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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Early-morning aerial view of downtown Boise with construction cranes and an unfinished building frame rising above tree-lined neighborhoods.

Boise’s Threshold Moment

There is a brief, silent period between the end of a dream...

Archival black and white photograph of early settlers working together to frame a building in the Boise foothills, illustrating the collective effort of the Pioneer archetype versus the isolation of the Lone Ranger.

The Pioneer and the Lone Ranger

The Yellow Flag Across the valley, the bright yellow flag with the...

Wide view of a vacant lot in a Boise neighborhood with a public hearing sign in the foreground.

The Will to Build: The Choice to Create

The Empty Space Have you driven past that forgotten lot in your...

Historic stone archway with detailed ironwork above a doorway in downtown Boise, reflecting craftsmanship and civic dignity.

Where Our Fire Belongs

Walk into any contentious city meeting and listen carefully. Behind the debates...

Aerial view of Boise, Idaho at sunrise showing cars on the connector overpass over the river with the downtown skyline and foothills in the distance.

Refugees from a Broken Story

The anger over growth in Boise is real, but it is misdirected....

Aerial view of the Friendship Bridge glowing in the morning light, spanning the Boise River with trees and trails on either side — a quiet moment that captures the city’s warmth and clarity.

When the City Speaks

One Saturday morning, a man was walking down the Greenbelt. He looked...

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