Politico has written some great longreads recently on cities in the Piedmont region of North Carolina and Southern Virginia. So good, they have helped me refine and shape my urban theory. Namely, they’ve helped me be at peace with just being an urban theorist and influencing the world in that way. Before I went to Roanoke, one… Continue reading Why All the Development in the World Doesn’t Matter if You Don’t Know Your Soul
Year: 2016
The Real Answer to Why I Moved, for the Second Time in 18 Months, to DC.
People have been asking me why I moved. I’ve given them answers and sometimes they’ve not been as foolproof as I’d liked for them to be. And now a month out from the move, I feel like I can answer the question a bit better. “But you can buy a cheaper house here. Food’s really… Continue reading The Real Answer to Why I Moved, for the Second Time in 18 Months, to DC.
The One Key Reason Those Scary Housing Discrimination Maps Are Still True
The night before I wrote this post, I got a present. The present was that the National Geographic website dropped some of the HELOC residential security maps, commonly known in the profession as the redlining maps, into an article, highlighting the amazing work done by the Mapping Inequality Project. If you haven’t already, go to that… Continue reading The One Key Reason Those Scary Housing Discrimination Maps Are Still True
On The Blog at its Sixth Birthday: Reflections on Its Purpose and My Growing Business and Passions
Hey folks! I’ve just gotten in from a conference day where I’ve been encouraged to make a leap into another step in my business and it just so happens on another Friday night like this in October, six years ago, I made another major leap and put The Black Urbanist out into the world. Quite… Continue reading On The Blog at its Sixth Birthday: Reflections on Its Purpose and My Growing Business and Passions
On the Second Presidential Debate of 2016 and Knowing Your Truth About Where You Live
I wanted to discuss a comment about cities that came up in the debate/ town hall last night. Note, this is not a post endorsing one or the other, although I’ll say that I’m with her. But the issue brought up is one that trips up a lot of people when it comes to talking… Continue reading On the Second Presidential Debate of 2016 and Knowing Your Truth About Where You Live
A Note on Privileges, Concerns and Why I Still Blog Even When People Don’t Understand or Hate It.
This post is really long overdue and I was pushed to write it after seeing a couple of things on my timeline, as well as sorting out my thoughts as I make the move to Washington, DC from Kansas City. I’ve also been trying to be more literary in how I post here and less… Continue reading A Note on Privileges, Concerns and Why I Still Blog Even When People Don’t Understand or Hate It.
We May Be Gentrified, But Our Culture Doesn’t Have to Die.
We are at peak gentrification. What’s next? Namely, what’s next for cultures and communities of color who are left in the wake of the racism and greed that drives many gentrification conversations in our cities. How do we overcome the drama of losing our homes and stores and schools and jobs and bus stops and… Continue reading We May Be Gentrified, But Our Culture Doesn’t Have to Die.
What We Need Is More, Not Less, Transit In Our Major Cities
There’s a reason I walk around with my DC SmartTrip card hanging around my neck. And I post time-lapse Instagrams and such of the KC Streetcar working well. Why I wish I could park my car for good and why I relish walking in even 90 degree heat, if it means I’m able to propel… Continue reading What We Need Is More, Not Less, Transit In Our Major Cities
Making It After All– On Social Media for Community Design and Minneapolis
I un-ironically wear a raspberry beret sometimes in the winter, and yes, I do throw it up in the air and tell the world that I’m going to make it after all. I was already cliche Minneapolis before I even set foot there the first time. Two of my favorite speaking opportunities have been in the… Continue reading Making It After All– On Social Media for Community Design and Minneapolis
Why is CNU Still Relevant in the Design, Development and Governance Conversation? (A #CNU24 Reflection)
As of Saturday June 11, the Congress for New Urbanism has convened for 24 times. Since its inception, it’s gone through an evolution, an evolution powered by its roots in the architectural tradition of design and critique. It’s precisely this history which makes it still relevant in the greater design, development and governance (which I’m… Continue reading Why is CNU Still Relevant in the Design, Development and Governance Conversation? (A #CNU24 Reflection)