A much-anticipated report on the state of American journalism was published on Monday, and I would like to say that its recommendations provide a road map for a new golden age of journalism. I would like to say that. But as I read “The Reconstruction of American Journalism” - which [...]

In April, we stopped watering our small front lawn, and now the results are in: Over the past six months we reduced our water consumption, year over year, by more than a third - 4,000 gallons of water saved each and every month. Meanwhile, a funny thing happened this past [...]

For the past two weeks, I’ve been using Zagat to Go, the iPhone version of the popular restaurant review network. Wherever I am in the U.S., one tap of the screen will give me a list of the nearest restaurants, their ratings for food, decor and service, and the average [...]

I’m a student of what cities are doing to bring new energy to old neighborhoods - which is how I came to walk the length of a unique urban park on Thursday. Built on what was once an elevated railway, the High Line In New York City now stretches 22 [...]

“Will California become America’s first failed state?” - Headline last Sunday in Britain’s Guardian. NEW YORK Friends here ask whether California will be OK. They have read the news about a state that seems to be spiraling downward, and they worry. In the American mythology, the Golden State has always [...]

In August, I wrote about the need for downtowns to prepare for an influx of aging baby boomers - who “now want to exchange the hassles of suburban life for the smaller scale and convenient amenities available in pedestrian-friendly cities.” Now comes the Wall Street Journal with a Sept. 19 [...]

Fooling around with the new CNN iPhone application -  which was released today. (You can read the Associated Press story here.) Is  this new ap worth $1.99? Probably not. Still, this reworking of existing technologies reminds us again that communication and journalism are being transformed. On my phone, I’m watching [...]

It’s great news that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday backed away from plans to close 100 state parks, including Annadel State Park and Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park. The thousands of Californians who urged the governor to abandon this wrongheaded proposal can take this moment to celebrate. But don’t be [...]

Several years ago, a delegation of Santa Rosa city officials and business leaders traveled to San Luis Obispo to see what it takes to build a vibrant downtown. The Central California city is usually placed on the short list of cities that have figured out how to maintain a successful [...]

If you want to understand why reducing California’s carbon foot print won’t be easy, do what I did last week: Spend a couple of days in the sprawl of high-rise office buildings and shopping malls that define the landscape of Orange County. Near the hotel where I was staying, there [...]