Here in the United Kingdom, things are waking up again, with many pandemic-based recalibrations advancing to new venues. Things are much the same as before, but personal space is now strangely buffered, with in-person interactions altered in subtle ways. For instance, who would have imagined the need to explain that […]
In Newbury, England today, the High Street landscape shows the early easing of lockdown, surrounded by a framing sky. Such views can transcend the frantic quest for solutions in the most irrational and illogical times.
How to manage disruptive daily news that impacts our sense of well-being, highlights social disparity, or recalls the fragile balance between health and economy? As forms of therapy, how do we adapt to the unaccustomed extremes of 2020 thus far? Our answers will vary; recently, I have tried to share […]
During these all-too strange days of pandemic and protest, it is hard to say something someone has not said already, or to express outrage in an innovative way. But neither is it a time to remain silent, particularly when people remark here in London about an American President and expect […]
“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary…” Edgar Allen Poe, “The Raven,” 1845 Here, during London’s lockdown, we’ve seen many ravens. My wife, Fiona, recently reminded me of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven,” the much-adored lamentation for the lost and unknown. Repeatedly, a raven tells Poe’s […]
In the latest issue of The Journal of Public Space, I had the fortunate opportunity to summarize Fulbright work in Australia almost two years ago and reflect on my soon-to-be trilogy of books on how to understand and improve urban environments. I’m grateful to the Editors for the chance to […]
In March 2010, when urbanist bloggers were few and twitter was in its infancy, I wandered my then-neighborhood in Seattle and wrote about some easy fixes that would help bring the city out of the recession. Ten years later, amid post-pandemic prophecies about how cities might address public safety, transportation, […]
As quarantines relax, many urban residents show behavior that belongs to a stage of reopening not yet formally announced by government. In short, flouters adopt “Phase 2” activities in “Phase 1.” Is this a mostly harmless and realistic “cutting edge,” or impatience in the form of reckless abandon? What does […]
