His family called him “Al.” His teachers called him “too stupid to learn anything.” But through a lifetime of stratospheric curiosity, unrelenting inventiveness and an unrivaled work ethic, Thomas Alva Edison has earned the invariable honorific uttered even now across … Continue reading →
Beginning last fall, a webinar highlighting the New York City street ambassador program inspired Gabriela Barillas-Longoria, livability planner for Tucson, Arizona, to think up new ways to increase community engagement. “I started thinking of how we could scale it down … Continue reading →
When Midway, Kentucky, began looking into adopting a fairness ordinance in 2015, many of the objectors declared that such an ordinance would harm the city’s economy. But since the passing of the ordinance, Midway has seen the exact opposite of … Continue reading →
Today more cities are investing in their downtowns than ever before by completing a variety of streetscape and placemaking projects. While these updates generate a visually pleasing place to visit, cities shouldn’t discount adding background music when crafting the perfect … Continue reading →
But for one of its residents who became world famous, the Dyess Colony in Arkansas might have been relegated to the dust heap of history along with other Depression era government-planned resettlement communities. The colony, now the town of Dyess, … Continue reading →
In early spring, COVID-19 began spreading across the United States. Suddenly, many businesses were deemed nonessential and shut down. Schools and government offices closed, and sheltering in place became the norm. People began wearing masks and maintaining a 6-foot distance … Continue reading →
We can thank the Germans who in the 1930s gave rise to a new word: Verkehrsberuhigung, literally translating to traffic calming. This practice protected residential areas from through traffic by means of speed bumps, narrower roads, physical design, traffic control … Continue reading →
Bordering three Great Lakes and covered with forests, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is 30% larger than the state of Maryland in terms of landmass but with a population 20 times smaller. While the 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge is the more celebrated entrance … Continue reading →
Ken Young, AICP, and director of community development, doesn’t use the word “boom” in regards to his city’s recent development but rather prefers to call it continued strong growth. “Several factors would be involved, of course,” said Young. “One of … Continue reading →
As we experience this unprecedented event in modern history, safety has taken on a new face. It is no longer enough to clean dirt and debris from parking lots and job sites to protect our pavement and natural resources, including … Continue reading →
When it comes to public safety, coronavirus, or COVID-19, is dominating the news, with coverage at times bordering on fearmongering. Poor Corona — the beer — has taken a hit, with a recent survey of American beer drinkers by 5W Public Relations finding 38% … Continue reading →
