacy, Animal rights, Animals, architecture, Cars, charities, cities, civility, climate, climate change, culture, ecosystems, engineering, environment, geography, Geology, government, health, Highway displacement, highways, hiking, history, humanity, infrastructure, land use, mountains, natural history, nature, opinion, Pets, pictures, placemaking, planning, recreation, rivers/watersheds, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, sustainability, topography, toponymy, tourism, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, water, water conservation, water trails, Wilderness, Wildlife, zoning
Tagged animals, cities, ecology, environment, epidemiology, geography, humanity, land use, Los Angeles, Mountain Lion P-22, planning, transportation, Traverse City, urban jungle, wildlife
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Tall Timbers – World’s tallest wooden skyscrapers
*This is a republished and updated article from 2020. In recent years, a new trend in high-rise construction has emerged – the development of skyscrapers constructed largely of wood products (can also referred to as mass timber, cross-laminate timber, and/or engineered-wood). … Continue reading
Posted in architecture, art, Canada, cities, downtown, economic development, environment, Europe, geography, history, Housing, infrastructure, land use, nature, new urbanism, North America, Oceania, placemaking, planning, revitalization, skylines, skyscrapers, spatial design, States, Statistics, sustainability, Travel, urban planning, zoning
Tagged Ascent, Brock Commons, buildings, Carbon 12, cities, cross-laminate timber, engineered wood, fire safety, forte, high-rise, HoHo, Light House, mass timber, Mjøstårnet, Sara cultural Centre, Sensation, SKAIO, skylines, skyscrapers, Terrace House, timber, towers, Treet, wood
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Ten planning lessons from mighty Los Angeles
Despite its detractors, every time I’m in Los Angeles, the city impresses me more. From the first time in 1970 to just recently, the changes are palpable, especially the move(s) away from being so car-centric and increased densification. Below, is … Continue reading
Posted in Active transportation, Alternative transportation, architecture, art, bicycling, branding, business, cities, civics, commerce, culture, density, distribution, downtown, economic development, Economy, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, fun, geography, Highway displacement, highways, historic preservation, history, humanity, immigration, industry, infrastructure, land use, logistics, Maps, mountains, movies, music, nature, Passenger rail, peace, pictures, placemaking, planning, pollution, rail, Railroads, recreation, skylines, skyscrapers, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, Television, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, transit, transportation, Travel, trucking, urban design, urban planning, walking, zoning
Tagged art, Brady Bunch, Burbank, California, cities, commuter rail, Glendale, highways, Hollywood, LA, land use, light rail, Long Beach, Los Angeles, movies, Pasadena, planning, ports, Santa Monica, subways, transportation, trucks, TV
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Places that pay you to “kick your grass” goodbye!
After we moved to New Mexico this summer, one of the first steps we took was to have the grass lawn portions of our yard removed and replaced with xeriscaping that is more appropriate for a High Desert environment. We … Continue reading
Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, climate, climate change, culture, deserts, ecosystems, environment, geography, government, health, Housing, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, natural history, nature, planning, rivers/watersheds, Statistics, sustainability, topography, urban planning, water, water conservation, xeriscaping
Tagged conservation, drought, drought-tolerant, grass, land use, lawn, planning, plants, rebates, turf grass, water, water conservation, xeriscaping, yards
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