I was in Barcelona a couple weeks ago for the Smart City Expo and World Congress, where I moderated a session on the impact of smart city technologies on cities. Not only is Barcelona an amazing city itself, it was great to get to see European urbanists we don't always run across in the US, like Charles Landry and Ricky Burdett. As is often the case, I think we here in America (myself included) end up trapped in a US-centric bubble in our thinking. So it's good to break out of it. My session brought out a number of interesting points in … [Read more...]
Archives for November 2012
Chicago’s Northwest Indiana Advantage
This article is part of the State of Chicago. Chicago is in effect a tri-state area consisting of parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. The lion's share of the population is in Illinois. Also, the city is by far the largest municipality in the area - it's bigger than a lot of states. This leads to a very Illinois-centric and Chicago-centric civic leadership and view of the world. Perhaps rightly so. However, Chicago, looking for advantages where ever it can, should seek to find them in collaboration with the other states. Today I'll … [Read more...]
New England vs. Midwest Culture
How Physical, Cultural and Political Differences Shape Development and Economic Growth I was recently asked to make a comparison living in New England versus the Midwest-specifically how cultural and political differences impact the economic and physical development framework of the two regions. This is something that I have at least a modest knowledge of, given that I have lived and worked in both areas (Born and raised in Hamden, CT near New Haven, attended college near Boston and now live near Columbus, OH). As a real estate developer and … [Read more...]