The font, the name “spectrum”, the combination of rainbow against a monochrome backdrop, the inclusion of a prism—it all evokes an aesthetic gestalt that probably seemed pretty fashionable during its 1980s inception (concurrent with the album Glassworks, maybe?), then enjoyed a lingering viability as a signifier of all things highbrow and “arty”, all the way
The influence of pop-culture sociology has helped to impart an almost malicious intent onto most ethnic enclaves in the United States. After all, many academics presume, if a district of profound cultural difference exists in hyper concentration while surrounded by a much larger district reflective of the homogenous cultural majority, the only reasonable explanation for
A strip mall is usually the most predictable and omnipresent of low-density suburban commercial land uses. Every American over the age of ten knows what one looks like: a row of shops, usually low-slung (one-story), a sidewalk linking the storefront entrances, and an abundance of parking out front. They’ve gotten more aesthetic in recent decades,
I usually shy away from timely subjects because I want my articles to have staying power. And there’s no better way to do the opposite than to cover a subject “hot off the presses” with a clear, almost immediate expiration date. It generates great buzz for 48 hours…at most. Time-sensitive subjects evoke those “presses” far
The predictability of a post-1950s subdivision in most of suburban America almost renders it impervious to analysis. After all, there’s nothing exotic about a middle-class home with 3-4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a two-car garage. Most Americans encounter such houses on a daily basis, if they don’t already live in one. And the prevalence of
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
Country estates. Buffalo trace. Woodland grove. Rolling acres. Everybody is aware of it, even if they haven’t actively noticed it. It’s the adoption of rural, almost pastoral language in suburban place-naming strategy, almost as a hat-tip to what the developers bulldozed yesterday to get the strip malls and split-level ranch homes today. I referenced one
Visitors to the US—particularly those from Europe—have long criticized the Stars and Stripes for the dearth of public restrooms in tourist-rich urban districts: only about 8 per 100,000 people. This ratio places this US on par with Botswana, but also Netherlands, Georgia, and Poland (so it’s not a uniquely American program, to all those Eurocritics).
As we approach the Chinese Year of the Fire Horse, food halls are everywhere. The largest metropolises, college towns, tourist traps, the repurposed warehouse in that shady part of town, office parks, strip malls. Originally primarily the domain of large, old, horizontally-oriented buildings in urban districts, they seem adaptable to almost every building shell and
Potomac Mills, in the heart of the vast Washington DC suburbia that is Northern Virginia, continues to show remarkable resiliency amidst the widespread decline of many—perhaps even most—conventional enclosed shopping malls. Dead and dying malls are, obviously, a familiar subject on this blog; even from the earliest days in the late 2000s, I explored Lafayette
The font, the name “spectrum”, the combination of rainbow against a monochrome backdrop, the inclusion of a prism—it all evokes an aesthetic gestalt that probably seemed pretty fashionable during its 1980s inception (concurrent
The influence of pop-culture sociology has helped to impart an almost malicious intent onto most ethnic enclaves in the United States. After all, many academics presume, if a district of profound cultural difference
A strip mall is usually the most predictable and omnipresent of low-density suburban commercial land uses. Every American over the age of ten knows what one looks like: a row of shops, usually
I usually shy away from timely subjects because I want my articles to have staying power. And there’s no better way to do the opposite than to cover a subject “hot off the
The predictability of a post-1950s subdivision in most of suburban America almost renders it impervious to analysis. After all, there’s nothing exotic about a middle-class home with 3-4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a
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
Country estates. Buffalo trace. Woodland grove. Rolling acres. Everybody is aware of it, even if they haven’t actively noticed it. It’s the adoption of rural, almost pastoral language in suburban place-naming strategy, almost
Visitors to the US—particularly those from Europe—have long criticized the Stars and Stripes for the dearth of public restrooms in tourist-rich urban districts: only about 8 per 100,000 people. This ratio places this
As we approach the Chinese Year of the Fire Horse, food halls are everywhere. The largest metropolises, college towns, tourist traps, the repurposed warehouse in that shady part of town, office parks, strip
Potomac Mills, in the heart of the vast Washington DC suburbia that is Northern Virginia, continues to show remarkable resiliency amidst the widespread decline of many—perhaps even most—conventional enclosed shopping malls. Dead and