by admin | Jan 2, 2023 | Activism, Christianity, Death, Environment, Nature, Parks, Personal history, Resilience, Urban forest, Urban Planning
I am a tree lover, but not a tree hugger. I think there is a difference, although I do not wish to demean tree huggers in any way. I am simply coming from a different place, viewing matters through a different lens. I can understand the emotional response that trees...
by admin | Jan 1, 2022 | Coronavirus, Education, Healthcare, Medical, Personal health, Public health, Urban Planning
I am proud to announce that I started the New Year on a negative note. Having had a very mild fever Thursday evening and a very mild nagging cough, I thought the better part of wisdom these days was a COVID test, even though I would have bet serious money that it was...
by admin | Jul 6, 2021 | Disaster, Floodplain management, Government, Hazard Mitigation, Housing, Infrastructure, Natural Hazards, Public safety, Resilience, Urban Planning
The recent collapse of the Champlain Towers in Surfside, Florida, has cast a spotlight on numerous issues concerning building maintenance, private and public decision-making processes, potential (but highly uncertain) corrosive impacts of sea level rise, and even the...
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 | 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...
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,...