Posts Tagged ‘Valley of the Sun’

June 15, 2011

Oasis, Mirage and Vastness: The Valley’s Search for Exceptionalism

by: Kevin Kellogg

Tweet Today’s post is by Blooming Rock contributing writer Kevin Kellogg: I met a traveler from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed; And on the pedestal these words appear: “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and…

April 26, 2011

How we can fit all the growth of the next decade on less than 1% of our land and save 400 million gallons of gas doing it.

by: Kevin Kellogg

Tweet Today’s post is by architect/urban planner/thought leader Kevin Kellogg, who, I feel lucky to say, is a regular contributor on the Blooming Rock blog. While the history of Phoenix points to low density, suburban sprawl as the continued norm, it is possible to grow both economically and accommodate more population in a sustainable way by focusing the future growth onto vacant land around light rail stations. Much as the 1985 highway plan has enabled sprawling subdivisions around freeway off-ramps, the light rail line presents a transformative investment that could shape new types of urban places for the Valley: a…

April 05, 2011

John Kane on Regional Architecture, His Local Heroes and Favorite Buildings

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet On the 24th of March, I spoke with Architekton principal, John Kane at his fabulous Downtown Tempe office. Below is part I of our conversation: The architect who’s influenced John most: “In the early days, Zaha Hadid was one of my heroes. She still is one of my heroes. But I think she’s the one, when I was in school, the profession was going one way and she kind of shook it all up. I think I’ve always admired that kind of panache and the excitement in the way she works and the art of the whole thing.” His…

April 04, 2011

John Kane on Regional Architecture, His Local Heroes and Favorite Buildings

by: Taz Loomans

January 04, 2011

Phoenix, State of the Ride 2010: From Soleri to CVS, a Dialog

by: JohnRomeo Alpha

Tweet Today’s post is by John Romeo Alpha, a fellow bike enthusiast and a blogger. I absolutely love JRA’s blog One Speed:Go! John Romeo Alpha currently commutes by bicycle every day, and has been a Phoenix resident for more than 20 years. He is passionate about all types of bicycling, and is always looking for new and interesting ways to connect canal, path, road and mountain on two wheels. He chronicles his thoughts and explorations on his blog, One Speed: Go! On a sunny day between Christmas and New Years, JRA is meeting up with Tommy, a once-fit friend who…

November 23, 2010

Finally, Sustainable Landscape Standards for the Southwest!

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Janet Waibel, landscape architect and owner of Waibel & Associates Landscape Architecture, has done something remarkable, something no one has every done before. She has written down and compiled best practices and standards for landscape management in the southwest, in particular, the Valley of the Sun. Why is this such a remarkable feat? Simply because no one has ever written such a comprehensive and consensus-based text on this subject. Our climate is so unique that our landscape has very specific and different needs than anywhere else in the country. Sure, over the years people have figured out how best…

November 15, 2010

Phoenix – Small Town Big City

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet This weekend I attended three excellent community events, Pecha Kucha Night Phoenix #2, Cupcake Camp Phoenix and Certified Local! Fall Festival. There were probably five other events happening simultaneously that I missed, I’m sure. It’s November and the event season in Phoenix is in full swing! So I knew a lot of the people at each of these events. I would say I knew a good chunk of them. And I would also say that this same chunk attended all three events and will probably attend the various events that are coming up this holiday season. It seems like…