by admin | Oct 13, 2018 | Disaster, Disaster policy, Emergency Management, Floodplain management, Natural Hazards, Public health, Public safety, Resilience, Transportation, Urban Planning, Water, Weather, Wildfire
Explaining the frustrations of first responders in searching Mexico Beach, Florida, for survivors after Hurricane Michael, Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told Associated Press, “Very few people live to tell what it’s like to...
by admin | Sep 6, 2018 | Books, Disaster, Floodplain management, Government, Homeless, Housing, Infrastructure, Natural Hazards, Transportation, Urban Planning, Water, Weather, Wildfire
We learn from disasters as we recover from them, but each disaster teaches slightly different things. Sometimes the lessons are significant and historic; in others, one community is learning what others already know or should have learned from their own past events....
by admin | Mar 2, 2018 | Books, Business, Careers, Chicago, Economic development, Economics, Government, Public policy, Transportation, Urban Planning
We often hear from conservatives that the public sector is inherently inefficient, lacking the competitive pressures that drive innovation. A great deal of the evidence seems anecdotal, although it’s not hard to come by. The work of most public agencies is at least...
by admin | Jan 29, 2018 | Geography, History, Personal history, Restaurants, Transportation, Travel, Uncategorized
There is something distinct about boarding a cruise ship. An airplane, after all, no matter how big, is essentially a long, metal tube that flies. You can dress it up for international flights, but when all is said and done, you are simply spending a few hours in the...
by admin | Aug 4, 2017 | Business, Personal history, Restaurants, Transportation, Travel
It has been almost a month since my last blog post, for a reason. I spent most of the remainder of July at a conference in Colorado, for four days, and then overseas, for nearly two weeks. My wife and I traveled to Norway for a vacation, and I chose to separate myself...
by admin | Jun 5, 2016 | Chicago, History, Infrastructure, Recreation, Restaurants, Transportation, Urban Planning, Water
Chicago is already quite rich in parks and tourist attractions. What can it add downtown? In the past, I have written about the 606 Trail in Chicago, which is experiencing its first anniversary after opening a year ago. Despite some of its well-known challenges and...
