Top Posts - December 2010

With so few posts in November, I didn't produce a November top stories. But, we were back in business in December, so here is your list the top five most viewed end of the year stories:

#5 Four the Future - December 31 Four (or, really, five) responses to the climate change crisis from various groups: the US federal government, cities from around the world, the international community, and from climatologists who are ready to be proactive about setting the record straight. The article was part two of a series which began on December 29.

#4 Four the Future - December 27 A number of links concentrating on economic development, including possible changes in Americans' spending habits, the problems (and tongue-in-cheek solutions) associated with wealth inequality (though, I prefer the term "wealth disproportionality"), and hopes for success in the local commercial real estate market.

#3 Four the Future - December 20 Stories related to the proposed Spokane County Jail. Jails are highly political capital facilities because they are as much symbols as they are buildings. The article documents the reduction in the need for jails in the northwest, and the failure of the Spokane County commissioners to heed their own studies.

#2 Four the Future - December 22 In yet another article with an uninspired title, a series which tells the story of a number of changes at Riverfront Park with links to its past, its future, and the ripple effects throughout the region. It inspired quite a debate on Planning the Future's Facebook page with Spokane City Councilmember Bob Apple.

#1 Summary and Discussion of "Spatializing Culture" Ah, finally, an article with a good title--and almost twice as many hits as the #2 post! It reviews an article I read for my Advanced Community Development class which describes two open spaces in downtown San José, Costa Rica. The discussion observes just how similar the forces in San José resemble what happens at the STA plaza.