Posts Tagged ‘livability’

December 22, 2016

14 of my Favorite Things About Portland, Oregon

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet In early 2013 Portland was like a new love interest that I had fallen hard for. I was enamored with just about everything in the city. I gained 10lbs just cause I wanted to try all the food and I couldn’t get enough of the Blue Star Donuts, the Waffle Window and Lauretta Jeans Pie Shop. I traipsed around the city taking photographs of the gorgeous flowers, the beautiful bridges, and the many group bike rides I went on. Four years later, just like any love interest, the shine has worn off and I’ve settled into a calmer, less…

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September 25, 2014

7 Reasons Why High-Rises Kill Livability

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet What are you supposed to do when you’re the city of Portland and millions of people are supposed to move into your city in the coming decades and you have an urban growth boundary? Build up, right? To a certain extent yes, but not above the fifth floor, says world-renown architect Jan Gehl. “I would say that anybody living over the fifth floor ought generally to be referring to the airspace authorities. You’re not part of the earth anymore, because you can’t see what’s going on on the ground and the people on the ground can’t see where you…

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November 05, 2013

Livability 101: Going to the Clinic Without a Car

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Livability means being able to take your kids to school, go to work, see a doctor, drop by the grocery or post office, go out to dinner and a movie, and play with your kids in a park, all without having to get in your car. – Former Secretary of State Ray LaHood You can claim your city is livable all day long, but the real livability test is on the ground, on a daily basis, when you need to get groceries, or a hammer and nails, or go to the movies, or go to a friend’s house party…

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June 20, 2011

Who Should Be the Next Mayor of Phoenix?

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Today I’d like to tell you who I think would make the best next mayor of Phoenix. But first, I’d like to talk a little bit about respect. It’s so easy for us, when we’re passionate about what we believe in, to let ourselves get angry at those who don’t espouse the same opinions we do and then attack them. What I’ve learned by sitting down with the major mayoral candidates and interviewing them is that each one of them is a dedicated public servant trying to do their best for our city. I have no doubt whatsoever that…

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Tweet Believe it or not Phoenix was one of the last major cities in the country to complete its freeway system.  By the 1960s Phoenix still didn’t have many freeways other than the 1-17.  Starting to learn lessons from other parts of the country, especially LA, many in Phoenix weren’t sure that adding freeways would be a good answer to our people-moving dilemma.  “…by the later 1960s, people in many cities were beginning to see that near total reliance on the automobile for transportation imposed significant unanticipated costs.  Many people now regretted the decisions to bulldoze older neighborhoods that resulted…

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