The Goodspeed Update

Part 2 in my South Africa series
The combination of affluence and desperate poverty in South Africa I described yesterday has made the country a world leader in both crime and security technology.
In particular, security measures are pervasive in the physical form of the city. Although some of the security measures date from the apartheid era, […]

Part 1: Setting the Scene
I recently returned from spending one month in Cape Town participating in a study abroad program. Each day this week I will post a new article exploring, in order, the social context, the defensive architecture I observed, government led low-income urban sprawl, Cape Town’s ingenious Minibus taxis, and a selection of […]

After three decades of planning, debate, and delays, construction on the Georgetown Waterfront Park is finally underway in earnest. These photos were taken in late May. When it is complete in Spring 2008 the park will be the largest park created in Washington since Constitution Gardens on the National Mall in 1976.

The design includes an […]

As several commenters noted on my recent post about the apparent demise of plans to build a new central public library, that building has recently been declared a historic landmark by the city and filed an application for listing on the federal register. The Historic Preservation Review Board staff report and the accompanying National Register […]

This month I survey the career of greek planner Constantinos Doxiadis, and ask: “Where Are the Star Planners?

During my travels through South Africa, I was consistently surprised by the extent of coverage of my Vodocom cell phone. From the tip of the Cape of Good Hope to remote mountain passes over two hours’ drive from Cape Town, my Nokia cell phone always reported a strong signal.
Perhaps I should not be surprised - […]