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COLOR EXPLOSIONS IN 1967, AND A SPECIAL OFFER FROM LESLIE SAUL & ASSOCIATES 50 YEARS LATER
It has been gratifying to see the response that we have gotten for my post about meeting Janis Joplin in 1967. So, I suppose that it shouldn’t surprise me that the Boston Globe has begun a series of stories on the summer of ’67. Read “Summer of Love” by Marni Elyse Katz, in the July 28, 2017 …
When I was in college at RISD, I spent summer at “home” in Cincinnati, working for the City’s Planning Department. I worked on a hillside study examining the slope of the seven hills, did some of the work on planning a park along the river, and worked extensively on what was then (1970’s) the New …
BACKSTAGE WITH JANIS JOPLIN, ONSTAGE WITH THE CINCINNATI OPERA
Sometimes we are asked to be the “front man,” to borrow a jazz term, and sometimes we are the “back-up singers”. Sometimes we are just behind the scenes, making the folks onstage look good, and sometimes we just touch stardom by proximity and opportunity. This is a story about my brush with stardom. I grew …
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In New York City, developers can create Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS) in exchange for the right to build taller buildings than allowed by zoning regulations. A book about the 500 POPS in NYC has been written by Harvard GSD Professor Jerold S. Kayden, in association with the NYC department of City Planning and the …
Continue reading “ARE PRIVATE BUILDINGS HIDING THEIR PUBLIC SPACES?”
In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire in London, many people have asked me if this could ever happen in the US. Of course, tragic fires happen frequently in the US, about 3,000 people die in fires every year, versus a few hundred in Britain. Some say that the British focus on building to …
ARE YOU ONE OF 33% WHO FEEL ENGAGED AT WORK, OR DO YOU FEEL DISENGAGED?
The scariest part of the 2017 Gallup Report on “The State of the American Workplace” is that only 33% of employees feel engaged at work. That means that 67% of employees (or time) are NOT engaged. Even the world’s best organizations have only 70% engagement. What can design do to enhance the employee experience and engagement?1 …
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There used to be a clear “pecking order” to desirable projects for architects. The premier jobs were grand civic projects such as museums and concert halls. Next in line were choice projects such as hotels and corporate headquarters. Last on the list were the utilitarian structures like parking garages. So when did things flip-flop, and …
Architectural trends, like fashion, come and go throughout the ages. Just as skinny jeans and shimmery makeup populate the runway nowadays, modern and mid-century architecture and design was re-popularized last decade and now gold fixtures and finishes (remember the 90s?) are showing up again too. When design trends are recycled, they blend favorite ideas from …
ATTENTION BUSINESS LEADERS: CAN GOOD DESIGN BOOST YOUR BOTTOM LINE?
Here are some ideas for boosting your profitability: Place more women on your board of directors. Surveys show that companies with 20% or more women directors are more profitable. (Source: Boston Club Research and 2020 campaign) Place more people of color on your board of directors. See above – it’s true – a diverse board …
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Money is a sensitive subject. People want it for security, for its buying power, and to do good in the world. Some people want to hoard it, or to spend it and flaunt it. Some people want to take what is not theirs, while other people want to give it away. Some people brag about how much …