walking is good
October 22, 2007
These are some quick, very brief notes from the opening plenary of the WALK21 Conference in Toronto, Oct 2 2007. Read on »
Archive for the 'notes' category
Beasley dreams
October 21, 2007
Dreaming is a fundamental tool in planning.
– Larry Beasley
Today (Sun Oct 21), I attended a Dream Vancouver conference. A daylong Appreciative Inquiry exercise was facilitated by Bliss Brown. It demonstrated a process for engaging citizens in dialogue to dream of the possibilities for the future, work toward a consensus vision, and commit to actions toward that shared vision. The day also featured a keynote speech by Larry Beasley, former Director of Vancouver City Planning. The following are notes from that speech. Read on »
creativity, trust & respect
October 20, 2007
Creative thought is critical to design. It is nurtured in an atmosphere of trust and respect, in which ideas from all participants are accepted as gifts to the common endeavour: Generousity of spirit is critical to creativity in a group endeavour.
– Rand Iredale (1929-2000)
lessons from past societies
Watch this Jared Diamond lecture on what we can learn from past collapsed societies. He is speaking about his book, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, which is on my recommended reading list.
He speaks about the need to adapt to the world changing around us and question our values when they become self-destructive.
PPS public spaces workshop
October 19, 2007
Monday Oct 1 2007, I attended a workshop sponsored by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The FCM Walkability and Placemaking training seminar was presented by the Project for Public Spaces. PPS is an organization from New York “dedicated to helping people create and sustain public spaces that build communities”. It was a pre-conference workshop at the Walk21 conference in Toronto. Read on »
tall storeys
September 29, 2007
This is for those who continue to insist that the Bosa tower with 21 floors is actually 24 storeys tall. Read on »
mood of smart
April 20, 2007
Below are more quotes from Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence.
Many people have asked me about the value of Cliff Annable’s contribution as a White Rock City Councillor. Read on »
impact of stress
April 14, 2007
When emotionally upset, people cannot remember, attend, learn, or make decisions clearly. As one management consultant put it, “Stress makes people stupid.” – page 149, Emotional Intelligence.
I wonder how this would apply to people who feed off their assumptions or rumour and arrive fearful or angry at public information meetings? Read on »
impact of worry
April 13, 2007
These are quotes from Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. I think they provide great insight into why it can be so challenging to hold intelligent debate, explore new ideas, and find consensus on issues involving dramatic change. Read on »