Category Archives: placemaking

Temples of Jazz – The Ballrooms

Posted on August 18, 2019 by problogic

This post is the first of a three-part series about those special places that brought the jazz era to life beyond the recording studio and radio station. The ballrooms, theaters, and smokey clubs are where jazz musicians were able … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, art, cities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, culture, demographics, diversity, entertainment, geography, historic preservation, history, humanity, injustice, land use, music, placemaking, politics, racism, Radio, revitalization, third places, urban planning | Tagged ballrooms, dancing, jazz, Jim Crow, music, segregation | Leave a comment

Geography of the Jazz Age in North America

Posted on August 5, 2019 by problogic

The Jazz Age represented the musical form’s peak period of popularity between 1920 and 1960. While New Orleans, Kansas City, Chicago, and New York were and remain the preeminent epicenters of jazz, in many other cities across the country, vibrant … Continue reading →

Posted in art, cities, Communications, culture, diversity, economic development, entertainment, gentrification, geography, government, historic preservation, history, inclusiveness, land use, Maps, music, music reviews, North America, placemaking, planning, politics, racism, Radio, social equity, songs, theaters, third places, tourism, transportation, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged highways, jazz, Jazz Age, Kansas City, music, New Orleans, racism, urban renewal | Leave a comment

Ten Planning Lessons from Detroit’s Corktown Neighborhood

Posted on July 29, 2019 by problogic

Some planning lessons learned from one of my favorite neighborhoods in all of Detroit. A city’s oldest neighborhood can also be a leader in its revival. The historic site of a former major league stadium (Tiger Stadium) can enjoy a … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, art, branding, business, cities, civics, culture, economic development, economic gardening, education, fun, geography, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, politics, revitalization, Small business, spatial design, sports, third places, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged baseball, Corktown, Detroit, Detroit Tigers, murals, neighborhoods, planning, The Corner Ballpark, Tiger Stadium | Leave a comment

Crafting a Perfect Brewery Name, Logo, and Slogan

Posted on July 24, 2019 by problogic

Favorite craft brewery names/logos/slogans and why they are so good: *BEST NAME: Stormcloud Brewing of Frankfort, MI – This is my all time favorite name for a brewery and they have a great logo, as well. If you’ve ever seen a fierce … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, beer, branding, brewpubs, business, Canada, cities, commerce, Communications, consumerism, Cuisine, culture, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, entrepreneurship, geography, historic preservation, history, land use, marketing, place names, placemaking, planning, product design, third places, tourism, Trade, Travel | Tagged advertising, branding, breweries, brewpubs, business, fun, logos, marketing, slogans, taglines, Third places, travel | Leave a comment

Smaller Cities with Taller Skylines

Posted on July 15, 2019 by problogic

None of these cities currently exceed 100,000 in population, but they each have a surprising number of tall buildings dotting their downtown area skyline. This post is dedicated to these smaller cities who are reaching for the stars…so to … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, cities, downtown, economic development, fun, geography, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, skylines, skyscrapers, Statistics | Tagged cityscapes, high-rises, skylines, skyscrapers, small cities, tall buildings | Leave a comment

Should Struggling Cities Be Renamed?

Posted on July 7, 2019 by problogic

Everyone loves a good comeback story like is currently happening in Detroit. However,there are some cities that have languished in a depressed economic state for so long (some for 100 years), that their very name can evoke a negative impression. … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, branding, business, cities, civics, civility, commerce, Communications, culture, economic development, economic gardening, Economy, futurism, geography, government, history, infrastructure, land use, marketing, place names, placemaking, planning, politics, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, topography, tourism, Travel, urban planning, Welcome | Tagged Aberdeen, Anniston, Bartholomew Bayou, Blue Mountain, branding, Butte, Camden, Chester, Chippewa, cities, Cumberland, Danville, East Cleveland, East St. Louis, Flint, Gadsden, Gary, Grand Calumet River, Johnstown, Lima, marketing, Ojibwe, Pine Bluff, place names, Portsmouth, rebranding, renaming, Saginaw, Scot River, Shawnee, Western Reserve, Youngstown | Leave a comment

Ten+ Planning Lessons from Page, Arizona

Posted on July 1, 2019 by problogic

Some might be wondering where the heck Page, Arizona is located and secondly, how could a town founded in 1957 offer up any planning advice. Well, Page sits close to the Arizona-Utah border where the Glen Canyon Dam was constructed … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, Alternative transportation, archaeology, architecture, bicycling, cities, civics, commerce, culture, deserts, diversity, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, environment, geography, Geology, government, health, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, Native Americans, nature, placemaking, planning, spatial design, sprawl, topography, tourism, transportation, Travel, zoning | Tagged Arizona, mass tourism, Navajo, Page | Leave a comment

Cities and Towns that Get the Point!

Posted on June 25, 2019 by problogic

The following city and town names include the word “point.” Sometimes this term refers to a point of land extending into a body of water. Other times it may refer to a craggy hill or prominent point of land. Still, … Continue reading →

Posted in cities, environment, fun, geography, Geology, history, Maps, place names, placemaking, topography, tourism, Travel | Tagged fun, geology, place names, places, terrain | Leave a comment

Ten Planning Lessons from Flagstaff, Arizona

Posted on June 21, 2019 by problogic

Following our recent trip to the beautiful Southwestern United States, here are some thoughts on planning lessons one can learn from impressive and beautiful Flagstaff, Arizona. You can have a physically active and exciting city in a colder-weather, high-altitude environment. … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, archaeology, branding, cities, civics, colleges, culture, deserts, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, environment, fitness, geography, Geology, health, history, infrastructure, land use, Native Americans, Nature, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, recreation, spatial design, third places, topography, tourism, transit, transportation, Travel, weather, zoning | Tagged archaeology, Arizona, conservation, elevation, Flagstaff, water | Leave a comment

Tri-Cities and Quad Cities

Posted on June 18, 2019 by problogic

The following are lists of urban regions and metropolitan areas that have developed into a multiple-nuclei of either three (3) or four (4) traditional core communities. By traditional, I mean something other than a suburban edge city (i.e. Tyson’s Corners, … Continue reading →

Posted in branding, cities, civics, commerce, Communications, economic development, fun, geography, history, land use, Maps, marketing, place names, placemaking, planning, spatial design, sprawl, transportation, urban planning | Tagged branding, Fyrstad, Quad Cities, Trestad, Tri-Cities, Tricity, triopolis, triple cities | Leave a comment