Tag Archives: politics

Candidate cities for orange clown’s future lie-brary

Here’s a list of candidate cities for the new president’s future lie-brary or alternate fact-ory. Given that he doesn’t like to read, one assumes it will be filled with decrees, rants, tweet-storms, and love letters between him and Vladimir Putin. … Continue reading

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Is this America’s future?

A landscape of homeless sleeping on the streets beneath the ever-watchful eyes of their wealthy “benevolent” dictator.  It doesn’t have to be this way, folks, provided we stand up, speak out, and skillfully and peacefully combat the evil forces of … Continue reading

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Acts of DIS-placemaking

Just when you think society in general is starting to “get it” on the numerous benefits of placemaking, a couple of state legislators propose bills that could potentially wipe out one of the best tools for successful placemaking in Michigan … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, Advocacy, architecture, art, business, cities, civics, culture, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, economics, entrepreneurship, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, politics, revitalization, Statistics, third places, Uncategorized, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Two triumphant and ironic films – “Brooklyn” and “Trumbo” 

My wife and I had the pleasure of seeing two outstanding films over the past weekend. On Friday night, we bicycled to the charming Bijou by the Bay Theater in downtown Traverse City and watched Brooklyn. This beautifully crafted and … Continue reading

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Cities of intrigue and mystery

When a city’s name is mentioned in conversation or in writing, it can conjure up certain images based on one’s personal knowledge of the place. If one has not visited the city, the image is largely shaped by perceptions derived … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, art, Asia, books, branding, China, cities, commerce, Communications, culture, entertainment, Europe, film, geography, historic preservation, history, humanity, infrastructure, land use, literature, Mexico, movies, Music, North America, Oceania, pictures, placemaking, politics, South America, Television, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Who will be today’s counterculture heroes?

We live in a very tumultuous world. Both similar to and different from the dangers faced by the Beat Generation at the dawn of the Cold War or by the Civil Rights and Anti-War movements of the 1960s. Activists of … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, ageism, art, books, civics, civility, Communications, culture, diversity, education, globalization, history, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, internet, literature, Love, military, music, peace, politics, poverty, psychology, racism, Religion, Sexism, social equity, Social media, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

When a suburb becomes larger than the core city

  Below are examples from the United States of suburbs which have outgrown and overtaken the core city of the metropolitan area in population. As is evident from the list, many of these are planned retirement centers in Florida and … Continue reading

Posted in cities, economic development, geography, land use, marketing, North America, placemaking, planning, politics, Statistics, tourism, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Review of “American Chinatown, A People’s History of Five Neighborhoods”

In American Chinatown, author Bonnie Tsui has written a compelling and reflective historical account of five Chinatowns in the United States. But, what truly brings this text to life are the lives and experiences of those residents who she interviews … Continue reading

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An image of human-made Earth acne

The image below is a satellite photograph of the Cananea Copper Mine in the northern Mexico state of Sonora. As the old adage states, “a picture says a thousand words.” In this case, most of those  words would be negative. … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, aerospace, cities, environment, geography, Geology, globalization, government, health, history, Labor, land use, Maps, Mining, nature, North America, pictures, politics, pollution, visual pollution | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Constant’s “New Babylon” utopia is not so far-fetched

Imagine a brave new world with the following attributes: “Living time” would replace “work time;” Humankind would be collectively liberated from work and free to engage in creativity; Citizens would pass their time in perpetual tourism; Fixed residence would be … Continue reading

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