Urbanity and Architecture
Small Ribbons of Wild in the City
In the far northwest corner of Portland lies one of the largest urban parks in the United States—Forest Park. Years ago, I was fortunate enough to live right on the edge of this tree-covered paradise. Out the back door of our apartment, a trail led straight into the park, where countless other trails branched and […]
Read MoreNeighborhood Government
Establishing neighborhood-level governance helps connect residents with city leadership, fostering stronger civic engagement and enabling communities to drive meaningful local change.
Read MoreSubsidizing Parking Garages
When a new apartment building went up in the neighborhood, it didn’t take long for the complaints to start. At the center of the backlash: the building was approved with no parking included. There are plenty of good reasons to remove parking requirements — especially in a city like San Diego, where housing costs have […]
Read MoreWide Streets
Many neighborhood streets are unnecessarily wide, representing a missed opportunity for creating vibrant, green public spaces. By narrowing these streets and converting the excess space into linear parks, cities can enhance livability, support environmental goals, and strengthen community connections.
Read MoreLong Blocks
As I was running through downtown San Diego yesterday, I found that I was very appreciative of the minor streets that allowed me to keep running and not require me to stop and wait for a light to change. I could have longer sections of running, which helps me get in a better workout, and […]
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Civita Park and Surrounding Neighborhood
I finally took a little trip to Civita Park and the surrounding neighborhood. The neighborhood is still a work in progress but it’s an encouraging development that we need more
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A Coalition of Cities
I think of great cities. Rome, Florence, Paris, Cairo, Tokyo. Their individual atoms change over time, but the pattern — what we recognize as the city exists, evolving and growing throughout the centuries. Empires and nations rise and fall around them, but the cities remain. Cities have always been where humanity moves forward. They are […]
Read MoreFurniture
Furniture should play a larger role in homes. It has, for perhap’s it’s entire history, been relegated to being isolated objects to fill our empty living areas, utilized for creating places to sit, store things, to hold other pieces of furniture. It has been used to fill space, when in fact it should be used […]
Read MoreA Better Location for a Portland Public Market
There was sad news recently that the James Beard Public Market abandoned their plans for a downtown location, which was to be placed at the west end of the Morrison Bridge. Currently, the market’s board of directors are working with OMSI to locate the market on the east side of the river, near the soon-to-be-developed […]
Read MoreHey San Diego: Utilize Your Waterfront Better!
San Diego has some of the best weather in the entire US, and being right on the coast, and a downtown that is adjacent to water, it has tremendous assets that other cities just can’t match. It’s interesting that until recently, downtown San Diego has done a pretty incredible job of cutting itself off from […]
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