Category Archives: Small business

Living amid an “Ecology of Fear”

I recently read Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster by the late Mike Davis. It is an intriguing book that switches from whimsical to dark and foreboding at the turn of a page. In fact, the … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Africa, Animals, archaeology, art, Asia, book reviews, books, branding, business, Canada, Cars, cities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, climate, climate change, commerce, Communications, culture, demographics, density, diversity, economic development, economics, ecosystems, education, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, film, fun, futurism, geography, Geology, government, Guns, Handguns, health, highways, hiking, historic preservation, history, homelessness, Housing, human rights, humanity, immigration, inclusiveness, India, industry, infrastructure, injustice, land use, Latin America, literature, marketing, money, movies, music, natural history, nature, opinion, planning, politics, pollution, poverty, psychology, racism, reading, Religion, revitalization, schools, Science, Science fiction, Sexism, Small business, social equity, Social media, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, technology, Television, theaters, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, transportation, Travel, unemployment, urban design, urban planning, visual pollution, weather, Wilderness, Wildlife, Women, writing, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Twelve planning lessons from failing cities

There are likely many more planning-related lessons from failing cities that could have been added, but these are ones that initially came to mind. Any additions, suggestions, or corrections are welcome. Do NOT chase the latest fad project without doing … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, business, Cars, cities, civics, civility, commerce, culture, downtown, economic development, environment, fitness, food systems, geography, government, health, Health care, Highway displacement, highways, historic preservation, history, Housing, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, industry, infrastructure, land use, nature, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, politics, recreation, revitalization, Small business, spatial design, sustainability, third places, tourism, traffic, transportation, Travel, urban planning, visual pollution, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Timeless Portraits of the Oklahoma Panhandle

Some places seem to remain largely fixed in time despite the constant changes that occur in the world around them. The narrow strip of land, affectionately known as the Oklahoma Panhandle, is just one of those places. Even today, the … Continue reading

Posted in agriculture, archaeology, books, business, cities, climate change, commerce, culture, economics, energy, environment, geography, historic preservation, history, humanity, infrastructure, land use, Maps, Mining, movies, Native Americans, nature, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, poverty, rail, Railroads, Renewable Energy, scenic byways, Skies, skylines, Small business, spatial design, Statistics, topography, toponymy, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel, weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

15 years after the tornado – Planning lessons from Greensburg, Kansas

May 4, 2007, will always remain a pivotal day in the history of Greensburg, Kansas. On that day, much of the city of Greensburg was obliterated by a EF5 category tornado. Thankfully, most residents survived the tragedy due early and … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Advocacy, Alternative energy, Alternative transportation, architecture, art, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, book reviews, books, branding, business, charities, cities, civics, civility, climate, commerce, culture, downtown, economic development, Economy, ecosystems, education, energy, environment, geography, government, health, Health care, history, Housing, humanity, infrastructure, land use, literature, nature, pictures, placemaking, planning, politics, recycling, Renewable Energy, revitalization, Small business, solar, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, technology, topography, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel, Uncategorized, urban planning, volunteerism, walking, water, water conservation, weather, writing, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strict planning & zoning destroys eclectic, offbeat, and funky

After three decades in the planning profession and several more years since retirement, I’ve come to the conclusion that if you want your community to maintain or build a funky, hip, offbeat, or eccentric vibe, it can not be done … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, advertising, Advocacy, archaeology, architecture, art, branding, business, cities, civics, commerce, consumerism, Cuisine, culture, demographics, deregulation, diversity, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, entrepreneurship, family, Food, fun, gentrification, health, historic preservation, history, homelessness, Housing, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, marketing, Mining, opinion, pictures, placemaking, planning, poverty, product design, revitalization, shopping, signs, Small business, social equity, spatial design, third places, tourism, Travel, urban design, urban planning, visual pollution, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Madrid, NM – Coal mining ghost town to eclectic art colony

Among the many attractions within an hour’s drive of Albuquerque and Santa Fe is the former coal mining town of Madrid, New Mexico. Located in a rugged valley bounded by the Ortiz Mountains, the town had acquired the nickname of … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, archaeology, architecture, art, branding, business, cities, classic vehicles, commerce, Cuisine, culture, demographics, economic development, entertainment, environment, Environment, fun, geography, health, highways, historic preservation, history, Housing, industry, land use, marketing, Mining, nature, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, pollution, recreation, revitalization, scenic byways, shopping, Small business, spatial design, sports, Statistics, topography, tourism, Trade, Travel, Uncategorized, urban planning, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gnarly Native American art on skateboard decks

We had the pleasure of visiting the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This facility is very impressive and includes a variety of exhibits, meeting rooms, as well as a nice restaurant and gift shop. The exhibit that … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, art, cities, culture, diversity, economic development, entertainment, entrepreneurship, fun, history, humanity, inclusiveness, Native Americans, nature, pictures, placemaking, product design, recreation, Religion, Small business, sports, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Viva historic preservation in the “True Las Vegas”

We recently spent part of a day wandering about downtown Las Vegas, New Mexico and came away very impressed by the preserved historical and cultural assets of this High Plains city. Unlike the overwhelming glitter and gaudiness found in Nevada, … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, archaeology, architecture, art, branding, business, cities, civics, civility, commerce, Cuisine, culture, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, entrepreneurship, Food, fun, geography, government, historic preservation, history, Housing, infrastructure, land use, libraries, Maps, pictures, placemaking, planning, revitalization, shopping, Small business, spatial design, Statistics, third places, topography, tourism, Trade, Travel, urban design, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Echoes from a 20th Century ghost town – Glenrio, NM/TX

One typically thinks of ghost towns being worn relics from the 19th Century or of earlier time periods. However, in the case of Glenrio, New Mexico/Texas, the town was founded, prospered, and died during a narrow time span within the … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, archaeology, architecture, Cars, Cities, commerce, culture, fun, geography, Highway displacement, highways, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, pictures, place names, Railroads, Small business, spatial design, topography, tourism, Transportation, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Historic beaches opened for Black Americans during Jim Crow

  Back in November of 2019, I posted a list of the beach wade-in protests that took place during the Civil Rights Era. These protests demanded that public beaches be opened up to all people, instead of being limited to … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, culture, demographics, diversity, entertainment, entrepreneurship, geography, health, historic preservation, history, human rights, inclusiveness, injustice, land use, Maps, pictures, placemaking, racism, recreation, Small business, social equity, third places, tourism, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment