Population Center of the United States

The maps below show the center of the population of the United States.

Click to See all the maps

A Nation of Vidiots

       Interesting article by Professor Jeffrey Sachs on the impacts of television.

NEW YORK – The past half-century has been the age of electronic mass media. Television has reshaped society in every corner of the world. Now an explosion of new media devices is joining the TV set: DVDs, computers, game boxes, smart phones, and more. A growing body of evidence suggests that this media proliferation has countless ill effects.

Click to read more

Economic Inequality

Economic inequality in the United States

Based on data from 2005 the United States had one of the highest levels of income inequality among OECD nations."

Source:  James Lindsay CNN.com/GPS:


But we are a lot better then underdeveloped countries. Click to read the data.

Urban Theater - World Series

Dan and Dave Dorgan and Craig Hullinger at the World Series

Went to the 6th World Series game last night in St Louis. The 47,000 plus crowd was rocking. Incredible game.  St Louis was down by two runs in the ninth and tied it. Ditto the 10th inning. They were down to their last strike both times when they tied it. St Louis won it with a single home run in the 11th inning. 


Fun time, and I am not a big baseball fan - a friend of mine Dave Dorgan called me at the last minute and took me to the game.  We are both White Sox fans and his son Dan is a Cubs fan. The final game tonight should also be great.


Great urban theater when 47,000 happy people get together. They were singing, dancing, shouting, and having a great time. St Louis is a great city and getting better each year.

Americans Are Staying Home

American families are staying home more than at any time since World War II thanks to the housing bust and unemployment that has kept young adults and retirees from moving elsewhere, the Census says.

Read more:


http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2011/10/27/historic-number-americans-are-staying-home-thanks-to-economy/#ixzz1bzcg95gy

Support For Planning

Introducing APA's Planning Communications Boot Camp Do you want to be a smart, effective advocate for planning in your community? Enlist in basic training. Planners encounter a variety of challenges that include ideological attacks on planning, constrained budgets, and inhospitable economic and political climates. APA is about to launch an intensive effort to help members build public support, counter critics, and reframe local perceptions of planning. Communications Boot Camp will empower and transform planner participants into highly effective messengers and planning advocates.

Click to Read More

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Town Square in Rothenburg, Germany

Europeans construct great public spaces.

More on our travels at

http://travelhullinger.blogspot.com/

Median Income

We have been traveling in the countries listed below. The numbers show the median income by country. As you can see, Eastern Europe has it very tough. 


Their lower income results in many differences from the more affluent west. Prices are of course lower. There is a lot of unemployment and underemployment. There is live music in many restaurants - we have mostly lost this in the US since our folks earn more in conventional jobs. 


Median Income 


31, 111       US 
25,168        UK           
21,241        Germnay 
12,596        Czech   
  9,071        Slovakia 
  8,531        Hungary 
  9,113        Poland 


http://planningnews.blogspot.com/search?q=Median+income 


http://travelhullinger.blogspot.com

Florida RepealsSmart Growth Law

The state of Florida has repealed its 30-year old growth management law (also called "smart growth," "compact development" and "livability"). Under the law, local jurisdictions were required to adopt comprehensive land use plans stipulating where development could and could not occur. 


These plans were subject to approval by the state Department of Community Affairs, an agency now abolished by the legislation. The state approval process had been similar to that of Oregon. Governor Rick Scott had urged repeal as a part of his program to create 700,000 new jobs in seven years in Florida. Economic research in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States has associated slower economic growth with growth management programs.

Europe - Walking and Transit

We are visiting Europe. Their emphasis on walking and public transit has resulted in people in much better Shape then Americans. They are trying to catch up with fast food, however.

Http://travelhullinger.blogspot.com

The Cul De Sac

Interesting Article in the Atlantic Montly that blames the cul de sac for many urban woes.  But I think the truth is more complex.  Modern suburban development is built at lower density and commercial clusters are larger and more distant.

Click to read the article.

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/design/2011/09/street-grids/124/