Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

I never did get a PhD in planning (a big regret) but I wanted to do my dissertation on better citizen involvement processes, because outside of families with children in local schools, land use issues were the ones most likely to get the average citizen involved in local civic affairs. National Community Planning Month in October. The American Planning Association webpage has some resources. Next year's conference is in Houston in the Spring.

Most of the initial firms sold themselves to for profit providers around the time that they needed to raise funds for the first wholesale replacement of the original fleet of cars as they aged.

blog entry), and the issues I wrote about concerning Utah, it's great timing that the second Land We Share Summit on public lands in the state of Utah is coming up later this week. --Morning Plenary: "Threats to the National Monuments" -- Breakout: Rural organizing -- Breakout: Economics of open space -- Breakout: Wildland Fire, Wildlife and Watersheds -- Breakout: Indigenous Co-Management -- Lunch Plenary: "The State vs.

Parks Week. I am calling this "Parks Week" because for the first time I will be attending the National Recreation and Parks Association national conference, in Philadelphia. I hope to learn a lot and write some posts too. Looking southeast across Sugar House Pond.

This Valvoline Oil Change marquee sign ad pokes fun at the practice. This article in "American Airlines Joins $500 Million Pumpkin Spice Fall Flavor Trend," make the point that the flavor is big business.

Parks Week. I am calling this "Parks Week" because for the first time I will be attending the National Recreation and Parks Association national conference, in Philadelphia. I hope to learn a lot and write some posts too. National Public Lands Day is Today. Throughout the year I collect stories relevant to National Public Lands Day, which is the last Saturday in September. Sometimes I manage to publish a piece in advance, sometimes not.

The university campus in Syracuse, N.Y. TED SHAFFREY/AP The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article on Syracuse University ("Why Syracuse Can’t Attract the Students It Needs to Pay the Bills"). In general, colleges these days are facing the demographic cliff of fewer students. That's especially affected small private colleges with high tuitions.

The Wall Street Journal--the best way to access it is through your local library system, which probably provides access, my registration evaders no longer really work on it--writes in "Seattle and D.C. Are Bucking the Trend by Attracting Families With Kids" that most cities are losing families but not DC and Seattle. This family lives in DC's Mount Pleasant neighborhood--which is great. And the daughter goes to the local Spanish-English immersion elementary school.

Cleveland Plain Dealer, "The return of Sherwin-Williams’ workers may revive downtown Cleveland — but not without resistance." Companies did move back to the city. While there was a trend of corporations that had moved to the suburbs moving back to the city--examples like Compuware and Rocket Mortgage in Detroit, and Panasonic to Newark, it wasn't universal. I had hoped DC had a shot with this, and companies like AES, Nestle, and Hilton, but it wasn't to be.

Photo: The Encore Boston Harbor casino was bathed in the warmth of the setting sun as it towered over the streets of Charlestown from its location in Everett. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff ("Encore was built to be a destination. It became something else," Boston Globe). Casinos are promoted pretty much the same way. Lots of permanent jobs. Lots of tourism and visitors from other places spending their money.