Category Archives: zoning

Ten Planning Lessons from Chicago’s Northside Neighborhoods

Posted on October 23, 2019 by

  Below is my list of top ten planning lessons garnered from visits to nearly all of Northside Chicago neighborhoods over the past few years, especially those located to the north and east of I-90/94 (The Kennedy Expressway). Even with … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, architecture, art, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, branding, cities, civics, civility, commerce, Cuisine, culture, demographics, density, diversity, entertainment, entrepreneurship, gentrification, geography, historic preservation, history, Housing, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, Maps, new urbanism, place names, placemaking, planning, Railroads, shopping, skylines, spatial design, third places, tourism, traffic, transit, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on October 8, 2019 by

  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 , , , | 2 Comments

Ten Planning Lessons from Albuquerque

Posted on September 18, 2019 by

We have been enjoying an awesome trip to New Mexico. This post about Albuquerque is the first of several that will be written about the state, is residents, and its communities. Paz! The preservation and protection of the original 1706 … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Advocacy, air travel, airport planning, airports, Alternative transportation, architecture, aviation, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, Bus transportation, cities, civics, colleges, commerce, Cuisine, culture, density, diversity, downtown, economic development, entertainment, fun, geography, hiking, historic preservation, history, Housing, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, Passenger rail, placemaking, planning, rail, Railroads, spatial design, sprawl, third places, tourism, transit, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thriving and Inclusive First-Ring/Inner Suburbs

Posted on September 5, 2019 by

As metropolitan areas grow in population or enlarge their land area by sprawl, gradually, the innermost or first-ring suburbs start to experience some of the same problems that the core city have found challenging. This is particularly true in regions … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, architecture, art, bicycling, cities, civics, colleges, commerce, culture, density, diversity, economic development, economic gardening, education, entertainment, entrepreneurship, fun, geography, government, health, historic preservation, history, Housing, human rights, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, Passenger rail, placemaking, planning, racism, revitalization, Science, shopping, skylines, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, third places, tourism, traffic, transit, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , | Leave a comment

It all ends up in the lake…or the bay…or the stream

Posted on August 11, 2019 by

  When you live near the Great Lakes as we do, or any body of water, it is a fact of life that storm water runoff from your yard, roof, garden, building, parking lot, factory, or farm is going to … Continue reading →

Posted in cities, civics, civility, climate change, ecosystems, environment, government, health, humanity, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, nature, Pets, planning, pollution, recycling, rivers/watersheds, sustainability, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Geography of the Jazz Age in North America

Posted on August 5, 2019 by

The Jazz Age represented the musical form’s peak period of popularity between 1920 and 1960. While New Orleans, Kansas City, Chicago, and New York were and remain the preeminent epicenters of jazz, in many other cities across the country, vibrant … Continue reading →

Posted in art, cities, Communications, culture, diversity, economic development, entertainment, gentrification, geography, government, historic preservation, history, inclusiveness, land use, Maps, music, music reviews, North America, placemaking, planning, politics, racism, Radio, social equity, songs, theaters, third places, tourism, transportation, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ten Planning Lessons from Detroit’s Corktown Neighborhood

Posted on July 29, 2019 by

Some planning lessons learned from one of my favorite neighborhoods in all of Detroit. A city’s oldest neighborhood can also be a leader in its revival. The historic site of a former major league stadium (Tiger Stadium) can enjoy a … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, art, branding, business, cities, civics, culture, economic development, economic gardening, education, fun, geography, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, politics, revitalization, Small business, spatial design, sports, third places, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Food Truck Names Based on Musicians or Songs

Posted on July 18, 2019 by

While compiling the list of catchy and clever food truck names, the number of trucks with names that are (or appear to be) at least partially based on musicians and/or songs was noted. So here is a list of those … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, branding, cities, Food, food trucks, fun, geography, marketing, zoning | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Ten+ Planning Lessons from Page, Arizona

Posted on July 1, 2019 by

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 , , , | Leave a comment

Ten Planning Lessons from Flagstaff, Arizona

Posted on June 21, 2019 by

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 , , , , , | Leave a comment