Category Archives: topography

“Some Like It Hot” – Cities/towns built around natural hot springs

Posted on October 8, 2019 by problogic

The cities and towns listed below from around the globe are located amidst, around, or near natural hot springs. As a result, many of them have become centers for health spas, retreats, and environmental tourism. Unlike their rural counterparts, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative energy, Canada, cities, civics, commerce, culture, economic development, energy, entertainment, environment, geography, Geology, health, Health care, history, Housing, humanity, infrastructure, land use, Mexico, nature, place names, planning, pollution, recreation, spatial design, topography, tourism, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged hot springs, natural hot springs, spas, warm springs | 2 Comments

Ten Planning Lessons from Ancient Pueblos & Cliff Dwellings

Posted on October 3, 2019 by problogic

After visiting numerous pueblos, cliff dwellings, and ancient ruins in the Southwestern United States, it is clear to this retired urban planner that the Native Americans were the first great community planners in North America. The sites visited thus far … Continue reading →

Posted in archaeology, architecture, cities, culture, density, environment, geography, Geology, historic preservation, history, Housing, humanity, infrastructure, land use, Native Americans, nature, placemaking, planning, spatial design, sustainability, topography, tourism, Travel, urban planning | Tagged ancient, cliff dwelling, CO2, kiva, pueblo, ruin, ruins | Leave a comment

“Bu-tte-ful” Town Names

Posted on July 12, 2019 by problogic

Below is a list of cities, towns, villages, hamlets, and census-designated places in the United States and Canada that are named for one of my favorite geographic/geologic landforms – the butte (okay, quit snickering). The photo above aptly shows the … Continue reading →

Posted in cities, fun, geography, Geology, place names, topography | Tagged Butte, geography, geology, landforms, mesa, plateau, terrain | Leave a comment

Should Struggling Cities Be Renamed?

Posted on July 7, 2019 by problogic

Everyone loves a good comeback story like is currently happening in Detroit. However,there are some cities that have languished in a depressed economic state for so long (some for 100 years), that their very name can evoke a negative impression. … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, branding, business, cities, civics, civility, commerce, Communications, culture, economic development, economic gardening, Economy, futurism, geography, government, history, infrastructure, land use, marketing, place names, placemaking, planning, politics, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, topography, tourism, Travel, urban planning, Welcome | Tagged Aberdeen, Anniston, Bartholomew Bayou, Blue Mountain, branding, Butte, Camden, Chester, Chippewa, cities, Cumberland, Danville, East Cleveland, East St. Louis, Flint, Gadsden, Gary, Grand Calumet River, Johnstown, Lima, marketing, Ojibwe, Pine Bluff, place names, Portsmouth, rebranding, renaming, Saginaw, Scot River, Shawnee, Western Reserve, Youngstown | Leave a comment

Ten+ Planning Lessons from Page, Arizona

Posted on July 1, 2019 by problogic

Some might be wondering where the heck Page, Arizona is located and secondly, how could a town founded in 1957 offer up any planning advice. Well, Page sits close to the Arizona-Utah border where the Glen Canyon Dam was constructed … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, Alternative transportation, archaeology, architecture, bicycling, cities, civics, commerce, culture, deserts, diversity, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, environment, geography, Geology, government, health, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, Native Americans, nature, placemaking, planning, spatial design, sprawl, topography, tourism, transportation, Travel, zoning | Tagged Arizona, mass tourism, Navajo, Page | Leave a comment

Cities and Towns that Get the Point!

Posted on June 25, 2019 by problogic

The following city and town names include the word “point.” Sometimes this term refers to a point of land extending into a body of water. Other times it may refer to a craggy hill or prominent point of land. Still, … Continue reading →

Posted in cities, environment, fun, geography, Geology, history, Maps, place names, placemaking, topography, tourism, Travel | Tagged fun, geology, place names, places, terrain | Leave a comment

Ten Planning Lessons from Flagstaff, Arizona

Posted on June 21, 2019 by problogic

Following our recent trip to the beautiful Southwestern United States, here are some thoughts on planning lessons one can learn from impressive and beautiful Flagstaff, Arizona. You can have a physically active and exciting city in a colder-weather, high-altitude environment. … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, archaeology, branding, cities, civics, colleges, culture, deserts, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, environment, fitness, geography, Geology, health, history, infrastructure, land use, Native Americans, Nature, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, recreation, spatial design, third places, topography, tourism, transit, transportation, Travel, weather, zoning | Tagged archaeology, Arizona, conservation, elevation, Flagstaff, water | Leave a comment

America’s First Great Town Planners…

Posted on May 30, 2019 by problogic

…were not William Penn (Philadelphia), Pierre Charles L’Enfant (Washington, DC), James Oglethorpe (Savannah), nor other post-Columbian examples. No, America’s first great town planners were the Native American Indians. Whether they were the builders of magnificent cliff dwellings and mesa-topped pueblos … Continue reading →

Posted in archaeology, architecture, art, cities, civics, culture, education, environment, geography, Geology, historic preservation, history, humanity, land use, Native Americans, placemaking, planning, spatial design, topography, tourism, Travel, urban planning | Tagged Casa Grande National Monument, cliff-dwellings, Elden Pueblo, James Oglethorpe, Native Americans, Pierre L'Enfant, pit-dwellings, post-Columbian, pre-Columbian, Puebloan cultures, pueblos, Tuscayan Ruin, Walnut Canyon National Monument, William Penn, Wupatki national Monument | 4 Comments

An Impressive Park Memorializes When Quilts Saved a Town

Posted on May 28, 2019 by problogic

Frontier Towns, Part 7: Panguitch, Utah In city planning, as well as park and recreation circles, one of the most successful trends of the past decade or two has been the creation of pocket parks. These small oases help provide … Continue reading →

Posted in art, cities, geography, historic preservation, history, land use, placemaking, planning, recreation, topography, tourism, Travel, urban planning | Tagged history, Panguitch, parks, pocket parks, sculpture, Utah | 1 Comment

The First Great Hub of the Northern Plains

Posted on May 12, 2019 by problogic

Frontier Towns, Part 6: Fort Laramie, Wyoming Don’t confuse Fort Laramie with the much larger university city of Laramie – they are 105 miles and world’s apart. Fort Laramie is a small Northern Plains town of approximately 230 residents located … Continue reading →

Posted in cities, commerce, culture, geography, historic preservation, history, humanity, infrastructure, land use, Maps, Native Americans, place names, planning, topography, tourism, Trade, trails, transportation, Travel | Tagged Fort Laramie, Fort Laramie National Historic Site, Indians, Native Americans, Sioux, The West, treaties, Wyoming | Leave a comment