Posts Tagged ‘sustainability’

March 23, 2015

Philadelphia University Interview on the Meaning of Architecture

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Philadelphia University has a blog aimed at prospective architecture students called Built@PhilaU. The authors recently interviewed me about the meaning of architecture and the role of sustainability in the profession. Below is the interview. You can find the original interview here. Taz Loomans of The Blooming Rock Blog loves everything about architecture, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some things that she would like to see change in her lifetime. Here, Loomans discusses some of what she loves the most about the field and what she hopes will change in the future. Architecture means a lot of things to…

August 12, 2014

Biking is not a race issue, or is it?

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Some bicycling enthusiasts will insist that there are no barriers to entering the bicycling community and that it is open to anyone who wants to join. Just look at the comments on my post, Is Bicycling Only for Fit White People? And a lot of people will insist that there are certainly no racial barriers to bicycling. This may technically be true. Everyone is technically welcome to bicycling. But why is it, according to the research of Eve Bratman and Adam Jadhav, that “in some places, the people who ride are mostly wealthy and white?” There are two types…

July 03, 2013

Leslie Lindo Instills Sustainable Practices in the Business World Through Education

by: Nichole Reber

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Nichole Reber. After four years of traveling the globe Nichole has repatriated to Phoenix. There she is following her two passions: writing and the built environment. During the day she does marketing communications, social media, and journalism for those in AEC. At night she’s at work on her first book, a travel memoir about deportation, near kidnappings, hospitalizations, and the harsh realities behind travel’s glamour. Find her on her literary blog, and check out her portfolio. Leslie Lindo doesn’t see sustainability as just a buzzword. She sees it as a means to a better community. Working for…

June 07, 2013

The City of Flagstaff Shows Real Leadership in Sustainability

by: James Gardner

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer James Gardner: In 2011, the City of Flagstaff, a university town, home to about 50,000 permanent residents and 15,000 students, launched its official sustainability initiative, the Municipal Sustainability Plan (MSP), taking a public step in the direction toward sustainability as a city. There were many initiatives within their departments prior to 2011, but its first Municipal Sustainability Plan was published in 2011, marking a clear intent to operate sustainably, and distance itself from some nearby cities and towns, who have shunned the idea of sustainability. The City’s MSP focuses primarily on the operations…

March 05, 2012

An Interview with Jon Talton about the Future of Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Jon Talton, a Phoenix native and an Arizona Republic columnist at one time but now a resident of Seattle, doesn’t pull any punches on his blog Rogue Columnist. He is the author of the Phoenix-based David Mapstone Mysteries, The Pain Nurse, first of the Cincinnati Casebooks and the thriller Deadline Man. His new novel is South Phoenix Rules. Talton is often criticized for being too negative about Phoenix, but it is his underlying love for the city that drives him to expose this place’s reality as he sees it – complete with a rich history, misguided dreams of unlimited…

January 11, 2012

Why the Central Avenue Road Diet is a Big Deal

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet New bike lanes are in on Central between Camelback and Bethany Home as part of the planned road diet for the area! I rode this newly slimmed down stretch of Central on Sunday with a group of bikers in celebration of this move towards making Phoenix a more bike-friendly place. Someone said to me on the ride, there are people in Arizona that don’t like bicyclists, that don’t think they should be on the road. And for too long, these people have had all the say in the transportation planning of our city. the road diet is a…

November 21, 2011

6 Things Cities Around the Country are Doing to Become Sustainable

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Two weeks ago I attended the National League of Cities 2011 Congress of Cities & Exposition at the Phoenix Convention Center. This was an event that brought together a variety of city officials from all over the country. It was a good opportunity to learn about the national trends and conversations, what’s important to various cities and the strategies they’re using to implement their vision. Sustainability was on the forefront of all the sessions I attended. It seemed as if cities were competing with one another on how sustainable they were becoming. I watched representatives from cities like Seattle,…