How familiar settings suggest the universal while reawakening who we are. Tonight, from Mercer Island, two light paths cross the water, forming gateways to my hometown. To the left, a bright streak travels east, and to the right, a more subtle, staccato pattern moves west. Together, these beacons are […]
On the evening of November 17, 2021, I stepped onto the pier at Yarmouth, on the Isle of Wight. I walked to the covered area at the end, the evenly spaced lights showing the way. Oliver and David returned to the shore and I stayed behind with my camera. On […]
How experiencing things left behind spurs a diverse understanding of places, and human nature. Safe harbor for pirate ships, a bustling multi-use harbor today in St. Julian’s In August 2006, I traveled to the islands of Malta and Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea. I arrived after some research with an open mind. […]
Sometimes, many years later, we understand why certain images remain indelible. On April 22, 2004, I took a picture of a ruined stone house — or some form of granary — on Il Sentiero degli Dei (the “Path of the Gods”), while walking from Positano to Amalfi. The house was abandoned, but the view […]
Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character (American release, February 22, 2021, UK and European release, Spring 2021) focuses on how to understand the innate identity of an urban place. The book provides a catalog of techniques that emphasize “bottom up,” resident-based input. Such input includes local history, building forms, natural and […]
I bet a lot of us have complained to our neighbours about our local areas losing their “character” or signed petitions against new developments we consider to be “inauthentic”, but why? What do these terms mean and why do we care about them so much? Urban redevelopment often stirs deep […]
Why respect the distinctive character of cities? We invariably are products of our upbringings, which in my case has led me to write a third, well-illustrated book on understanding city life and form. The focus on sustaining culture and character has become even more relevant to me after moving abroad and […]
How do we unearth and rediscover landscapes which we can no longer see? Personal and collective memories in defining a place’s culture and character have tremendous value. Notably, the built environment is not today’s focus. Instead, with Shannon Nichol, we discuss the landscape environment’s “buried” memories. Shannon is a founding […]
Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character provides a catalog of techniques that emphasize “bottom up,” resident-based input. Such input includes local history, building forms, natural and open spaces, cultural assets and tradition, and related policy, planning, and regulatory examples. Here’s a 27 March update on developments and release events for the book. The […]