Category Archives: North America

The Beauty of the Contrasting-Chaotic City Form

Posted on October 3, 2018 by

As urban planners we have a tendency to emphasize the importance and efficiency of the traditional grid street pattern. Compared to the disconnected neighborhoods and subdivisions constructed over the past 75 years, the traditional street grid is far and away … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Cars, Cities, culture, density, downtown, Europe, geography, government, health, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, Maps, North America, pictures, placemaking, planning, Portugal, spatial design, sprawl, topography, tourism, traffic, 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

360 Degree Orbital Beltway Cities

Posted on January 15, 2018 by

The following list identifies those cities around the globe that are circled by a full orbital expressway system (a.k.a. beltway, ring road, perimeter highway, loop, beltline etc.) encircling the city 360 degrees. Inland cities have an advantage for being included … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Asia, Canada, Cars, China, cities, economic development, Europe, geography, India, infrastructure, land use, Maps, Mexico, North America, Oceania, planning, South America, spatial design, sprawl, States, Trade, transportation, Travel, UK | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cities leading the autonomous vehicle (AV) revolution

Posted on November 14, 2017 by

According to Bloomberg, the cities listed below (Piloting Cities) are hosting autonomous vehicle tests or have committed to doing so in the near future. For more information on what’s taking place in each of these cities, go to the Global Atlas … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, Asia, Bus transportation, Canada, Cars, China, cities, economic development, electric vehicles, Europe, fun, geography, history, infrastructure, land use, North America, Oceania, planning, product design, Science, South America, spatial design, technology, transit, transportation, Travel, urban planning | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

My Amazon HQ2 prediction

Posted on September 21, 2017 by

Ever since Amazon announced they would be establishing a dual headwaters, a virtual cottage industry of predictions and analyses has developed. Everyone has an opinion on what metro will be selected. Here are my thoughts on the subject: My heart would … Continue reading →

Posted in air travel, airports, Biking, branding, Bus transportation, business, Canada, Cities, civics, Climate Change, commerce, Communications, consumerism, culture, economic development, education, entertainment, entrepreneurship, Environment, fun, futurism, geography, Housing, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, logistics, marketing, North America, placemaking, planning, recreation, revitalization, shopping, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, States, Statistics, sustainability, traffic, transit, Transportation, Uncategorized, urban planning | Tagged , | 9 Comments

North American high-rise construction crane boomtowns

Posted on August 24, 2017 by

The following cities have ten (10) or more high-rise construction cranes operating in them based on the July 2017 semi-annual census conducted by Rider Levett Bucknall, Toronto = 72 Seattle = 58 Los Angeles = 36 Denver = 35 Chicago … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, cities, geography, infrastructure, land use, North America, planning, skylines, skyscrapers, Statistics, urban planning | Tagged , | 1 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

States/Provinces with the most carousels

Posted on June 21, 2017 by

The list below identifies the states and provinces with the most carousels based on the census compiled by the National Carousel Association. The alternating non-bold/bold listing of states and provinces is done to make it easier to read the names.  … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art, entertainment, fun, music, North America, Statistics, tourism, Travel | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Explorer cities of North America

Posted on May 26, 2017 by

Below is a list of cities across North America known to be named for famous land and sea explorers.  Frankly, I’m rather surprised there are not more. Please feel free to pass along any corrections or additions.  Peace! – Vasco … Continue reading →

Posted in cities, geography, hiking, history, North America, place names, sailing, topography, transportation, Travel, walking | Tagged , | Leave a comment

America’s most beautiful downtown – my vote is St. Augustine

Posted on May 15, 2017 by

I have had the great pleasure of visiting many communities across America ranging in size from hamlet to town to major city. This includes visits to parts of 49 states. Until this past week’s visit to St. Augustine, Florida I … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, Advocacy, architecture, art, bridges, cities, civics, civility, Cuisine, culture, diversity, downtown, geography, government, historic preservation, history, humanity, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, Maps, North America, pictures, placemaking, planning, skylines, spatial design, tourism, Travel, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment