Last night's Presidential press conference was enlightening in that several very good questions sought to elicit some kind of response from Obama about consumption and growth. The question from NBC/MSNBC's Chuck Todd including the following: "...if your plan works the way you want it to work, it's going to increase consumer spending. But isn't consumer spending, or overspending, how we got into this mess?" I applaud Todd for asking a borderline taboo question about the consumer economy but it… Continue

Those of us familiar with what constitutes good urban design know that the front porch plays a central role in establishing a sense of friendliness and community on a residential street. So I am putting out a call to all municipalities, builders and developers, and homebuyers to accept nothing less than a house pulled close to the street and fashioned with a nice, big front porch that can hold a porch swing, a few Adirondack chairs, a mailbox, and nice big welcoming front door. With Halloween… Continue