Category Archives: urban planning

Dollar Stores Are Gutting Small Town Retailers

Posted on July 12, 2018 by

Drive through many small towns across America these days and you are almost sure to see a dollar store of one brand or other (or multiple stores) at the edge of town along the main drag or on the bypass. … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, business, cities, commerce, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, entrepreneurship, geography, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, product design, shopping, sprawl, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Demonstrating Pride of Place: A Tale of Three Towns

Posted on July 9, 2018 by

Generally, one can fairly quickly determine the strength of community pride shortly after entering a city or town. This is especially true in small town, where there are fewer opportunities to make first or lasting impression due to its relative … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, art, branding, cities, commerce, culture, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, entrepreneurship, geography, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, spatial design, third places, tourism, trails, Travel, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Quartet of Former Vintage Barber Shops

Posted on June 21, 2018 by

As a follow-up to my previous post of old barber shops still operating, here are four (4) that no longer are used as barber shops. Two (2) are currently empty though the barber shop in Honor was a sign shop … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, Animals, architecture, business, Cities, coffee shops/cafes, culture, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, entrepreneurship, food trucks, geography, historic preservation, history, land use, Pets, pictures, placemaking, planning, product design, Small business, third places, Uncategorized, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Great ‘Reverse’ Migration May Be Disastrous for Many Northern Cities and States

Posted on June 8, 2018 by

Between 1916 and 1970, more than six million African-Americans migrated northward to work in factories and live in cities across the Northeast and Midwest. Today, there is mounting evidence that this great migration has reversed itself, as those who can … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, culture, demographics, economic development, economic gardening, Economy, education, entrepreneurship, family, geography, government, history, Housing, humanity, immigration, inclusiveness, planning, politics, poverty, social equity, Statistics, urban planning | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Ten Planning Lessons From Warsaw, Indiana

Posted on June 5, 2018 by

Warsaw, Indiana may not be the first place on most folks lists of planning trend setters across the nation, but in most any community one can find both good and bad lessons to learn from. This prosperous city along with … Continue reading →

Posted in bicycling, bike sharing, business, Cars, cities, commerce, Communications, demographics, downtown, economic development, environment, geography, Health care, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, placemaking, planning, revitalization, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, technology, tourism, traffic, transportation, urban planning, walking, zoning | Leave a comment

WATCH mUSkeGOn!

Posted on May 29, 2018 by

Got to admit that it has been quite a few years since I last visited Muskegon, Michigan. Even though it is my mother’s birthplace, I can only think of two or three trips to the city (not passing by on … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, art, cities, Cuisine, culture, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, environment, Food, historic preservation, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, recreation, revitalization, skylines, spatial design, third places, tourism, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Tally of Food Truck Courts, Lots, Parks, and Pods 

Posted on May 21, 2018 by

Here’s my working tally of permanent or semi-permanent (seasonal) food truck courts, lots, parks, and pods that are open to the public on most, if not all, days of the week. The list does NOT include temporary rodeos, events, festivals, … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Cuisine, culture, diversity, economic development, economic gardening, Food, food systems, food trucks, fun, geography, inclusiveness, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, Small business, spatial design, third places, tourism, Travel, urban planning | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The South Shore Line – Indiana’s Gift to Passenger Rail

Posted on May 15, 2018 by

We had the honor and thrill of riding the entire length of the South Shore Line round trip between South Bend (Airport Station) and Chicago (Millennium Station) and back over Mother’s Day weekend. Sometimes dubbed as America’s last Interurban, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, Alternative transportation, cities, electric vehicles, fun, geography, history, infrastructure, land use, Maps, Passenger rail, placemaking, planning, rail, Railroads, spatial design, transit, transportation, Travel, urban planning | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Mending Interstate Injustice – Freeway Capping Projects

Posted on April 28, 2018 by

In recent years there has been an effort in some cities to mend some of the wounds of Interstate Highway era gashes that were savagely cut through American cities. A method for healing these scars has been to cap the … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Advocacy, architecture, Cars, cities, Civil Rights, civility, density, diversity, downtown, economic development, environment, geography, Green roofs, historic preservation, history, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, pictures, placemaking, planning, poverty, racism, revitalization, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, transit, transportation, Travel, tunnels, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Must modern houses resemble office buildings?

Posted on April 21, 2018 by

A housing trend I’ve noticed in Traverse City is homes being built that look more like an office building rather than a dwelling. I’m all for architectural freedom, but personally it’s not an appealing trend, at least in the manner … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, architecture, art, cities, culture, deserts, environment, futurism, geography, historic preservation, history, Housing, land use, landscape architecture, planning, spatial design, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment