As the quest for more viable renewable and alternative energy sources continues, some of the options suggested seem brilliant while others remain firmly in the world of the bizarre. Take, for instance, a biofuel mentioned in a recent article on portstrategy.com:...
A couple weeks ago I posted about merits of replacing a second car (or even a first car) with a bicycle. Bicycles are big right now in the worlds of urban planning and placemaking, for many good reasons. As mentioned before: bikes are affordable, they don't add to...
{image source} Anyone who's read this blog from its inception knows that we at Laurel Park Management are big supporters of bicycles and the folks who ride them. To clear up a quick issue of nomenclature, I tend to use cycling when I mean higher speeds, longer...
{image source} NEW YORK (AP) — America's cities are beginning to grapple with a fact of life: People are getting old, fast, and they're doing it in communities designed for the sprightly. To envision how this silver tsunami will challenge a youth-oriented society,...
{image source} We at Laurel Park Management aren't out to save the world. We know that task is a little tall for a rental management company. Like most of you, we're trying to do our jobs well and support our families. But that doesn't mean we can't be conscious of...
{photo source} There's nothing like times of economic hardship to stir up discussion about a city's future. Should we revive industry? What kind of industry? Attract the creative class? What exactly does the creative class do? Or is tourism and retirement a safer bet?...
{photo source} Sarasota residents came out in force on March 8th to elect three new city commissioners, and now that the dust has almost cleared— Actually, that's a bit of a fib. The dust hasn't cleared. And not because the runoff vote in District 1 has yet to happen...
{photo source} Saw this article in the Herald-Tribune by Christopher O'Donnell and thought we'd pass it along. It is an interesting notion...what if Sarasota used what it has in greatest abundance—sunshine—as currency to pay for local needs? Could be a way to use the...
{photo source} Tomorrow is election day here in Sarasota, with three out five commission seats up for grabs. That means if you live in districts 1, 2, or 3 (that means everyone in the city of Sarasota) your vote counts!! In 2009, when two at-large commission seats...
You don't have to be a marketing guru to know that youth sells. Everything it seems, including cities, are sold to the youth. Picture crowded sidewalks in the vaunted Creative City—a bunch of stylish 20 and 30 somethings, right? But as important as the energy and...
