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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Fruit trees growing in an orchard with foothills in the background, evoking Boise’s spring growth and the need to shape abundance with care.

The Wisdom of Pruning

In Boise, spring makes growth visible everywhere. The foothills turn green. Trees...

Downtown Boise street scene with wide traffic lanes, sidewalks, signals, and brick buildings near 8th Street.

The Gallery Problem

“The essential function of art … is to become personally enlightened, wise,...

A wide Boise commercial corridor lined with traffic, parking lots, and roadside businesses shows a built environment organized for speed, storage, and throughput.

A World Built for Having

The Expedition In May of 1920, Robert Limbert set out on an...

A major Boise traffic corridor lined with parking lots and commercial uses illustrates growth built for speed rather than rooted place.

The Beanstalk and the Root

We take it for granted, but driving across a modern city is...

A Boise neighborhood and intersection sit beneath the foothills, showing how the city’s built environment and surrounding landscape work together to orient people in place.

The Built World as Our First Compass

In December 1873, London simply vanished. A thick “pea-souper” fog, heavy with...

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...

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