Author: The Planning Lady
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Sustainable Christmas Tree Options
Last weekend some friends sent snaps of them cutting down their Christmas tree from a nearby tree farm. It brought back memories of the one and only time I convinced my husband we should cut our own Christmas tree down. In the years that followed I went to the closest hardware store to buy a…
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Sustainable Gift Giving
It was around this time last year that I started to rethink my routines, decisions, and actions, realizing the way I was living was not all that sustainable. I had composted when I lived in Minneapolis because the city made it easy, built some rain gardens and rain barrels, and have been recycling since college,…
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The New Localism
Book Review As politics has become nationalized in recent years, problem solving has become localized, a trend termed new localism. New localism is governance founded on collaboration, not coercion; diverse networks, not just elected officials; and iterative problem solving, not rigid and prescriptive approaches. Cities (the local level) are an ideal test bed for new…
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Regenerative Farming
This past week I watched two great documentaries that changed the way I think about farming. Having grown up in Nebraska and spent a lot of time driving around rural areas, my idea of farming was spring planting, fall harvest, cows brought in to graze the fields in the winter, then starting the cycle over.…
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Mitigating Climate Change through Preservation
This week I spent my days in virtual sessions for the PastForward conference hosted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. While I’m not a fan of virtual conferences, like most people, I was excited to see this conference go virtual because it gave me the opportunity to attend for the first time. This years…
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What to Do with Worn-Out Running Shoes
As a long distance runner I go through a lot of athletic shoes. It is recommended to replace your running shoes about every 300 to 500 miles or three to six months. When going through a 12 week training cycle I clear this recommendation easily which is why I usually stretch this time frame out…
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From Flowers to Function: Reviving Useful Traditions
“His grandmother had made soap in it every spring and fall,–enough to last for a half-year. His mother with her lessening activities had dispensed with it, letting the men take it for hog-feed and chicken-mash. His wife had planted flowers in it,–typical of the way they had grown to look at life,–flower, no work, but plenty…
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Why Old Places Matter
Book Review Old places matter because they provide continuity; memory; individual, civic, state, national, and universal identity; beauty; history; architecture; sacred ties, creativity, learning opportunities, sustainability, a tie to our ancestors, community, and economic value. With so many reasons to keep old buildings standing, its hard to understand why we keep tearing them down and…
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Inherent Sustainability of Old Buildings
In recent years preservation has been recognized as a “recycling program of historic proportions.” And when you stop to consider, it is actually a good description. Saving old buildings helps retain history, identity, beauty, and connections to our past, but in terms of sustainability saving old buildings excels at recycling and reusing embodied energy. Many…
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Aging Commercial Corridors
With the future of most downtowns largely secured after several decades of reinvestment, attention is now turning to other components of our cities for revitalization. The transition has been slow, but in recent years planners, investors, city leaders, and businesses have been looking to the commercial strip as the next home for their rehabilitation efforts.…
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The Planning Lady 