Tag Archives: placemaking

A single sidewalk can make a huge difference

It’s not often when one can witness the palpable difference infrastructure can make on the micro level. However, a small summer cottage beach neighborhood on Lake Wawasee, Indiana presents just such an opportunity. Here, the Natti Crow Beach neighborhood installed … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, art, bicycling, Biking, civics, Communications, culture, entertainment, family, fun, health, hiking, history, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, lakes, land use, pictures, placemaking, planning, product design, recreation, spatial design, third places, transportation, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

America’s earliest example of destructive urban renewal

Like most people, when asked where America’s first urban renewal project was undertaken, I would have probably guessed cities like New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, or Boston. These are all logical guesses, but the first urban renewal (or redevelopment) project … Continue reading

Posted in archaeology, architecture, branding, cities, civics, civility, culture, diversity, downtown, economic development, geography, government, historic preservation, history, Housing, inclusiveness, infrastructure, injustice, land use, Maps, Native Americans, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, politics, product design, revitalization, spatial design, sprawl, third places, topography, toponymy, tourism, Trade, traffic, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, visual pollution | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

America’s hottest hipsterhoods in 2017

The following list developed by hotspotrentals.com identifies the hottest inner city neighborhoods around the country in 2017. Having been to Midtown Detroit back in late August and seen how exciting it is, one can only imagine the vibrancy and hipness of the … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, Alternative transportation, art, Biking, branding, Cities, civics, coffee shops/cafes, commerce, culture, density, diversity, economic gardening, fun, gentrification, geography, Housing, land use, new urbanism, place names, placemaking, planning, revitalization, spatial design, Statistics, third places, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

TC’s totally cool downtown “Art Banner Project”

Walk, bike, or drive around downtown Traverse City and you will soon see one of the enormous art banners hanging from the walls of some of the buildings. Brainchild of retired Art Department Chair of Northwestern Michigan College, Paul Welch, … Continue reading

Posted in art, branding, cities, civics, Communications, culture, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, fun, history, land use, new urbanism, pictures, placemaking, planning, revitalization, skylines, spatial design, third places, tourism, Travel, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The science of creating place

For those generations prior to the millennials, one’s place of residence was most often determined by factors such as proximity to family and employment opportunities. For this writer, that meant moving to Dayton, Ohio when I was a fresh, shiny … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Advocacy, architecture, art, bicycling, branding, cities, civics, commerce, Communications, culture, diversity, entertainment, fun, geography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Urban design without fake plastic signs

In many communities across the country, commercial signage seems to be employed in a manner that appears more appropriate in Las Vegas, Times Square, or in this Radiohead video for the song Fake Plastic Trees, rather than on businesses fronting Main Street. … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, advertising, architecture, art, branding, business, cities, commerce, Communications, consumerism, downtown, economic development, historic preservation, history, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, signs, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cambridge’s “complete” Vassar Street

During our Boston St. Patrick’s Day weekend, we wandered around parts of Cambridge and MIT’s campus.  One of the places we chanced upon after our bike sharing tour along the Charles River was Vassar Street. This approximate two-mile long urban thoroughfare … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, civics, colleges, commerce, culture, downtown, economic development, education, environment, fitness, fun, geography, health, infrastructure, land use, Maps, new urbanism, pictures, placemaking, planning, product design, recreation, revitalization, schools, spatial design, sustainability, technology, third places, tourism, trails, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Sky-high Ferris wheels – latest urban fad?

Until the past few days, I had not realized how many cities have added an enormous Ferris wheel as an urban attraction. Yes, I knew of the London Eye and even visited it myself in 2008, though the queue and … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, art, Asia, branding, China, cities, culture, downtown, economic development, entertainment, Europe, film, fun, geography, historic preservation, history, holiday, infrastructure, Ireland, land use, landscape architecture, movies, new urbanism, North America, Oceania, placemaking, planning, product design, revitalization, skylines, technology, third places, tourism, Travel, UK, urban planning, video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Seven Detroit-area marquees

Below are photographs taken over the past couple of years of seven historic theater marquees from the Metro Detroit area. Enjoy! Alger (seen better days) Berkley (pride of Berkley)  Fillmore (brilliant) Fox (stellar) Main (pride of Royal Oak)  Michigan (an Ann Arbor gem) State (another Ann Arbor … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, art, cities, civics, Communications, culture, downtown, entertainment, film, fun, historic preservation, history, land use, movies, pictures, placemaking, planning, signs, theaters, tourism, Travel, Uncategorized, urban planning, video | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Iconic tribute sculptures of Woodward Avenue

Of all the streets and roads in Michigan, none quite has the familiar ring, rhyme, and historic charm of Woodward Avenue. Stretching some 27 miles from the Detroit waterfront to Pontiac, Woodward Avenue (also known as M-1) is the main … Continue reading

Posted in advertising, architecture, art, branding, Cars, cities, civics, civility, Communications, culture, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, fun, geography, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, placemaking, planning, product design, revitalization, spatial design, sustainability, technology, third places, tourism, transportation, Travel, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment