Tag Archives: Iowa

Ten+1 planning lessons from Maharishi Vedic City

The Vedic/Vastu planned and designed community of Maharishi Vedic City in southeast Iowa offers a number of interesting and insightful lessons for planners. Here are the ten primary lessons from researching and visiting this unique sustainable city: 10/7/22 Addendum – … Continue reading

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“Enlightened” city planning amid rural Iowa cornfields

In the film Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner’s father asks him, “Is this heaven?” His response is, “No, it’s Iowa.” Well, to some, Iowa may just be their slice of heaven, especially those who reside in and around the City … Continue reading

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The great Iowa landmark foot/bike bridge competition

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Well, in the State of Iowa, there appears to be a friendly flattery competition going on between cities in the Hawkeye State to construct the most iconic foot or bicycle … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, Alternative transportation, architecture, art, bicycling, Biking, bridges, cities, civics, commerce, downtown, economic development, geography, health, hiking, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, recreation, Statistics, third places, tourism, trails, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The geography of Facebook data centers

Just this week, Facebook announced it would be building its fifth data center complex in Fort Worth, Texas. Hat’s off to Facebook, as the entire complex will contain 750,000 square feet in three buildings on 111 acres, will be 100% … Continue reading

Posted in Alternative energy, architecture, business, cities, climate change, commerce, Communications, economic development, environment, geography, infrastructure, internet, land use, pictures, planning, product design, Renewable Energy, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, technology, transportation, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2012 resolutions for the Iowa GOP presidential candidates

Newt Gingrich – learn to smile like you actually mean it instead of like you have something sneaky hidden up your sleeve. Rick Santorum – visit the Wizard of Oz (or Dr. Oz) to find a heart – heaven knows … Continue reading

Posted in civics, civility, diversity, human rights, politics, poverty, Women | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Des Moines in the 1950s and 60s as seen through “The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid”

You might wonder, “what the heck does a book entitled “The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid“ have to do with urban planning or cities and why is it being reviewed under Urbanography?” Good question. Actually, Bill Bryson’s hilarious childhood … Continue reading

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