ARTICLES
The Original Articles archives of CharacterTowns.org presents papers that discuss practical and conceptual ideas for designing, building and managing character towns and small cities that are interesting, pleasant and prosperous places for residents, businesses and visitors.
Where Will 2.5 Million New Floridians Go?
A Strategy: There are only three places to put a growing population. Florida Trend’s March 2022 Article is entitled – “What Florida Has to Get Right As It Grows”. The lead-in says “Florida is projected to gain 2.5 million new residents by 2030. Here’s what that means for schools, roads, homes and other infrastructure needs” […]
Whitewater Parks
The Hypothetical. Communities are generally looking for ways to distinguish themselves for the benefit of their residents and businesses. Historic sites and persons are exploited as are natural features. Visitor attracting playgrounds and theme parks serve the purpose…the purpose being to bring outside money into the local economy. And, by the way, provide an interesting, […]
Who Benefits in a Tech Hub?
Who Benefits in a Tech Hub? is another product from Richard Florida who continues to provide useful thoughts for how small cities and towns can deal with opportunities and challenges. His research and analysis help local officials balance the pros and cons of new and expensive technologies and approaches for planning and operating the city.[embeddoc […]
Why Are Remote Corporate Workers Having More Fun? Co-Working Spaces.
For many, shared offices have become an escape from often chaotic homes — and a chance to join a community. Are they the future of co-working? The New York Times has published the following two stories on how employees will find a middle ground between working from home and returning to the office…the suburban co-working […]
Why Co-Working Spaces Are Betting on the Suburbs
From the New York Times Start-ups are betting that the pandemic has spawned a new kind of worker who wants an office space closer to home, without the long commute. Paul Doran, a health care salesman, dreads the thought of commuting back to his office in Manhattan after 19 months of working from home in […]
Why the U.S. Electric Grid Isn’t Ready for the Energy Transition
From the New York Times The U.S. electric grid is often described as a vast, synchronized machine — a network of wires carrying electricity from power plants across the country into our homes. But, in reality, there is no single U.S. grid. There are three — one in the West, one in the East and […]
Wicked Problems
Wicked problems is a term of art from the high tech world. Wicked problems are ones where the nature of the problem changes the more you try to solve it. A moving target, much like many social and community problems faced by city planners. City builders deal with problems, sometimes called opportunities, all the time. […]
Wicked Problems
THINKING ABOUT PROBLEMS. City planners and builders, as well as many other professions, deal with problems, sometimes called opportunities, all the time. Problem solving is the reason the professions exists. However, all problems are not alike. Understanding the type of problem being faced can make the difference in finding a good solution, or not – […]
Will World-Class Architecture Bring Civic Pride Back to Memphis?
Spurred by Herzog & de Meuron’s new art museum and a rethought waterfront park by Studio Gang, city leaders turn to design to make a downtown for “everyone.” Tom Lee Park in downtown Memphis is being redesigned by the architect Jeanne Gang with Kate Orff of SCAPE to transform community life along the Mississippi. It […]
Winter Garden FL, A Quintessential Character Town.
Winter Garden is a centennial town found within the aura of the Orlando Region. Since 2000, the population has more than tripled with an additional 31,700 people now residing in the City. Amidst this stupendous growth, the City has become evermore the quintessential character town. The origin story for CharacterTowns.org owes much to the City […]
Winter Garden FL, A Quintessential Character Town.
Winter Garden is a centennial town found within the aura of the Orlando Region. Since 2000, the population has more than tripled. Amidst this stupendous growth, the City has become evermore the quintessential character town. The origin story for CharacterTowns.org owes much to the City of Winter Garden. CHARACTER. Winter Garden is an interesting, pleasant […]
Winter Garden’s Tucker Ranch Recreation Park and Nature Preserve
CT.org…The City of Winter Garden is the quintessential character town that continues to innovate and progress as a small city dedicated to being a place that is interesting, pleasant and prosperous for its residents, businesses and visitors. Development of the Tucker Ranch is another creative step in providing multiple benefits through a single action: The […]
With historic federal investment incoming, regions must collaborate on planning.
From Brookings CT.org…Brookings calls for regional planning as a gateway to federal funds. Usually, CT.org provides an introductory paragraph from a useful article with a link to the balance, but this one is so timely, the entire article is provided below. Thanks to historic commitments by Congress and resilient local economies, the next five years […]
World is in danger of missing Paris climate target, summit is warned by Fiona Harvey
From the Guardian Minister tells more than 80 world leaders that not enough is being done. The world is still not on track to fulfill the 2015 Paris climate agreement, the UK’s business secretary Alok Sharma warned, after a summit of more than 70 world leaders on the climate crisis ended with few new commitments […]
World’s Top Global Mega Trends to 2025 and Implications to Business, Society and Cultures
World’s Top Global Mega Trends to 2025 and Implications to Business, Society and Cultures is an article from the 2016 World Economic Forum that discusses the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The article is so thick with content that several readings are necessary to appreciate the full extent of the presentation and the potential impact the envisioned future […]
The Worst Streets In North America
The Worst Streets in North America provides examples of really bad streets along with the criteria used for the determination. The analysis provides an object lesson for small cities and owns trying to preserve, enhance or create character in their towns. FacebookTweetLinkedInEmail
Wrestling Public Benefits from Derelict and Neglected Roads, Rails and Rivers
THE PROSPECT. Valuable lands and waters are being discarded because their first use has become obsolete and most communities and developers are not clever enough to envision a productive life for the second or subsequent generations of use. Fortunately, some communities, urban designers and philanthropists are envisioning new uses for discarded roads, rails and rivers. […]
Yale Climate Connections: Climate Explained by Gary Yohe, Henry Jacoby and Richard Richels
“The evidence is compelling on human activity as the principal cause of global warming. “Research conducted worldwide makes clear that it’s overwhelmingly human activities – in particular combustion of fossil fuels – that can explain observed global temperature increases, especially over the past seven decades.” FacebookTweetLinkedInEmail
Yale Climate Connections…Coming Series.
Four experts share a ‘few simple, clear, and indisputable statements of scientific fact’ on climate change. By Gary Yohe, Benjamin Santer, Henry Jacoby, and Richard Richels | Friday, September 11, 2020 “Here are seven key climate messages to follow-up our September 4 posting of debate questions related to climate change. On a weekly basis, we […]
Yale’s Climate Connections
Good readings for getting up to speed on methane. There’s a lot involved in better understanding the climate change implications of methane, a principal component of natural gas. That methane is a powerful greenhouse gas is not news for many readers of this site. But it is newly prominent, both as a significant contributor to […]