A significant number of people are exited about the possibility of urban living, but the truth is that most Americans really have no idea what it is that makes a place vibrant and invigorating, and therefore can’t see the contradictions that exist between what they know they want as an outcome, and what they assume
At first glance the most obvious disastrous consequences of the horizontal development pattern of the last 60 years are the waste of land and the waste of energy that it demands. More insidious and less obvious is the waste of human resources it has required. Every human being on the planet must go through childhood
Somewhere at the top of the list of irrational beliefs would have to be a belief in karma. Any significant amount of life experience analyzed in an objective manner should be enough to understand that “bad behavior” frequently goes unpunished and often gets rewarded and that beliefs to the contrary are mostly wishful thinking. Cheaters
Awareness of the realities of life and of our current circumstances here in the United States is something that I view as a positive. I realize that not everyone would agree. Certainly one of the great philosophical questions involves what is often the dichotomy which exists between happiness and truth. I’ve made a very conscious
I grew up within the boundaries of the city of Springfield, in a moderately walkable neighborhood where my elementary school was located at the end of my street. I asked my mom and she said that she thinks that she walked with me on the first day of kindergarten, but that after that I just
Having recently been in Spain for a little more than a week, it seems strange to title my blog post with the name of a city there I did not visit this time around. Jaén is a very special, unusual place however, and so it merits the privilege. I saw Jaén for the first time
Years ago I was given the opportunity to be part of a public-private partnership. The city of Springfield, in the past, was known for its abundance of street trees along with its spectacular system of public parks, but budget cuts had forced the city to trim its “forestry division” from a few dozen full time
15 years ago the General Manager of the Boston Red Sox was from western Massachusetts, and he had a vision of a farm system for the team which would have the triple A, double A, and A level franchises in New England. Boutique ballparks were all the rage with Camden Yards being credited for helping
Edwards Street. In what I view to be an elaboration of the Powell Doctrine of overwhelming force made manifest in urban revitalization, one of Springfield’s master plans called for creating a market rate residential neighborhood between Mattoon Street and the Quadrangle. The idea was to take a relatively empty street surrounded by many healthy properties
It’s the places between the places that matter. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that they matter more than the places themselves, but they matter quite a bit. In the suburban model the places between the places you go don’t matter, there’s a time quotient which comes into play and perhaps individuals take