In the age of sustainability and more environmently-minded people, landscaping guides are more prominent now than in the past few decades. A landscape guide sets out specific plants pertaining to a certain region, city, or town. Their main purpose is to solidify the native and non-native species in a given area, including, but not limited [...]
Buena Vista, Colorado has struggled in recent years with US Highway 24 – the primary transportation connection to other towns and cities. Highway 24 is one of the most well-known transportation corridors in south-central Colorado; it runs horizontally across Colorado connecting the western part of Interstate 70 to the eastern part, bypassing Denver to the [...]
“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk.” – Søren Aabye Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher Danish architect, Jan Gehl’s, latest book, Cities for People (Island Press, 2010), explores the better designs of cities through designs for the people to live and work simultaneously. In this follow-up to Life Between Buildings (1971), Gehl explores the shifting [...]
What does ‘Fairtrade’ mean? Can an entire town really become fair in all senses of trade? The basis of the Fairtrade movement is simple: help alleviate poverty in developing countries by paying premium for the goods we (‘developed’ countries) import. It’s the monitoring the ‘fairness’ within international business that is difficult to police. According to [...]
Complete street design isn’t just for cities: rural communities can follow the theme, too. Living or complete streets reference street design practices incorporating all modes of transportation applicable to a specific street. For instance, public transportation, bicycles, sidewalks/walking, pedestrian “safe zones”’ basic automobiles, etc. are all taken into consideration. The over-arching goal is to make modern street [...]
Wayfinding, or environmental graphic design, is on the rise throughout the United States; Corbin Design and National Sign Plazas are just two firms to specialize in wayfinding systems. However, “way finding” is a term not often recognized in dictionaries, and a large amount of educated people still struggle with its definition. Wayfinding is more than [...]
While not everyone is on board that climate change is a real issue, the effects are increasingly felt across the globe. From higher ocean levels to warmer temperatures, one cannot argue that the environment has not changed over the years, whether the belief that it is the fault of civilization or not. An article out [...]
Preservation of one’s heritage plays an important role in environmental design, especially today. Architects, planners, and designers, in general, are strongly encouraged to incorporate the past, present, and future into their designs. Think about it, can you name a building or region that took into account none of its surroundings? (More than likely, no.) In [...]
As discussed in a previous post, Revamping the Riverfront, residents of Colorado like to stay active. Whether it is public or private open space, skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, kayaking, or another outdoor activity, Colorado doesn’t lack opportunity. Recently, the town of Buena Vista has taken steps to strengthen its local trails system. First, one must realize [...]
A big Global Site Plans welcome to our newest blogger, Katie Poppel from Buena Vista, Colorado. Katie Poppel comes to The Grid as a student constantly on the go. Set to graduate from the University of Cincinnati in 2014, she is studying for a bachelor of urban planning with focuses in urban design and sustainability. [...]
As more and more people aim to get out and get active, revamping public space is key. Parks and other planned open spaces for the public are becoming the hot spots for activity. While it is known that not all parks receive their fair-share of attention, Buena Vista Whitewater Park in Buena Vista, Colorado, once [...]
With the economy in its current slump, development has staggered its progress in the past decade. But not all new development has been stopped. Buena Vista, Colorado has, of course, been affected by the economic downturn, but South Main continues to progress into the neighborhood its founders dreamed in the past decade. As one of [...]
