Author: The Planning Lady
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Creative Redevelopment: Old Retail Spaces Finding New Life
The first big box store reuse that I witnessed first hand was in Seward, Nebraska. For years, the original small scale Walmart store sat empty along Highway 15, less than a mile from the new Walmart Super Center that replaced it. For a town of just under 7,000 people it was hard to imagine it…
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Record Flooding in Nebraska: Causes and Impact
The flooding in Nebraska and surrounding states this past week looks like it will surpass the records set in 2011. A number of weather patterns over the past several months combined to form a perfect storm. We all felt the eighth coldest February on record in Nebraska (how could we forget the polar vortex) which meant…
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Island of Swallows
In preparation for an upcoming trip I thought I would research the history of Cozumel, a Mexican island off the coast of Playa del Carmen. My husband and I visited the island over 6 years ago, but only stayed for a few hours and took the ferry back to Playa del Carmen where we were…
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The Role of Immigration in American Family Histories
I have been thinking a lot this week about my ancestry and where I came from. A while back I did the Ancestry DNA test to determine where I came from. I knew from tracing the lineage that I was Irish on my father’s side, but really had no idea on my moms. I heard…
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One Water: An Integrated Approach to Sustainable Water Management
One Water is a way to manage all water in an integrated, inclusive, and sustainable manner that will allow future generations to prosper. The way we currently manage water is very compartmentalized with stormwater engineers handling the runoff, water utility departments focusing on the supply, and solid waste departments undertaking the waste. Their are non-profits…
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How Energy Bags Are Transforming Waste Management
When I started working at RDG Planning and Design I was excited to see their commitment to recycling, composting, and an overall conservation mind frame. The kitchen has several bins lined up for compost, recyclable plastics, non-recyclable plastics, and landfill (or trash as most people call it). We try to sort everything into either compost…
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Ways to Travel Sustainably
Traveling sustainable can be a challenge, but as long as you plan for certain situations it can be done. I travel about two to three times a month so I have had some time to refine my approach and try to make more sustainable decisions. I used to think it was better to take the…
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Being Mortal
Book Review I recently finished reading Being Mortal by Atul Gawande and the timing was eerily perfect. My 83 year old grandfather has been struggling with health issues which made reading the book easier to relate to and comprehend. I was too young to remember much about the nursing homes my great grandmother and grandmother…
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History and Evolution of Texas Oil Exploration
I worked in Lubbock, Texas for just over a year when I first started out in planning and recently have been working on a plan for Kermit, Texas, taking me back to the oil fields. Lubbock did not have many operating pump jacks, but nonetheless one of my tasks while there was to map the…
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Suburban Nation
Book Review I enjoy being able read books that were recommended when I was in school, but I was so bogged down with required readings and projects that I never had the time to read them. Suburban Nation by Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck is one of those books. I was reminded of…
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The Planning Lady 