Tweet Dear people of color in Portland, As I write this letter to you, I am sitting at a restaurant where I am the only person of color (POC). Yet again. I didn’t see another person of color on my walk to this restaurant. Nor did I see another person of color all day yesterday or today. This is not uncommon in inner Portland and in particular in inner Southeast Portland where I live. I am routinely the only person of color pretty much everywhere I go, including the grocery store, the book store, or the coffee shop. When I…
Posts Tagged ‘San Francisco’
Tweet In The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs said that “Cities need old buildings so badly it is probably impossible for vigorous streets and districts to grow without them.” But in an age of burgeoning urban populations and a pressing need to accommodate a more and more people into cities, does this still hold true? Shouldn’t we be replacing older smaller buildings with LEED Platinum high-rises? “Where do older, smaller buildings fit within cities that are seeking to maximize transit investments, increase density, and compete in the global economy” ask some urbanists. A new report…
Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Lucky Sharma: The Mission neighborhood in San Francisco has always amazed me in all its existential aspects. Whether it is its history of drugs and shootings or its current day hipster culture emphasized by the vintage stores and rogue bicyclists, I have been truly enamored by how much cultural inclusion this few blocks has to offer. Mission Street, also called as the “Mission Miracle Mile”, has historically been one of the largest and most active of the area’s shopping corridors. It runs north-south through the full length of the district. A diverse crowd…
Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Lucky Sharma and is part of her series talking about her experiences trying to live a sustainable lifestyle in two cities – San Francisco and Tempe. In 2010 my husband and I moved from the hundred year old Victorian San Francisco apartment to an apartment complex in Tempe, AZ. I had heard horror stories about the heat in the valley, but I did not pay them much heed. My friends told me that I could easily get a house with a yard for real cheap. But I knew I didn’t want to increase…
Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer, Lucky Sharma. Lucky lives in two cities – San Francisco and Tempe. She’ll be sharing her observations of both cities in a series of posts about the sustainable urban lifestyle. This post will be published in two parts. If you missed part I, which was published yesterday, check it out here. Below is part II: My train of thought was broken by the ding-ding of a bus. I smiled because the bus reminded of the bus rides I took with my parents when I was younger, and it reminded me of how I could…
Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer, Lucky Sharma. Lucky is a sustainability professional, supply-chain consultant, product manager, innovations scout, bad-ass scientist, marathon runner, long-distance cyclist, and a poet. Lucky lives in two cities – San Francisco and Tempe. She’ll be sharing her observations of both cities in a series of posts about the sustainable urban lifestyle. This post will be published in two parts. Below is part I: Coffee is a BIG DEAL in San Francisco. I knew this pretty much as soon as my husband and I moved into our third floor apartment in the Pacific Heights neighborhood…
Tweet I really enjoyed my New Years trip to the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay area. I had the pleasure of staying in Emeryville, a tiny city that abuts Oakland and Berkeley. In fact, it’s only a few minutes walk to those cities from Emeryville. I spent the majority of my 5-day vacation exploring the East Bay and just briefly visited San Francisco proper because the East Bay has so much to offer. Below are a few of my favorite things about my trip. 1. It was easy to get around without a car. As usual, I did…
Tweet Today’s post is by Blooming Rock contributing writer Will Novak: With the Phoenix Mayoral elections coming up in the fall and debates happening around town between the candidates, one begins to ponder about Phoenix City Government. The vast majority of Phoenicians don’t bother to vote for Mayor, perhaps in part due to the fact that currently the Mayor of Phoenix is little more than a glorified Council Member. Now is the time to consider switching our City Government to a system that will allow for a bold Mayor with great vision to lead Phoenix. Phoenix’s current system of City…
Tweet Eric Corey Freed, licensed architect, LEED ap practices a very special brand of architecture called organic architecture out of his firm organicarchitect in San Francisco. Early in his career, Eric studied under an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright, gaining an appreciation for and adopting Wright’s philosophy of organic design. In his own practice, he has also become deeply involved in ecological and environmentally responsible architecture drawing from ancient design principles and new technological innovations. He has co-developed the Sustainability Programs at the Academy of Art University and the University of California Berkeley Extension. Eric is the author of four…
Tweet Today is a very special Thursday installment of the Blooming Rock blog. Kevin Kellogg is the guest author of today’s post. Kevin, AIA, NCARB, LEED ap is Urban Laureate at the ASU Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family. He is an urban designer, architect and planner and principal of Kellog + Associates based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Kevin has over 25 years of experience in the planning, design and development of affordable housing and community planning. He is currently serving as the Urban Laureate, a research fellowship devoted to sustainable urbanism and community engagement. ‘Memory…