Category Archives: peace

Two migration tales of strength, hardship, and tenacity

Far too often, certain pundits, politicos, and just plain bigots depict refugees and immigrants as criminals and/or parasites. That couldn’t be further from the truth for the vast majority of those people who are seeking a new life in another … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, art, book reviews, books, charities, civility, culture, diversity, education, entertainment, family, film, government, history, human rights, humanity, immigration, inclusiveness, injustice, Latin America, literature, movies, opinion, peace, politics, poverty, racism, Travel, Uncategorized, Welcome, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Enlightened” city planning amid rural Iowa cornfields

In the film Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner’s father asks him, “Is this heaven?” His response is, “No, it’s Iowa.” Well, to some, Iowa may just be their slice of heaven, especially those who reside in and around the City … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, agriculture, Alternative energy, architecture, art, Asia, Astronomy, cities, civics, civility, climate change, colleges, commerce, Cuisine, culture, diversity, economic development, ecosystems, entrepreneurship, environment, food systems, geography, government, health, history, Housing, humanity, inclusiveness, India, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, Maps, natural history, nature, peace, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, Religion, Renewable Energy, social equity, solar, spatial design, sustainability, topography, tourism, trails, transportation, urban design, urban planning, Wildlife, writing, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The planning profession could use some anarchy!

Just before the climatic car race scene in the movie Grease, John Travolta’s opponent turns to him and says the following: Well, in the urban planning field, one can definitely NOT say “there ain’t no rules.” And that’s a problem. … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, Communications, culture, demographics, digital communications, diversity, education, government, history, homelessness, Housing, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, Labor, land use, movies, Native Americans, opinion, peace, pictures, planning, poverty, Religion, social equity, Social media, spatial design, sustainability, urban design, urban planning, video, Welcome, Women, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A comparison between Burning Man’s Black Rock City and the Greater World Earthship Community

The American West is blessed with two modern utopian communities — Burning Man’s Black Rock City on a high desert playa in northwestern Nevada and the Greater World Earthship Community located west of Taos, New Mexico. As Burning Man/Black Rock … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, Advocacy, Alternative energy, architecture, art, branding, cities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, climate change, Communications, culture, deregulation, deserts, diversity, economic development, energy, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, food systems, fun, futurism, geography, government, health, history, Housing, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, literature, Maps, marketing, minimalism, nature, peace, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, politics, product design, recycling, Renewable Energy, social equity, spatial design, sustainability, technology, third places, tourism, Trade, Travel, urban design, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A generation comes to a close…

Today, the last living member of my parent’s generation passed away. Uncle Ralph was 97 years young and despite his age, died much too early. He was active and filled with vigor throughout his life, even until just a couple … Continue reading

Posted in family, history, humanity, Love, peace | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Serenading flags worldwide that depict the Moon

As a follow-up to the previous post on flags from around the planet that depict the Sun, here is a list of those with the Moon on them. In nearly all cases, the Moon is depicted as a crescent shape … Continue reading

Posted in advertising, Africa, art, Asia, Astronomy, branding, cities, Communications, culture, Europe, geography, historic preservation, history, humanity, Latin America, Native Americans, North America, Outer Space, peace, product design, South America, States, tourism, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Here Comes the Sun” displayed on flags worldwide

Listed below are those nations, tribal nations, states, provinces, counties, and cities whose flag depicts the sun. Some of my favorites are shown throughout the post. There are likely more examples from around the globe, so as always any additions, … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, art, Asia, branding, Canada, Caribbean, cities, civics, Communications, culture, diversity, Europe, fun, geography, government, historic preservation, history, Latin America, Native Americans, North America, Oceania, peace, placemaking, politics, product design, South America, States, UK, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

These places NEED to become one National Park!

Of all of America’s national parks, three (3) tend to stand out as pre-eminent showcases of outstanding natural beauty. Those are Yellowstone, Zion, and Yosemite. However, there is a fourth location that currently consists of a national monument, a national … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Animals, archaeology, climate, culture, ecosystems, entertainment, environment, fun, geography, Geology, government, health, historic preservation, history, land use, Maps, Native Americans, nature, peace, pictures, planning, recreation, rivers/watersheds, scenic byways, Statistics, topography, toponymy, tourism, trails, Travel, waterfalls | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The zen of walking labyrinths – UPDATE #7

*Updates since the previous update are shown in bold. One of my favorite pastimes for both relaxation and contemplation is to walk a labyrinth. These sinuous structures are not same as mazes, as the goal is to enjoy the journey … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, art, civility, culture, entertainment, hiking, history, land use, peace, pictures, placemaking, planning, product design, recreation, Religion, spatial design, third places, tourism, Travel, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment