So for what it’s worth, March is ending like a lamb. The lights are on and the wind is a warm wind. There’s no snow on the ground and the snow that shows up is snow flurries. Wind in March is normal. The trees are blooming and it’s supposed to be 81 in two… Continue reading Placebook: Oh Lamb, Where Are You?
Month: March 2014
Placebook: What I Learned when the Piedmont Came Together
I like to think that I’m the only one in the room or at least the local blogosphere writing the way I write and caring the way I do about what makes a city great. I wrestle all the time with how to name the industry I work in, how to portray how I live… Continue reading Placebook: What I Learned when the Piedmont Came Together
Placebook:That Kind of Attention, but Still Not Those Kind of People
Normally, the types of people and things that I report about don’t make front page news. Well, sometimes in the News and Record, but I digress. And this is the point where I will stop and shamelessly plug my Twitter and Instagram accounts @blackurbanist, where you can find live tweets and photos from today’s Piedmont Together… Continue reading Placebook:That Kind of Attention, but Still Not Those Kind of People
Placebook: The Optimistic Southerner
Today I ran across an article that captured the essence of why I’m out here writing this page, and developing an even bigger platform. Essentially, to tell the story of the citified Southerner. Like these guys and also these guys, I’m trying to tell a different, but valid story. Of the Southerners we all know.… Continue reading Placebook: The Optimistic Southerner
Placebook: War Zones and Playgrounds
What do we make of what I think is the real challenge presented by gentrification? That is, if people see the areas they are moving into or have lived in as war zones or playgrounds or both? For context, I define a war zone as an area where either residents are punished or sometimes killed… Continue reading Placebook: War Zones and Playgrounds
Placebook: Heroes and Sheroes of Placemaking
Who are the heroes and sheroes of placemaking? Are they our leaders and planners who draw up maps and synthesize the findings of community meetings? Are they the community members themselves who come out to meetings and offer encouragement and criticism? I seem to think everyone is capable of being a hero or shero of… Continue reading Placebook: Heroes and Sheroes of Placemaking
Placebook: For Every Sunset, A Sunrise
What do we say when we are on the cusp of change, but not quite there yet? When we wonder if we’ve really messed our city or town up for good with a decision we made, either on the large-scale as an elected official or on the small-scale when that family member or friend decides… Continue reading Placebook: For Every Sunset, A Sunrise
Placebook: Road Runner Urbanism
Areas that sprawl, but have several centers of culture, vibrant human-scaled places, and housing that’s cheap, but on the periphery of town create what I like to call a Road-Runner Urbanism. Essentially, to recreate what some people get in a few city blocks, those of us in sprawling cities must jump in our cars and… Continue reading Placebook: Road Runner Urbanism
Placebook: Pay No Attention to the Weathervane
So this might not be our last blast of cold weather. And this still might not be the worst winter ever. Oh well, just like the Wizard of Oz, we really can’t trust the weathervane behind the curtain. Ok, bad analogy, but still, our weather has no rhyme or reason. And that’s all I have… Continue reading Placebook: Pay No Attention to the Weathervane
Placebook: Is North Carolina a Poor State?
I ask today’s question about this New York Times article. As usual with Times articles, they take a major national issue, in this case poverty and use one place to illustrate it, this time, Chattanooga, TN. It’s a place that’s on the urbanist radar too, as this year’s class of Next City Vanguards will be gathering… Continue reading Placebook: Is North Carolina a Poor State?