Category: Public Policy

Monkey See, Monkey Don’t: Economic Development as a whole new animal

Hazel Borys
Hazel Borys Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
In the economic development world, we're always trying to grow our economic base. And by that we mean goods and services that we export, not just what we use in our local markets. That might include university services, tourism, and any products that we pack and ship, or regional retail that we steal from our neighbors. We... Continue Reading
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Insane, Trains and Automobiles

Howard Blackson
Howard Blackson Twitter Instagram
The holiday season is our culture's designated time for wishes of good cheer and contemplative New Years Resolutions for a better tomorrow. Or so I thought. Then I read this stark statement: “Scott Walker, governor-elect of Wisconsin, who vowed to stop the train in a campaign commercial, said that the train from Milwaukee... Continue Reading
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Season’s Greetings from Alabama: Where Stars Aligned

Ben Brown
Ben Brown
Here’s a story of hope for the holidays. And like most good stories, it begins with bad news. On April 20, BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico exploded, killing 11 of its 126 rig workers. That was the first tragedy. Then, came the second, as oil from the uncapped well began spilling into the Gulf. Continue Reading
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Dancing with Urban Agriculture

Howard Blackson
Howard Blackson Twitter Instagram
My lovely wife of eight years enjoys really bad television. For better or worse, last night she tricked me into watching a segment of 'Dancing with the Stars.' Coyly, she asked me to name the movies in which the dancing ‘star’ had ‘starred’. Having no idea and starting my way back upstairs, I heard her mimicking... Continue Reading
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A Municipal Planner’s Call to Arms (and Legs, Hearts and Lungs)

Guest Contributor
Guest Contributor
The obesity epidemic isn’t really “news” anymore (thank you, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution) yet when I question my friends who work outside the fields of design and planning on why Americans are so fat, they tie everything back to poor food choices. But what about exercise? They reply that if you want to exercise,... Continue Reading
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My Sleuthing Adventure: Where are Western Canada’s Form-Based Codes?

Geoff Dyer
Geoff Dyer
Western Canada’s form-based codes are missing. This is no small problem. Those of us working in the region are continuously grilled by municipalities with the same question, often delivered with a suspicious, cocked eyebrow: “Where are they? Where in Canada have they, or any other alternative zoning regulation,... Continue Reading
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Branded! Municipal Identity and the Selling of Cities

Scott Doyon
Scott Doyon Twitter Instagram Facebook
What does America’s oldest city have in common with one of its youngest? They’re both concerned with branding. St. Augustine, Florida, kicked off their branding initiative in 1715 by petitioning the King of Spain for a coat of arms. Upon his receipt, the King assumedly delegated the request to his creative services... Continue Reading
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Today’s “Eco-Warriors”: Giving Them Something Worth Fighting For

Howard Blackson
Howard Blackson Twitter Instagram
This week I’d like to share a few thoughts on infill and sustainability that coalesced while preparing this week for another Pecha Kucha presentation on Retrofitting Suburbia. I’ll begin with a little background. My daughter came home from her International Baccalaureate Elementary School with a new sticker in her... Continue Reading
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Zoning as Spiritual Practice: From me to we to Thee

Ben Brown
Ben Brown
Get right with God. Fix your zoning. That’s not something you hear regularly from the pulpit, maybe. But it’s gospel nonetheless. Here’s why: If there’s one common thread woven through the world’s most enduring religions, it’s the call to connectivity: Self to others to everything. Not everyone gives... Continue Reading
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Fat-tastic! Can Small Thinking Solve Our Super-Sized Problems?

Scott Doyon
Scott Doyon Twitter Instagram Facebook
According to a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development -- more commonly known for crunching global budget and employment numbers  -- the United States is on track to be 75% obese by 2020. 3 out of every 4. And if you check with researchers at Johns Hopkins University, they’ll... Continue Reading
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