by admin | Apr 18, 2017 | Climate, Drought, Floodplain management, Infrastructure, Natural Hazards, Parks, Science, Urban Planning, Water
For those who think only in terms of the politics of red and blue states, the conference I attended March 30-31 in Lincoln, Nebraska, may seem like a paradox, if not an oxymoron. It is neither. It is a matter of looking beyond labels to facts and common sense, and...
by admin | Mar 22, 2017 | Activism, Climate, Disaster policy, Environment, Floodplain management, Government, Public policy, Resilience, Urban Planning, Water
It is time to make America resilient. The trends have been moving us in the wrong direction for a long time, but we know how to reverse them. Planners — and elected officials — have to embrace the science that will inform us best on how to achieve that goal, and we...
by admin | Mar 19, 2017 | Activism, Climate, Economic development, Environment, Government, Housing, Infrastructure, National security, Natural Hazards, Politics, Public policy, Resilience, Science, Urban Planning, Water
The American Planning Association (APA), the organization that employs me as the manager of its Hazards Planning Center, made me proud last week. It took a rare step: It announced its opposition to President Donald Trump’s 2018 budget proposal. It is not that APA has...
by admin | Mar 5, 2017 | Disaster, Environment, Floodplain management, Floodplain management, Geography, Infrastructure, Natural Hazards, Resilience, Urban Planning
It has taken a long while in our modern society for the notion to take hold that some of the best solutions to reduce the impact of natural hazards can be found in nature itself. Perhaps it is the high cost of continuing to use highly engineered solutions to protect...
by admin | Feb 26, 2017 | Books, Civil rights, Economic development, Geography, Government, History, Movies
The Republic of Botswana, a paragon of progress in today’s Africa, did not start life with any apparent advantages. In fact, the former British protectorate of Bechuanaland, which became independent Botswana, appeared in the 1950s to have bleak prospects, in no small...
