30 April 2018

A little something

Scarfo, R. A. 1986. "Stewardship in the 20th century," Landscape Architectural Review, 7: 2, 13-15.

Scarfo, R. A. 1988. "Stewardship and the Profession of Landscape Architecture," Landscape Journal, 7 (1988): 1, 60-68.

27 April 2018

Entry level LA job

Design Workshop is seeking an entry-level design and planning professional in their Houston office with 0-3 years of experience in a design firm. This position is available in September. For more information, please contact Caroline Heivly, HR Generalist. To apply, please visit: careers-designworkshop.icims.com.

26 April 2018

Tabasco Sauce vs. Coastal Erosion

When I saw the headline "Tabasco Sauce Is in a Battle For Its Very Survival" I had to click through, since I've been to Avery Island where still they make Edmund McIlhenny's unique hot sauce.  I had suspected that it was going to be a story about trade wars or an unexpected increase in the cost of vinegar. Instead, it was a story about coastal erosion.


After the usual background about hurricanes and Louisiana losing several football fields of land every day, the article suggests that a new strategy is underway. Tabasco is putting together a team of landowners to fight against coastal erosion:
 “We were competing against each other for these multi million dollar coastal restoration projects to go on our own property,” Moertl explains. “So we came up with the idea of forming an alliance. Let’s erase our property boundaries, and let’s work together, pool our resources and our expertise, and see if we can’t go after this with a more regional approach.”
“The property boundaries are artificial,” says Osborn. “If your neighbor’s land starts eroding, so will yours.”
The story is absolutely worth a full read.

And if you ever get down there, tour the factory and the "island". The place should be a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

[Mapped]

25 April 2018

Top 25 Supreme Court cases for planners

Wisconsin APA posted a list of the Top 25 Supreme Court cases for planners (as suggested by one person).  As a fun twist, they marked the 6 cases on that list in which the American Planning Association filed amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs.

24 April 2018

Industry 4.0 and GNSS

While it isn't news that GIScience has become a big industry, it may be a surprise how big the industries inside it are. Geospatial World reports that the GNSS and Positioning market will be over $280 billion in 2020.

As they point out, Global Navigation Satellite System has grown beyond GPS to become a ubiquitous technology. Rapid innovation is a driver of this sector. "In this era of 4th Industrial Revolution (industry 4.0), the new technologies have a crucial role to play in expanding the GNSS and Positioning market."

23 April 2018

States 10,000 years from now

The NYTimes made a graphic of each state as it would appear 10,000 years from now, with substantial sea-level rise.

Presenting it as a quiz makes it fun. But it is really quite serious, especially when you think about the loss of cultural landmarks that could have lasted that long.

03 April 2018

A threat to GPS

Should the FCC let a company use more of the commercial spectrum to support broadband wireless communications even if it potentially compromises GPS? With over 5 billion GPS receivers in use around the world, it is a big issue. Last year that question emerged as Ligado sought permission despite initial opposition. Now an engineering panel has found that indeed it would be a conflict. Remember that your autonomous car or the airplane you are on rely on strong GPS signals, so this isn't just about hikers.

Keep an eye on this one.