Housing and Economy in McGregor, South Africa

McGregor PostcardHow can a picturesque South African village still deeply divided by the legacy of apartheid accomodate much-needed government housing without ruining their tourist economy? How can the town create economic integration to lift their citizens out of poverty? While I’ve written extensively on other aspects of my month-long trip to South Africa last summer, up till now I have not reported on the planning project we tackled. Read on for the answers we found.

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Information Design and Public Transit

The Washington, D.C. public has an aversion to public buses, particularly Metrobus operated by the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority. Does the region have an inherent bias against buses? A few bus routes are extremely well used in both high and low income neighborhoods (the 30s accomplishes this in one line). Furthermore, the DC Circulator, Georgetown […]

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Presentation Tomorrow

Tomorrow I’ll be participating in the Society of Professional Journalists Convention as part of J-Lab’s Citizen Media workshop here in Washington, D.C. at the Hyatt Regency hotel. I’ll be presenting about my experiences with Arborupdate, DCist, and Rethink College Park. The SPJ website has some more information about the speakers and program. The organization sponsoring […]

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The West Hyattsville Enigma

Less than one mile from the District of Columbia stands acres of vacant land. Wildflowers and grasses have gone to seed on a long-abandoned playing field (above). Weeds sprout in a dry, sun-drenched lot (below). An abandoned warehouse sits on land abutting picturesque parkland. Although large lots of undeveloped land inside the beltway are rare […]

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Michigan Campus Activism Guide Published

Although it has been a while since I’ve written about the University of Michigan, I thought I would note the publication of a book by my friend and U-M senior Mollie Bates. An Art and Design senior, in collaboration with the progressive paper the Michigan Independent, Mollie has designed and produced an 80-page, full color […]

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