It never hurts to have a good business card design. While they seem like a basic staple (and often times overlooked) of any firm, a good business card can make a break a sale for a company. Having a flashy business card could be the difference of a potential client picking up the phone and [...]
It’s hard to believe all the change that has happened over the past 6-months. Way back in April 2011, mere 6-months ago, I began my pleasurable internship with Global Site Plans (GSP). In all honesty, though, I had no idea what I was doing. I had been in the City and Regional Planning program at [...]
One of the most difficult things for urban planners to do is to garner accurate and worthwhile public opinion. Coincidentally, public opinion happens to be the driving force behind the concept of “urban planning.” After all, planners exist to serve the public, and if they can’t figure out what the public’s opinions are on construction [...]
There is no arguing the fact that America has become dependent upon the automobile. Several other GRID bloggers have already discussed the repercussions of this dependency, including an article I wrote a couple of months ago exploring alternatives to the automobile. However, I wanted to take some time to discuss the “whys” of America’s dependency [...]
“The business of design is in a state of flux. The roles, the tasks and the personae of designers are changing.” This is the key claim and thesis fueling the concepts behind the Sixth International Conference on Design Principles and Practices Conference 2012. Happening January 20-22, 2012 at the University of California – Los Angeles [...]
In today’s urban realm, planners and architects are having problems distinguishing place from space. At first analysis, it may not seem like this is such a big deal. But in reality, argues acclaimed author James Howard Kunstler, the difference between the two is crucial in improving safety, social well-being, and even contentment in cities across [...]
One of the more popular methods of urban design that is currently being pushed upon communities by urban planners is mixed-use design. While there are plenty of risks associated with mixed-use development, primarily that of its dangerous deviation from the single-use style of development that America has embraced for the last 50 years, the potential [...]
The most vital resource to the survival and success of any city is contingent upon easy access to clean water. Clean water allows people to live in compact areas and still enjoy high levels of health and sanitation. Where there are clean water shortages, turmoil, strife, and disease will follow. It is important, then, for [...]
When it comes to developing more sustainable methods of transportation for Americans, there is nowhere to go, but up. Americans emit nearly 4,500 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions per person, per year. This is nearly double that of any other country in the world; not to mention four times as many emissions as Europe and [...]
A relatively new and growing sector in the tourism industry is the concept of urban ecotourism. Until recently, ecotourism occurred exclusively in environmentally pristine and relatively untouched landscapes, such as those found in Costa Rica and Madagascar. This is no longer the case, as there are now ways to embrace all of the values that [...]
