Category Archives: skylines

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

The Motor City soars to new heights

Posted on February 23, 2017 by

Yesterday, it was announced that Dan Gilbert, owner of Quicken Loans will be constructing the tallest building in the State of Michigan on the site of the former Hudson’s Department store in downtown Detroit. The tower is proposed to contain … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, cities, downtown, economic development, entertainment, fun, geography, historic preservation, history, Housing, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, revitalization, skylines, skyscrapers, spatial design, third places, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The MOST important urban planning book of our time

Posted on February 11, 2017 by

I realize that the title of this post is a bold and perhaps controversial statement to make, but I truly believe that the definitive and thought-provoking publication by Salvatore Settis entitled, If Venice Dies, is the most important urban planning book … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, architecture, art, book reviews, books, branding, business, cities, civics, civility, commerce, consumerism, culture, demographics, density, economic development, entertainment, environment, Europe, geography, government, historic preservation, history, Housing, infrastructure, land use, literature, placemaking, planning, product design, recreation, revitalization, shipping, skylines, skyscrapers, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, sustainability, topography, tourism, transportation, Travel, urban planning, writing, zoning | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

India graces us with the loveliest skyscraper of all

Posted on January 23, 2017 by

The Namaste Tower under construction in Mumbai, India may not be the tallest skyscraper in the city or in the world at (301 meters or 988 feet in height), but when completed it sure will be the loveliest. Designed to … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art, Asia, cities, civics, culture, downtown, economic development, geography, infrastructure, land use, pictures, placemaking, planning, skylines, skyscrapers, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cities with the most tall buildings in North America

Posted on October 21, 2016 by

The list provided below shows those cities in ranked order which have a minimum of 100 tall buildings. It also depicts the number of skyscrapers in parenthesis. Most surprising to this author is San Francisco not being quite in the … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, Canada, cities, culture, downtown, economic development, geography, history, infrastructure, land use, Mexico, North America, planning, skylines, skyscrapers, spatial design, Statistics, urban planning | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Bay City, Michigan – in the sweet spot of new urbanism

Posted on October 17, 2016 by

From what this urban planner can tell, downtown Bay City, Michigan is, or is on the verge of becoming one of the hottest redevelopment markets in the state. The list of on-going and already accomplished projects is impressive for a … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, cities, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, fun, gentrification, geography, historic preservation, history, Housing, land use, new urbanism, pictures, placemaking, planning, product design, revitalization, skylines, spatial design, sustainability, third places, tourism, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Raising the High Line’s influence to new heights 

Posted on March 21, 2016 by

  It’s not often that you see a skyscraper design that thinks outside the box here in the United States, but I must admit the proposed Spiral in New York City is an eye-catcher. This handsome tower incorporates a stunning … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, cities, downtown, economic development, environment, Green roofs, land use, new urbanism, planning, skylines, skyscrapers, Statistics, sustainability, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment