Tag Archives: growth

New “Austin Towers” will soon be spying over Texas

For multiple decades the tallest building in Texas has been located in either Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio. That fact is about to change, as the booming state capital of Austin will soon takeover this vertical leadership role in the … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, art, branding, business, cities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, commerce, Cuisine, culture, diversity, downtown, economic development, engineering, gentrification, geography, highways, historic preservation, history, Housing, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, pictures, placemaking, planning, poverty, skylines, skyscrapers, sprawl, spying, Statistics, third places, tourism, traffic, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cities joining, nearing, or falling from the 100,000 resident club

The following three lists identify those cities in the United States that reached a population of 100,000; are growing and nearing 100,000 residents; and who have fallen below 100,000 residents based on the 2020 Census. Five (5) cities that were … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, cities, civics, commerce, demographics, density, diversity, downtown, economic development, geography, health, history, humanity, immigration, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, revitalization, spatial design, sprawl, States, Statistics, urban design, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The loss of urban innocence

There are many finely crafted songs and complete records that have been written about cities and towns, both specific to a particular community and in general. Some may note the dynamic vibrancy of the city, such as “New York, New … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, architecture, art, cities, civics, civility, commerce, Communications, culture, density, downtown, economic development, entertainment, Europe, geography, historic preservation, history, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, music, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, revitalization, spatial design, sustainability, theaters, third places, tourism, Travel, urban planning, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Your community is a “sprawl blob” when…

Here is the sixth in this satirical series. You’re know your community is an urban “sprawl blob” that’s visible from outer space when… You cannot tell when you have arrived or when you have left. There is no “there,” there. … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, air travel, Alternative energy, Animals, architecture, aviation, bicycling, branding, Bus transportation, Cars, cities, civics, civility, climate change, commerce, consumerism, culture, density, economic development, energy, environment, film, fun, geography, health, historic preservation, humanity, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, movies, nature, new urbanism, Outer Space, planning, product design, Renewable Energy, revitalization, satire, spatial design, sprawl, sustainability, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

You know your community is a boomtown when…

Fourth in the series of you know your community is… Everyone is a baby boomer. The Big Bang Theory is the favorite television show. The Boomtown Rats (Bob Geldof and the Boys) regularly play concerts there. You keep hearing sonic booms. … Continue reading

Posted in cities, civics, civility, commerce, Communications, culture, deregulation, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, Economy, fun, geography, history, humanity, music, planning, Science, spatial design, sprawl, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

2013’s economic superstar counties

Published annually by Fourth Economy Consulting of Pittsburgh, the Fourth Economy Index identifies those counties that are “ideally positioned to attract modern investment and managed economic growth.” The index is broken down into micro (<25,000 population) small (25,000-49,999), mid-sized (50,000-149,999), and large (150,000-499,999) counties based on … Continue reading

Posted in branding, cities, commerce, diversity, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, economics, Economy, entrepreneurship, Environment, geography, infrastructure, land use, marketing, placemaking, planning, product design, revitalization, Small business, sustainability, technology, third places, tourism, Trade, Travel, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Why must progress look like destruction? – John Steinbeck

I recently read John Steinbeck’s memorable non-fiction book published in 1962, entitled Travels with Charley: In Search of America.  Intertwined throughout this charming book, Mr. Steinbeck makes some fascinating and poignant observations about American cities. Here are a few chosen samples of … Continue reading

Posted in book reviews, books, cities, civility, Communications, consumerism, culture, density, environment, geography, land use, North America, placemaking, planning, politics, spatial design, sprawl, States, tourism, transportation, Travel, urban planning, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments