Tucked away in Fairfax County, Virginia’s extensive park network is one by the name of Brookfield. Fairfax Park Authority maintains an abundance of green space that shields this urbanized county from a state of near 100% buildout. With 43,000 acres managed by either the County, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the regional system (NOVA Parks), or
Whether it offers breathtaking natural features, a historic landmark, or simply a place for viewing other phenomena, a park can serve as an amazing magnet and catalyst for economic development. A destination park—usually state or national, and one that typically requires admission fees to enter—can yield such spinoff economic benefits that it invigorates the neighboring
My latest article is available at the Columbus Republic, the newspaper of record for Columbus, Indiana. I’ve featured this atypically design-focused small city only one time in my blogging history—many, many years ago—so it was no small privilege when AIM Media asked me to cover a major revitalization initiative for the city typically rated :
As is the case in many US capital cities, the Arizona State Capitol complex doesn’t sit squarely in the heart of downtown; it’s about a mile west of the absolute center, where Central Avenue meets Washington Street. The City of Phoenix gets that coveted space for its government campus instead, amidst downtown skyscrapers. A mile
Even in some of the most remote and austere nooks of the nation, it’s possible to find overt demonstrations on hot-button global issues. And why not? All it takes is one person with a megaphone, a can of spray paint, or whatever the instrument of choice may be to impart an inflammatory message. Nonetheless, I
The designers of the Wilkes Street Tunnel surely didn’t expect that its novelty would someday elevate it into a tourist attraction. For over a century, it was functional infrastructure. But in 2025, what more could anyone call it? After all, it contributed to the economy of Alexandria, Virginia as a segment within an early railway,
Washington National Cathedral, among the highest-profile religious institutions in the country and certainly in the capital city, has long attracted visitors (pilgrims?) not just for its harrowing Neo-Gothic architecture, or its frequently filmed interior (the site of many presidential funerals), but also for the celebrated green space, which together occupy a hilltop plot measuring 57
An incredibly busy time of year forces me to crank out a few analysis-shy “throwaway” posts so that I can still meet my monthly quota. This time around, it’s a familiar subject as well: the cherry blossom season around the Tidal Basin in Washington DC. By this point in April, the blossoms are typically all
Almost three weeks have come and gone since the tragic crash of American Eagle Flight 5342 with a Blackhawk UH-60 near Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport (DCA), right above the Potomac River, sending the two aircraft and their 67 passengers plunging into the icy water. I visited the George Washington Memorial Parkway, about as close
As the holiday season fast approaches, I find it increasingly difficult (perhaps impossible) to meet my usual goal of five blog posts per month. December is always the toughest month of the year to accomplish this feat, and, having begun the month with a post that was longer than I expected, I may have to
Tucked away in Fairfax County, Virginia’s extensive park network is one by the name of Brookfield. Fairfax Park Authority maintains an abundance of green space that shields this urbanized county from a state
Whether it offers breathtaking natural features, a historic landmark, or simply a place for viewing other phenomena, a park can serve as an amazing magnet and catalyst for economic development. A destination park—usually
My latest article is available at the Columbus Republic, the newspaper of record for Columbus, Indiana. I’ve featured this atypically design-focused small city only one time in my blogging history—many, many years ago—so
As is the case in many US capital cities, the Arizona State Capitol complex doesn’t sit squarely in the heart of downtown; it’s about a mile west of the absolute center, where Central
Even in some of the most remote and austere nooks of the nation, it’s possible to find overt demonstrations on hot-button global issues. And why not? All it takes is one person with
The designers of the Wilkes Street Tunnel surely didn’t expect that its novelty would someday elevate it into a tourist attraction. For over a century, it was functional infrastructure. But in 2025, what
Washington National Cathedral, among the highest-profile religious institutions in the country and certainly in the capital city, has long attracted visitors (pilgrims?) not just for its harrowing Neo-Gothic architecture, or its frequently filmed
An incredibly busy time of year forces me to crank out a few analysis-shy “throwaway” posts so that I can still meet my monthly quota. This time around, it’s a familiar subject as
Almost three weeks have come and gone since the tragic crash of American Eagle Flight 5342 with a Blackhawk UH-60 near Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport (DCA), right above the Potomac River, sending
As the holiday season fast approaches, I find it increasingly difficult (perhaps impossible) to meet my usual goal of five blog posts per month. December is always the toughest month of the year