Tag Archives: trails

Ten planning lessons from LA’s South Bay beach cities

We had the pleasure of visiting the three South Bay beach cities of Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Hermosa Beach over the Christmas holiday weekend. Below are ten planning lessons learned from these charming and beautiful communities. Peace! Esplanade nearest … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Alternative energy, Alternative transportation, architecture, bicycling, Biking, branding, business, cities, civics, climate, climate change, commerce, culture, demographics, density, economic development, Economy, ecosystems, electric vehicles, entertainment, environment, fun, geography, health, hiking, historic preservation, history, Housing, humanity, industry, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, nature, pictures, placemaking, planning, pollution, recreation, Renewable Energy, revitalization, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, third places, topography, tourism, trails, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, visual pollution, walking, water, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“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

Posted in Active transportation, agriculture, Alternative energy, architecture, art, Asia, Astronomy, cities, civics, civility, climate change, colleges, commerce, Cuisine, culture, diversity, economic development, ecosystems, entrepreneurship, environment, food systems, geography, government, health, history, Housing, humanity, inclusiveness, India, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, Maps, natural history, nature, peace, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, Religion, Renewable Energy, social equity, solar, spatial design, sustainability, topography, tourism, trails, transportation, urban design, urban planning, Wildlife, writing, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Every city should have a signature hiking trail

Having hiked in numerous places around the United States and in a few other nations (Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Portugal), I have found that hiking is an excellent method to become better acquainted with a new place on a … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, advertising, Advocacy, agriculture, Alternative transportation, branding, cities, civics, civility, Communications, culture, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, environment, fitness, fun, geography, health, hiking, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, Maps, marketing, nature, pictures, placemaking, planning, product design, recreation, rivers/watersheds, spatial design, sustainability, third places, topography, tourism, trails, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scaling Santa Fe’s Sun Mountain Trail

We spent our late Wednesday afternoon scaling one of the most scenic urban hiking trails one can imagine. The Sun Mountain Trail in Santa Fe, New Mexico is a visual and technical delight. Rising some 813 feel above the roadside … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, cities, deserts, entertainment, environment, fun, geography, Geology, health, hiking, infrastructure, land use, Maps, nature, placemaking, planning, recreation, Statistics, topography, tourism, trails, Travel, urban planning, walking, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hiking New Mexico’s 4th of July Canyon/Cerro Blanco Loop

We spent a lovely autumn Sunday afternoon trekking 4.7 miles at elevation in Cibola National Forest, southeast of Albuquerque. Our hike began at approximately 7,500 foot elevation and included 936 feet of change over the entire trail route. The loop … Continue reading

Posted in entertainment, Environment, fun, geography, health, hiking, Maps, Nature, recreation, spatial design, Statistics, topography, tourism, trails, Travel, Uncategorized, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ten planning lessons from “Unsinkable” Leadville, CO

The historic hometown of the Unsinkable Molly Brown is a scenic gem set high in the Colorado Rockies. Leadville happens to be the highest elevation city in the United States at officially 10,152 feet above sea level. This historic mining … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Alternative transportation, archaeology, architecture, art, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, branding, cities, civics, commerce, culture, downtown, economic development, entertainment, environment, fitness, fun, geography, Geology, health, highways, hiking, historic preservation, history, Housing, humanity, industry, infrastructure, land use, Maps, Mining, nature, pictures, place names, placemaking, pollution, recreation, revitalization, spatial design, Statistics, third places, topography, tourism, traffic, trails, Travel, urban design, urban planning, walking, weather, Wildlife, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The longest bike and/or footbridges in the USA or Canada

The following working list identifies the longest bicycle and pedestrian bridges in the United States and Canada based on the length (in feet) of their main span. A separate list of bridges that may be long enough to join this … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, Alternative transportation, archaeology, architecture, art, bicycling, Biking, bridges, Canada, cities, entertainment, fitness, fun, geography, health, hiking, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, pictures, placemaking, planning, recreation, rivers/watersheds, States, Statistics, topography, tourism, trails, transportation, Travel, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fort Wayne’s three iconic bicycle/pedestrian bridges

Completed over the past dozen years, three stunning bicycle/pedestrian bridges now link the Purdue University-Fort Wayne campus trail network to the City of Fort Wayne’s Rivergreenway System. It’s hard to describe how impressive these three structures are, but the architectural … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, architecture, art, bicycling, Biking, cities, economic development, education, fitness, fun, health, hiking, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, Maps, pictures, placemaking, planning, product design, recreation, rivers/watersheds, spatial design, tourism, trails, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Favorite historic trails to hike or bike

Presented below are my eleven favorite “historic” hiking and biking trails that have been visited thus far in the United States. The Iron Ore Heritage Trail in Marquette County, Michigan is my personal favorite, though each of these trails are … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, archaeology, art, bicycling, Biking, cities, culture, fun, geography, Geology, health, hiking, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, recreation, revitalization, third places, topography, tourism, trails, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking, water trails | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Favorite shoreline & inland hikes of NW Lower Michigan

The list below includes those trails that are primarily geared towards hikers rather than cyclists. The only exception is the Boardman Lake Loop Trail.  Shoreline hikes refer to those that are along Lake Michigan or Grand Traverse Bay. Meanwhile, inland … Continue reading

Posted in entertainment, environment, fitness, fun, geography, Geology, health, Health care, hiking, infrastructure, land use, Maps, nature, pictures, placemaking, planning, recreation, spatial design, topography, tourism, trails, Travel, walking, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment