May Day 2012


Solidarity with those who are protesting around the world!

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Are the Suburbs Undergoing a Metamorphosis? (Reposted from the Progressive Press)

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The Global Economic Crash of 2008 was a watershed which is continuing to have effects in all aspects of the economy, politics and society. However, it was merely an exclamation mark within the developing trends in the U.S. that are pertinent to suburbanization in the country, such as: -The national economy will not bounce back to pre-2008 in the foreseeable future with continued slow growth -Demographics have changed (Baby Boomers retiring, smaller family sizes, more single adults, more ethnic diversity etc.) -The smaller labor force in manufacturing requiring unskilled labor -A decline in the middle class’s purchasing power due to declining wages -Increasing individuals in poverty -Unemployment/under-employment of young adults and those ‘near-retirement” group (55-70) -Increasing energy costs -Changing view of what cities should offer and lifestyle (i.e., ’24/7″ city) -Oversupply and over valuing of housing with tighter credit -Diminished hyper-consumerism In sub...
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A ‘Smart City’ or the ‘Matrix’? (re-post from the Progressive Press)

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  (This article is re-posted from the Progressive Press. )  Cities are rapidly becoming engulfed in the technological revolution which is advancing at “warp speed”, rocketing the entire globe out of the post-industrial age into the emerging Information/Hyper-Global Age. The ability for the complex networked structures of a city (government, services, institutions, residents etc.) to effectively utilize its human capital, connect with the global economy, collaborate and use its infrastructure is becoming essential for its future welfare. This is being facilitated by the burst of technological devices and the Internet. In the Information Age, the most connected cities are becoming the most dominate, resting on their financial capability, their human capital and infrastructure (i.e., New York, London, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong). A city’s hinterland, its access to ports and manufacturing base, are becoming inconsequential to a city’s importance. All cit...
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Could 3-D Printing Change the Society and the City? (Reposted from the Progressive Press)

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(Reprinted from the Progressive Press article ) 3-D printing combined with its increasing affordability could be an important element in accelerating the world away from the Post-Industrial to the Information Age.    3-D printing is the process of producing a physical object from a digital blue print or a scanned object. It is an additive process, not a subtractive process, as used in the machine tooling for a metal or plastic object. It relies on a mold that is inserted with a material (plastic, iron, copper etc.) to make a finished product. Using a digital schematic, the 3-D printer builds a series of layers using material such as: plastic, glass, metal, ceramics or even cells to produce a single seamless product. One could think of this as similar to making a cake by putting down the different layers. This one machine might revolutionize manufacturing, the global economy and cities (Blua, 2013). The cost may vary from as low as $1,000 to as hi...
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