Softly Persuasive Planning Pioneer

by | 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...

In Harm’s Way or Dodging Disaster?

by | Apr 27, 2021 | Activism, Books, Business, Climate, Coastal Management, Disaster, Disaster policy, Economics, Environment, Floodplain management, Government, Hazard Mitigation, Infrastructure, Natural Hazards, Politics, Public policy, Resilience, Transportation, Urban Planning, Water

President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure bill aims to fix much that is ailing in America, and its sheer size is drawing predictable—and short-sighted—fire from Republicans in Congress. The nation has a great deal of aging infrastructure, which will...

Podcast on Hawaii Volcano Recovery

by | 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,...