Sustaining Place

Challenge Ahead: Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character

From the outset, defining the culture and character of a city is a daunting task. It involves storytelling and study, from within and without; it…

A Pandemic View

Remember, the second meaning of “pandemic” is “universal.”

July 4: A Day of Pints and Haircuts

Kathy, I’m lost,” I said, though I knew she was sleeping.“I’m empty and aching and I don’t know why”Counting the cars on the New Jersey…

Have a Think: “A Time of Excitement and Anxiety“

A phrase used on BBC News at 2:00 today is my newly adopted mantra: “A Time of Excitement and Anxiety.” I’ve adopted it as a…

About the Gathering Spaces of Malls in Pandemica

I’m not sure whether malls are places where viruses thrive, but they seem like they could be the cruise ships of retail for all of…

From Ancient Rome to Pandemica Alfresco

Before Pandemica, the universal city that I introduced here a few days ago, there was the Roman military camp, the castrum, and its constituent crossroads…

Guess What? We Will Always Write About Cities

For many, the pandemic has been a catalyst to compare the urban life that was to what it now seems to be. Yet, that is…

A Manifesto for Equity Street in Pandemica

We all live in the city of Pandemica. With apologies to Italo Calvino, it is time to reconsider a current “road closed” image of historic…

Hilltowns as Icons Anew

Ten years ago, I wrote a short, inspirational piece about hill towns. Yesterday, as I regarded the still-noticeable configuration of Richmond upon Thames–rising up to…

This Too Shall Pass

In Urbanism Without Effort, I wrote that storefronts have always made the city. One reason is the messages they communicate, which is why blank walls…