Paving paradise ~ or everywhere ~ for parking

One of the most difficult questions that you come across when you plan and design physical places is parking.  There are rules and zoning that try to do what’s best for society, but often have unintended consequences (the economists are all saying, "we call them externalities").  We often hear people calling it "paving paradise."  I [...]

Like lipstick on a concrete pig

No matter how many palm trees you put into you ad for colored concrete, you ain’t gonna make that cement look pretty.  This picture is from a Scofield ad on the back cover of Landscape Architecture Magazine (October 2007).  It’s great to peruse through industry magazines like this one because you get a chance to [...]

“Welcome to Paradise” ~ a spiritually defunct town

A 2006 feel-good, faith-based film called “Welcome to Paradise” will be released on DVD in early October. It stars Crystal Bernard, of Wings fame, and Brian Dennehy. The premise of the movie is that a pastor from the big city is called to move to the small town of “Paradise” (yes, there are around seven [...]

East Coast to L.A. flight ~ no, not the red eye

This post is about urban flight 2.0, where yuppies move from one city to another and seek out pieces of luxury at a low cost in incredibly dense places — hopefully with strip malls. A ton of people that I know have been making the life trek from the East Coast to Los Angeles to [...]

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