Category Archives: topography

People can be so disgusting!

Posted on October 12, 2017 by

A recent report by the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore highlights how disgusting humans can be, even when visiting a national park. The report identifies the extent and content of litter collected from beaches in the park this past summer … Continue reading →

Posted in civics, civility, education, environment, geography, health, infrastructure, land use, peace, placemaking, planning, pollution, recreation, Statistics, topography, tourism, Travel | Leave a comment

A physical Brexit with Iberian flair

Posted on July 4, 2017 by

Imagine, if you will, a place known as Iberia, a peninsula consisting of two great nations (Portugal and Spain). One day, for no apparent reason or cause, this geographic feature abruptly adopts a mind and a course of its own … Continue reading →

Posted in art, book reviews, books, entertainment, Europe, geography, Geology, globalization, government, history, humanity, literature, Maps, politics, topography, Travel, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Explorer cities of North America

Posted on May 26, 2017 by

Below is a list of cities across North America known to be named for famous land and sea explorers.  Frankly, I’m rather surprised there are not more. Please feel free to pass along any corrections or additions.  Peace! – Vasco … Continue reading →

Posted in cities, geography, hiking, history, North America, place names, sailing, topography, transportation, Travel, walking | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Michigan’s ‘skyscraper’ coastal sand dunes

Posted on April 25, 2017 by

Michigan is blessed with some of the most beautiful and tallest coastal sand dunes on the planet. Below is a list of the tallest dunes as measured about the level of the adjoining lake elevation, many of these freshwater dunes … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, geography, Geology, hiking, historic preservation, history, Maps, nature, place names, planning, Statistics, topography, tourism, trails, Travel, walking, weather, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

From protective to active – repurposing historic city walls

Posted on March 23, 2017 by

When we think of city walls, some of the first images that come to mind are imposing structures erected as a protective or defensive barrier. More often than not, city walls were constructed from stone, masonry, brick, and/or concrete. Unfortunately, … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, bicycling, Canada, cities, culture, economic development, entertainment, environment, Europe, fitness, geography, health, hiking, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, recreation, revitalization, spatial design, topography, tourism, transportation, Travel, walking | 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

Canaries in the climate change coal mine

Posted on January 19, 2017 by

I challenge any partisan climate change denier to travel to Alaska and tell the residents of the 31 communities shown on the map depicted above that climate change isn’t real. It’s easy to sit behind a microphone and blow steam … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, civility, climate change, Climate Change, culture, diversity, economics, environment, geography, health, humanity, land use, Maps, nature, planning, poverty, rivers/watersheds, Science, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, topography, urban planning, weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments