at Popular Science is worth checking out: http://www.popsci.com/futurecity/home2.html

The release of a Harry Potter prequel this week has created a spell on me, so I ponder: What does J.K. Rowling’s seven-book Harry Potter series tell us about urban form, and what might that form look like? By 2010 we’ll know, as the Wizarding World of Harry Potter comes to life with hamlet, forest, [...]

Buckle yourselves in for this next series of photos from the last leg of my recent New England trip: mid-coast Maine, all 104 of them available here. Here is a preview of photos for your enjoyment: View of Camden Harbor from Mount Battie, Camden Hills State Park, Maine. Amazing scenery, geology, and botany on the [...]

A few photos from the family zoo outing yesterday (more available in the gallery): Our daughters in the Reid Park Zoo’s new “Get Wet” area. Checking out the rhino. Snuggling, giraffe style. Observing the zebras. Caiman lurking in the (not so) deep. View all 23 photos here.

A dazzling wildflower season spells trouble for the master-planned communities that spread like invasive weeds along the edges of urban areas across the West. How are the wildflower wars being waged, and why is it important to have natural yards in cities, anyway? Here’s my take: http://americancity.org/daily/entry/834/

I’m running behind on posts, I know, but ’tis the season. School’s almost out, and then I may have a moderately regular blog post schedule. Or at least I’ll keep telling you that. My new Canon XSi arrived late last week and while I haven’t had much of a chance to play with it, I [...]

I’ve always been intrigued by light pollution, those cool global maps showing artificial light on Earth, from space. So for this week’s The Next American City blog entry, that’s just what I wrote about: http://americancity.org/updates/blog/2008/dark-skies-bright-future/ Dark skies are on my mind because in the next few weeks I hope a) to travel a bit farther [...]

Really, I do. This was my first visit, and New York is an amazing city. Neither overwhelming nor unfriendly, I found it compelling beyond expectation, from the many small and fine restaurants to its pedestrian scale (in spite of its grand scale), from its wonderful literary venues to the intricate and diverse architecture and peoples. [...]

The Civano Community School—which my daughters attend—won the “Go Green with All” greenest grade school in American contest, announced today on The Ellen Show. Very cool! Details at http://gogreenwithall.com/home/ and a local news clip here. In addition to a $50,000 grand prize for the school, each student receives an iPod shuffle with a solar charger, [...]

A few photos from yesterday’s Civano Holiday Party: Our older daughter plays viola in the local kids’ string group. Here she is concentrating as she plays. Our younger daughter, right, with a friend. Some good friends of ours: I love this photo! After the strings performance: the Civano Community School chorus, which both daughters sing [...]