by admin | Jun 2, 2021 | Careers, Coastal Management, Disaster, Disaster policy, Earthquake, Emergency Management, Environment, Government, Hazard Mitigation, Information technology, Natural Hazards, Nature, Parks, Personal history, Resilience, Urban Planning
I first met Ken Topping at the American Planning Association (APA) office in Chicago on a cold day in January 1994. Chicago was suffering one of its classic Arctic blasts at something like -20°F. Ken, a tall, very polite, and articulate gentleman, had his heavy winter...
by admin | Mar 15, 2021 | Agriculture, Careers, Coastal Management, Disaster, Disaster policy, Economic development, Emergency Management, Environment, Geography, Government, Hazard Mitigation, Infrastructure, Natural Hazards, Parks, Public policy, Public safety, Resilience, Science, Social Equity, Urban Planning
Volcanoes pose a unique challenge for hazard mitigation and post-disaster recovery in the parts of the world where they occur. In the United States, these regions are along the Pacific Rim and in the middle of the ocean itself—in other words, the Pacific Northwest,...
by admin | Mar 10, 2021 | Activism, Books, Careers, Climate, Environment, Housing, Infrastructure, Nature, Public health, Renewable Energy, Resilience, Technology, Transportation, Urban Planning, Volunteerism, Water
About six weeks ago, as the Biden administration was first asserting its priorities regarding climate change and the environment, I reviewed a book about the positive actions already being taken by cities around the world in addressing the climate crisis. The...
by admin | Jan 13, 2021 | Aging, Careers, Medical, Personal health, Personal history, Public safety, Weather, Writing
For those who have noticed, it has been more than five weeks since I last posted to this blog. It has been a rough stretch, but it could have been much rougher. At least to my knowledge, I never have contracted COVID-19. Not that people weren’t asking, especially...
by admin | May 26, 2020 | Careers, Economics, Personal history, Transportation, Urban Planning, Volunteerism, Writing
Starting this summer, John Fuller will find something new to do with his time. He is retiring after 41 years on the faculty of the University of Iowa, where he has been a professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP) since 1979. But he has been much...
by admin | Mar 30, 2020 | Aging, Careers, Chicago, Child Welfare, Coronavirus, Disaster, Education, Emergency Management, Healthcare, Medical, Parks, Personal health, Public health, Resilience, Travel, Urban Planning, Volunteerism, Weather, Writing
I miss my gym already, closed just two weeks ago. There was a profusion of equipment to keep anyone in shape, whether you were working on legs, biceps, core, cardio, some combination, whatever. Here at home, I have small barbells, some ankle weights, and perhaps most...