Boilerplater

Kind of like the “orphanage” in Slumdog Millionaire? Gouging eyes out so they make more effective beggars?

Home to where?

It was designed to keep homeless people from snoozing.

I watch a lot of CNBC and read a lot of economics news, which may not be the best thing for my mental health!  I’ve found I’m very curious about this thing called “the economy” that continues to bedevil us and toss our profession around like a child treats an old toy.  Maybe it will eventually benefit me with a greater understanding of business is…[Read more]

Plusses of the coffeeshop model, as I see it:

Personal autonomy, flexible schedule
No more office politics, unless you have multiple-personality disorder.
You can get back at the big firms by undercutting them, since your expenses are so much lower, hastening their demise.
Working from home, no commute, hence lower cost of living, lower carbon…[Read more]

That’s a well-articulated bit that suggests just what it is that appeals to me about poking around ruins. I’ve been known to go on long hikes and dodge security to get to them!

Currently reading “Retrofitting Suburbia” and finding it quite interesting and well-researched. If you have more of a planning bent and are into how we can make our suburbs more walkable and sustainable, you’ll find it to be a good read. If you’re more into garden design and plants, not so much. It has lots of case studies and hard numbers data on…[Read more]

I like where you’re taking this thread. I’ve been thinking, for a while now, that landscape architecture really needs a new business model. This industry swoons whenever the housing industry catches a cold. I’ve been doing a lot of reading on business and economics and am considering going back to school for some courses. It would be an…[Read more]

Consider trying to partner with someone who is already licensed in WA. If it is for a large project, it could be well worth it, and give you more clout. Even the big boys do partnerships for major projects and competitions. Hey, if you want to pursue work in Nevada, I’d be up for exploring a partnership agreement! Not that there’s a lot of work in…[Read more]

I thought it was Olmsted, but see, I defer to a U Penn grad’s spelling over mine!

Have you ever gone to the Olmstead Nat’l Historic Site?

I hope this museum wont be an homage to a vanished cultural phenomenon!

Even Luxembourg is doing better than the US?!

Hi Scott,
I’ve noticed postings for these jobs for a while now. Are you having trouble finding qualified candidates? I would think you’d be getting a lot of responses.

Look at CADdetails.com. A lot of mfrs have their products on there, available for download. SketchUp files are becoming popular as well.

But Mex fans are native, aren’t they? That might’ve been on the Cali LA test.

Actually this might be a boon for the nursery industry as it replaces all those killed palms! Add in a few giant wildfires, and you could have the landscape industry of SoCal back in good shape!

See also “Disaster Capitalism”

That’s a problem in my experience as well. When the charette is set up in a way that puts the opinion of the layperson on par with the professional, you end up with a lot of venting, a lot of public soap-box grandstanding, and a lot of time wasted to local attention-seekers who love to hear the sound of their own voice. The NIMBYS tend to be the…[Read more]

Look up articles by James Urban or get his book: http://www.amazon.com/Up-Roots-James-Urban/dp/B001F93W64/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289416916&sr=1-9
He’s done a lot of research on urban trees. In many cases, the answer is in the planting detail and soil preparation. In many parts of the US, and probably all of the UK, there is sufficient…[Read more]

The Trouble Asset Relief Program, TARP, bailing out the banks…that is creating a basis for L.A. jobs? How so? By making them more able to lend again? The banks are in better shape again and are back to giving out the fat bonuses, but they’re still not lending. From what I’ve read, their requirements are much more restrictive now.

Jonathan, will the 20 kids be toted around in the Hummer you have as a profile picture, or is that just another provocation?
You don’t have to go as far as Lagos. Just drive a few hours to the south to Ciudad Juarez on the border with El Paso and see the people living in shacks. Drive through after a rainstorm and see the raw sewage in the street,…[Read more]