Category Archives: politics

247 Smart cities and counting…

Posted on June 7, 2017 by

Above is a map of showing the 247 cities to date (as of 6/6/17) where the mayor has pledged their city will adhere to the Paris Climate Accord commitments on greenhouse gases. I am very proud to say our own … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, Alternative energy, branding, cities, climate change, culture, education, environment, geography, government, health, humanity, Maps, nature, planning, politics, pollution, Renewable Energy, States, sustainability, transportation, urban planning, weather | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Metro areas most impacted by the new immigration ban

Posted on January 31, 2017 by

Interesting data from the Brookings Institutionis provided below which is related to existing immigrant residents in the United States from the recently banned seven (7) Muslim nations.  The data in the first chart shows those cities where these immigrant populations … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, civility, culture, demographics, diversity, geography, human rights, humanity, immigration, inclusiveness, planning, politics, Statistics, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Candidate cities for orange clown’s future lie-brary

Posted on January 27, 2017 by

Here’s a list of candidate cities for the new president’s future lie-brary or alternate fact-ory. Given that he doesn’t like to read, one assumes it will be filled with decrees, rants, tweet-storms, and love letters between him and Vladimir Putin. … Continue reading →

Posted in branding, cities, civics, Communications, fun, futurism, geography, government, history, humanity, land use, place names, politics, racism, satire, Travel, visual pollution | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Great Lakes doomsday scenario pipeline

Posted on December 2, 2016 by

If you thought the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota was bad, boy do we have a doozy of one for you here in Michigan. A 63-year old submerged twin pipeline (Enbridge #5), that was built with a 50-year lifespan … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, civics, climate change, energy, environment, geography, health, history, humanity, infrastructure, land use, logistics, nature, politics, pollution, product design, rivers/watersheds, tourism, transportation, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The “not-so good” war

Posted on August 19, 2016 by

Often, as Americans we are told that World War II was “the good war.” But, is that really the case or is it just an example of the victors writing history to serve their needs? No one is disputing that … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, art, book reviews, books, civics, civility, Communications, culture, diversity, entertainment, geography, government, historic preservation, history, human rights, humanity, literature, military, peace, politics, racism, social equity, writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Portland Conundrum 

Posted on June 20, 2016 by

Below is an eye-opening summary of the housing market in Portland, Oregon from the perspective of a new resident to the region, who also happens to be an urban planner and a friend of mine. The parallels to what we … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, civility, climate change, culture, demographics, diversity, economic development, economics, environment, fitness, food systems, futurism, gentrification, geography, health, holiday, Housing, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, logistics, Maps, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, politics, revitalization, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, sustainability, transit, transportation, urban planning, walking, zoning | 1 Comment

Kerouac’s eloquence in “The Dharma Bums”

Posted on June 2, 2016 by

I love reading books penned by Jack Kerouac. Somehow, his freewheeling eloquence with the written word just lifts imagery and wisdom right off the page and into your soul’s deepest crevasses. Earlier today I finished reading The Dharma Bums and … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, art, Asia, book reviews, books, civics, Communications, culture, entertainment, environment, geography, hiking, homelessness, humanity, literature, nature, peace, politics, tourism, trails, Travel, walking | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment