Essays

Essays on the deeper patterns shaping cities, culture, and civic life. Written for those who know there’s more at stake than policy and planning alone.

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Pedestrian street with outdoor café seating and historic buildings in a European town square.

Why We Vacation in the Places We Refuse to Build

The Great American Irony Every year, millions of Americans perform a strange...

Historic black-and-white photograph of a large early 20th-century home on Harrison Boulevard in Boise, lined with leafless trees and covered in fresh snow, circa 1915–1920.

The Unfinished Work

In May 1903, Theodore Roosevelt stood in Boise and offered a perspective...

Front porch of a historic North End Boise home at dusk, with warm interior lights visible through windows and a clear path leading from the sidewalk to the entry.

The Ordering Principle

Building the hardware of the external mind Part 3 of 3: Building...

Long, empty institutional hallway with fluorescent ceiling lights, closed doors on both sides, and worn floors.

The Parasite Principle

Why stagnation invites extraction Part 2 of 3: Building Systems to Hear...

Historic brick and stone multifamily building in Boise's North End at golden hour. The wide, clean sidewalk is lined with mature trees and lush green groundcover, leading past classic columned porches under a warm dusk light.

The Monopoly on Charm

The fastest way to make an enemy in Boise is to submit...

Aerial view of Julia Davis Park’s tree canopy along the Boise River, with downtown Boise and surrounding foothills in the background.

The Park That Almost Wasn’t

In the summer of 1899, Thomas and Julia Davis made an offer...

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