I learned a lot about place this year. Yet, those many lessons coalesced into these three big lessons: a progressive, inclusive, tactical charrette process, people over money and the need to legally live in more than one place, to help you guys out there learn more about your own towns and cities. Let’s dig into… Continue reading Three Lessons I Learned About Place in 2015
Year: 2015
Are You Mad About the Mall?– An Urbanist Holiday Tale
It’s the holiday season. You went to the mall or the mall-like replacement that’s available in your city or town. You left in one of two ways, both of which made you mad about the mall. The first way, you couldn’t get enough of the mall. You’re enamored with all the presents you were able… Continue reading Are You Mad About the Mall?– An Urbanist Holiday Tale
How Does Your City Do the Holidays?
We are just 10 days from Christmas and we just finished Hanukkah a couple of days ago. Throughout October-January, people will celebrate more than they have all year it seems, at least on a national scale. How has that manifested in different cities? What are some of the holiday traditions you’ve observed. I’ll share a… Continue reading How Does Your City Do the Holidays?
My Ultimate Urbanist Gift Guide
This year I decided to go ahead and talk about how to buy gifts. I feel this list can be applied to any time a year and any holiday. After all, these things are unique and they’re always greatly appreciated by any urbanist I know. I would ask your urbanist for some guidance because… Continue reading My Ultimate Urbanist Gift Guide
What Should Cities Give Us?
What should cities give us? Safety? Diversity? A place to live? A place to work? Places to eat? Places to learn? This is the time of year where across the world, we turn our attention to gifts and what we can give people and what we have been given. While this week marked the beginning… Continue reading What Should Cities Give Us?
Why I’m Grateful for Cities
Just in time for the United States Thanksgiving celebration this week, I want to positively but honestly, give thanks to cities for what they do well and right. So why am I thankful for cities? Public Libraries You may have seen the above picture on some social media site. It’s actually the parking garage of… Continue reading Why I’m Grateful for Cities
The Life and Death of City Cool
Should we even worry about residential gentrification, when in a few years, the very people who make certain blocks hot, don’t even care about those blocks anymore? Is that something that only those of means and of the right color have to worry about? Do people rebuild the cultures that die in new places or… Continue reading The Life and Death of City Cool
Why Feelings Matter Most with Citizens and Their Cities
Design can’t be everything. Ask your kid who goes to Disney World and doesn’t like Mickey or Cinderella Castle. All they want to do is ride Space Mountain a bunch of times. That’s right. They’d rather go on a ride that strips away your sense of knowing where you are going and makes you trust… Continue reading Why Feelings Matter Most with Citizens and Their Cities
Sportsball as Community Ball as My Ball
We are all Royal. At least we are in Kansas City right now. In both the spirit of the World Series win, me being nostalgic over different pieces of my writing and the fact that IT IS NOW BASKETBALL SEASON, I’m re-working this piece and adding a bit more context around what I’ve seen happen… Continue reading Sportsball as Community Ball as My Ball
Why Road Gentrification Is Good Gentrification
I’m a firm believer that transportation is one place where equity can and should be had. At the end of the day, a street is a street, we all have to use them and their presence should not be the signal of gentrification you worry about. It should be the one you champion to get… Continue reading Why Road Gentrification Is Good Gentrification