Category Archives: Trade

The First Great Hub of the Northern Plains

Posted on May 12, 2019 by

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 , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hell’s Worth of Wickedness in One Cowtown

Posted on April 17, 2019 by

Frontier Towns, Chapter 4: Ellsworth, Kansas   “As we go to press, hell is still in session in Ellsworth.”  That’s a famous newspaper headline dating from 1873 about the situation in Ellsworth, Kansas. Ellsworth may have been situated along the … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, Animals, architecture, cities, civility, commerce, geography, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, Maps, placemaking, planning, rail, Railroads, shipping, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Old West Personified in a Town’s Iconic Name

Posted on March 21, 2019 by

Frontier Towns, Chapter 2: Pecos, Texas Few names portray a better image of the Old West than “Pecos.” The Pecos River is the natural dividing line between central and western Texas, as to the west of this iconic river the … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, books, branding, cartoons, cities, civics, commerce, culture, deserts, downtown, economic development, environment, fun, geography, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, Maps, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, recreation, spatial design, topography, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Town That Was Moved Four Times!

Posted on March 13, 2019 by

The first of our new “Frontier Towns” series is about the historic Great Plains town of Julesburg, Colorado. At the crossroads of multiple important and historic transcontinental routes lies the quaint Great Plains town of Julesburg, Colorado. This classic western … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, architecture, bicycling, Biking, branding, cities, civics, commerce, culture, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, environment, film, fun, geography, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, Maps, movies, nature, Passenger rail, place names, placemaking, planning, rail, Railroads, recreation, rivers/watersheds, signs, Small business, sustainability, theaters, topography, tourism, Trade, trails, transportation, Travel, urban planning, Welcome | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Regional Potato Chip Makers of the USA (past and present) 

Posted on January 9, 2019 by

Who doesn’t love potato chips? They are a staple of many lunches, dinners, and snacks. While there are some behemoth potato chip companies such as Frito-Lay and Pringles, fortunately there remain a number of local and regional producers. Here’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, branding, Cities, commerce, consumerism, Cuisine, culture, Food, fun, geography, marketing, product design, shopping, Trade | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Geography of Target’s Smaller/Flexible Urban Store Format

Posted on November 26, 2018 by

While visiting Chicago earlier this month, one could hardly miss seeing the influx of major retailers into urban areas. Particularly noticeable was Target with its trending urban and collegiate smaller/flexible format stores popping up over much of the city and … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, architecture, bicycling, Biking, business, cities, commerce, downtown, economic development, gentrification, geography, historic preservation, infrastructure, land use, logistics, Maps, new urbanism, Passenger rail, placemaking, planning, rail, revitalization, shopping, spatial design, Statistics, Trade, transit, transportation, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Airports with 360 degree orbital beltways

Posted on January 22, 2018 by

As a follow-up to my last post, I thought it would be interesting to list off the airports around the globe that are ringed by limited access expressways. Such a design has several benefits – the expressway can serve as … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, aerospace, air travel, airport planning, aviation, business, Cars, Cities, economic development, geography, infrastructure, land use, planning, spatial design, sprawl, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

360 Degree Orbital Beltway Cities

Posted on January 15, 2018 by

The following list identifies those cities around the globe that are circled by a full orbital expressway system (a.k.a. beltway, ring road, perimeter highway, loop, beltline etc.) encircling the city 360 degrees. Inland cities have an advantage for being included … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Asia, Canada, Cars, China, cities, economic development, Europe, geography, India, infrastructure, land use, Maps, Mexico, North America, Oceania, planning, South America, spatial design, sprawl, States, Trade, transportation, Travel, UK | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

UK Smart Cities Index 2017: Leaders and Laggards

Posted on November 27, 2017 by

Below are the 2017 smart city rankings for cities in the United Kingdom. This is the first time that London is not listed as number 1. Congratulations to Bristol for topping this list in 2017. 82.7 = Bristol, England 81.2 … Continue reading →

Posted in business, cities, Communications, economic development, Economy, entrepreneurship, geography, planning, Science, technology, Trade, urban planning | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Most walkable core communities of Northern Michigan

Posted on November 4, 2016 by

Want to find some healthy walkability ratings for downtown areas in Michigan? Then head due north to the Northern Lower Peninsula and/or the Upper Peninsula. Below are listed 19 cities and towns with walkability scores of 60 or greater for … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, Alternative transportation, business, cities, civics, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, geography, historic preservation, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, shopping, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, sustainability, third places, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel, walking, zoning | Tagged , , | Leave a comment