Category Archives: topography

Top Eleven Planning Lessons from Lisbon, Portugal

Posted on October 8, 2018 by

Below are my top eleven (11) planning lessons from a delightful week-long trip to Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal in late September. Many more could be added this list, but for brevity’s sake we’ll stay with these eleven (11) for now. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, architecture, art, cities, civics, civility, Cuisine, culture, diversity, downtown, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, Europe, Food, fun, geography, Geology, historic preservation, history, humanity, inclusiveness, land use, music, nature, pictures, placemaking, planning, Portugal, revitalization, spatial design, topography, tourism, transit, transportation, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Beauty of the Contrasting-Chaotic City Form

Posted on October 3, 2018 by

As urban planners we have a tendency to emphasize the importance and efficiency of the traditional grid street pattern. Compared to the disconnected neighborhoods and subdivisions constructed over the past 75 years, the traditional street grid is far and away … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Cars, Cities, culture, density, downtown, Europe, geography, government, health, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, Maps, North America, pictures, placemaking, planning, Portugal, spatial design, sprawl, topography, tourism, traffic, transit, transportation, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lisboa, Glorious Lisboa

Posted on September 28, 2018 by

Posted in air travel, architecture, art, bridges, Cities, commerce, culture, downtown, entertainment, Europe, fun, geography, historic preservation, history, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, pictures, placemaking, planning, Portugal, rail, sailing, skylines, spatial design, topography, tourism, transit, Transportation, Travel, Uncategorized, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Carved Cedar Skylines of the Pacific Northwest Coast

Posted on August 6, 2018 by

For centuries, coastlines, coves, river shorelines, and inlets from Alaska southward to Washington State were dotted with the sky-scraping carved cedar totem poles that depicted the history and legacies of those First Nation and Native American residents who called this … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art, Canada, cities, Communications, culture, geography, historic preservation, history, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, nature, North America, pictures, place names, planning, rivers/watersheds, skylines, skyscrapers, Statistics, topography, tourism, Travel | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Stand Up for Avra Valley!

Posted on March 25, 2018 by

Stand Up for Avra Valley! Midst a scenic desert valley a freeway is planned to flow more useless sprawl and chaos whose outcome we all know This Sonoran panorama is a treat for jaded eyes seducing all who view her … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, art, charities, cities, civics, civility, deserts, environment, geography, historic preservation, history, humanity, infrastructure, land use, nature, peace, pictures, placemaking, planning, Poem, politics, pollution, recreation, spatial design, sprawl, sustainability, topography, tourism, transportation, Travel, urban planning, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Let’s stop dissing deserts!

Posted on March 14, 2018 by

In response to a recent post about “transit deserts” on The Market Urbanism Report’s Facebook page, I made the following comment: “I think we need to rethink using the term ‘desert’ to describe an area lacking something. Deserts can be … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Animal rights, Animals, climate change, deserts, diversity, ecosystems, environment, geography, history, land use, nature, planning, Science, sustainability, topography, tourism, Travel, weather, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Arizona DOT ponders paving over paradise

Posted on March 11, 2018 by

  Are they NUTS? Among the alternatives being considered by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) for future Interstate 11 (I-11) are two (2) options that would loop it west of Tucson through the stunningly gorgeous Avra Valley. Who in … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, civility, commerce, economic development, environment, geography, Geology, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, light pollution, Maps, Mexico, nature, planning, pollution, shipping, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, topography, tourism, traffic, transportation, Travel, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fracking sprawl across West Texas

Posted on March 8, 2018 by

Many places across America lament the urban sprawl taking place in their midst. Meanwhile, parts of Texas have a different kind of sprawl to contend with – fracking sprawl. As can be seen in the photos taken as I flew … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, air travel, Alternative energy, aviation, Cities, Climate Change, economics, energy, geography, Geology, health, Housing, infrastructure, land use, pictures, planning, politics, pollution, spatial design, sprawl, topography, Travel, Uncategorized, visual pollution | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Astronomical metro areas

Posted on March 4, 2018 by

The following cities have the highest metropolitan area concentration of astronomical and radio observatories and related uses in the world. A minimum of three (3) such facilities was required for inclusion in the list. As can be seen from the … Continue reading →

Posted in aerospace, Astronomy, cities, environment, fun, geography, history, infrastructure, land use, light pollution, nature, Outer Space, pictures, planning, Radio, Science, spatial design, sustainability, technology, topography | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Planning lessons from Tucson

Posted on February 25, 2018 by

My wife and I just returned home from an amazing week in gorgeous Tucson, Arizona. Unlike many places visited, it was easy to come up with many more than ten planning lessons from this beautiful desert oasis. While we adore … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Advocacy, Alternative transportation, architecture, art, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, Cities, civics, colleges, Cuisine, culture, diversity, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, fitness, Food, food systems, fun, geography, health, hiking, historic preservation, history, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, nature, pictures, placemaking, planning, recreation, spatial design, sprawl, third places, topography, tourism, transportation, Travel, urban planning, visual pollution, walking, Wildlife, zoning | Tagged , , | Leave a comment