Tuesday, March 12, 2019

A Brief History of U.S. City Planning

500+ years of history in 15 minutes! Starting before the Europeans arrived with The Pueblo Culture here in The Southwest. Something changed in the 19th Century
Published on Mar 7, 2019
Views: 78,561+
Extensive sources that are cited:
1. Rodriguez, Roberto. (2005) The Foundational Process of Cities in Spanish America. Focus, Volume 2. https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cg...
2. Architecxture and Urbanism in the Southwest. The University of Arizona. http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/adobe/...
3. Reps, J. W. (1997). The making of urban America: a history of city planning in the United States (Nachdr.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press.
4. Vazquez, Leonardo. (2006). Thomas Jefferson: The Founding Father Of Sprawl? Planetizen. https://www.planetizen.com/node/18841
5. Kim, Sukkoo. (2005). Industrialization and Urbanization: Did the Steam Engine Contribute to the Growth of Cities in the United States? National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, Mass. https://www.nber.org/papers/w11206.pdf
6. Levy, J. M. (2013). Contemporary urban planning (10th ed). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Education. p. 34.
7. Schultz, S. K., & McShane, C. (1978). To engineer the metropolis: sewers, sanitation, and city planning in late-nineteenth-century America. The Journal of American History, 65(2), 389-411.
8. Hall, P. (2014). Cities of tomorrow: an intellectual history of urban planning and design since 1880 (Fourth edition). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.
9. Ibid. p. 37-38
10. Ibid. p. 194
11. Jackson, K. (1985). Crabgrass Frontier: The suburbanization of the United States. Oxford University Press.
12. Hall, P. (2014). Cities of tomorrow: an intellectual history of urban planning and design since 1880 (Fourth edition). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell., p. 60
13. Howard, E. (1898). Garden Cities of Tomorrow. London: Faber and Faber Ltd.
14. Massey, D. S., & Denton, N. A. (2003). American apartheid: segregation and the making of the underclass (10. print). Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press.
15. Hall, P. (2014). Cities of tomorrow: an intellectual history of urban planning and design since 1880 (Fourth edition). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell., p. 248
16. Nevius, James. (2016). Jane Jacobs, Robert Moses, and the Battle Over LOMEX. Curbed. https://www.curbed.com/2016/5/4/11505...
17. Massey, D. S., & Denton, N. A. (2003). American apartheid: segregation and the making of the underclass (10. print). Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press.
18. Garreau, J. (1992). Edge city: life on the new frontier (1. Anchor Books ed., 6. print). New York, NY: Anchor Books.
19. Hall, P. (2014). Cities of tomorrow: an intellectual history of urban planning and design since 1880 (Fourth edition). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell., p. 366

at No comments:

Celebrity Real Estate: Jeff Flake Selling Home Here In Mesa

That's some "news" just a few minutes ago: Former former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake is selling his family's large home in Mesa, AZ, for $650,000. 
Built in 1989, the 4,625-square-foot house sits on a large lot in an upscale, gated neighborhood with community tennis courts and a playground.
According to the agent, Chris Randall, the Flakes are now empty nesters and looking to downsize and Flake pursues a post-Senate career as a CBS contributor of sorts.
It's also mentioned in the "news report" Flake is joining a major real estate enterprise here in The East Valley. Considering the close connections both in Politics and the Real Estate Industrial Complex* here that's not surprising yet noteworthy - he's looking forward to become a  board member for home builder Taylor Morrison.
"The last child has left the nest and is serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mexico," he says.
Flake, the youngest of ten children, was born and raised in Snowflake, AZ, cofounded in 1878 by his great-great-grandfather, William Jordan Flake. He and his wife Cheryl have five children.
Reference > News & Insights https://www.realtor.com/news
_________________________________________________________________________
In this article from 30 June 2016 from Phoenix New Times, we find out some details about the property history
"According to the county assessor, Jeff Flake and his wife Cheryl paid $440,000 for the 4,625-square-foot home on November 30, 1999. The assessor's office values the house at $587,000 for 2017 tax purposes — down from $664,200 in 2016. The real estate website Zillow thinks its market value is $775,688, FWIW. Dunno how many bedrooms it has, but it has — count 'em! — 4.75 bathrooms, per Zillow. And a three-car garage.The home address is within the boundaries of Arizona's Sixth Congressional District that were in place during most of Flake's tenure in the House of Representatives. It even appears to be within the boundaries of the old First Congressional District, which Flake represented in his first term, before being redistricted when Arizona got two new House seats in advance of the 2002 election.
__________________________________________________________________________________
* Notes on Politics: from  > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Flake
Like so many city officials here in Mesa - City Manager Chris Brady and current Mayor John Giles, for example, Flake attended Brigham Young University, from which he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations, and later his Master of Arts degree in political science.

 
at

Sunday, March 10, 2019

Re/Discovering The 13th-Century Maya Empire Here In The New World In The 21st Century

. . . Just now after about 1,000 years! Hard-to-believe for sure, but when ancient cities like Teotihuacan, "The City of The Gods" outside Mexico City and the Mayan ruins of Chichén Itzá on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, a city that accommodated millions of people at its peak during the 13th century, it's time past due to re-write Euro-centric history. Time to dig deeper to begin to understand all the peoples and cultures that were here before Columbus. In the era we like to call pre-Columbian [1492] 
Here in Mesa, Arizona that so-called history, recorded by The Pioneers sent from Salt Lake City, Utah to colonize what was then the Arizona Territory, only goes back to the mid-1850's when The Hohokam, "The People Who Came Before", somehow unexplained just disappeared.


With some exceptions the stories are usually about mysteries and treasures and bloody sacrifices, probably relating to the Spanish Conquistadors' lust for gold and the search for The Seven Cities of El Dorado. Or their mission to spread the gospel of Christianity by converting 'The Indians'.
Indigenous peoples had more than one god in advanced civilizations, in what we now call a Megalopolis
< Teotihucan

Europeans could not even imagine existed the advanced civilizations here in The World . . . now we definitely know more: these 3 reports in the last week
Story image for new mayan culture discovery from Live Science
Lost Cave of 'Jaguar God' Rediscovered Below Mayan Ruins — and ...
Live Science-Mar 5, 2019
Shimmying through a maze of dark tunnels below the Mayan ruins of Chichén Itzá on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, archaeologists have rediscovered a ...
Story image for new mayan culture discovery from National Geographic
Maya ritual cave 'untouched' for 1000 years stuns archaeologists
National Geographic-Mar 4, 2019
The discovery of the cave system, known as Balamku or “Jaguar God,” was ... between different Mesoamerican cultures, and what was going on in the Maya world ... the (re)discovery of Balamku as a chance to implement a totally new model of ...
Story image for new mayan culture discovery from National Geographic
Lasers reveal Maya war ruins
National Geographic-Mar 1, 2019
It is the largest defensive system ever discovered in the region, “and possibly in all of the ... civilization that was far more complex and interconnected than most Maya ... Guided by the new high-tech treasure maps, the LiDAR team deployed ...

Archaeologists guided by laser images of a remote region of northern Guatemala have discovered 20-foot-high walls, watchtowers, and other evidence that ancient Maya societies waged large-scale warfare over many years. The finds have upended long-established impressions of a civilization that tamed the jungle and built thriving cities, then declined and disappeared beneath the dense tropical forest.
" . . .As we fill in more of the gaps, I think we’ll continue to realize that Maya civilization was as robust as some of those that are now considered to be the most important civilizations of antiquity . . "
 
at

Car-Driven Culture Here In Mesa: Utah-Based Larry H. Miller

What you probably didn't know: Car sales/service dealerships, finance and insurance are a very BIG BUSINESS for Larry H. Miller. O yeah - add Sports & Entertainment too.
And don't forget "Doing Good" * [see below]
According to  this report  by Russ Wiles in Arizona Republic published on March 4, 2019, overall Larry H. Miller sold more than 179,000 vehicles and generated $5.1 billion in sales in 2017, according to Automotive News. Privately held Larry H. Miller Dealerships is the nation's ninth-largest dealership group with more than 60 locations selling 20 automotive brands.
_________________________________________________________________________
CORRECTION Blogger's Note: On Monday, January 28, 2019, Larry H. Miller Dealerships sold its two millionth vehicle. 
Larry H. Miller Dealerships Sells Its Two Millionth Car
February 11th, 2019 by  
Larry H. Miller Dealerships reached a milestone on Monday, January 28, 2019, when it sold its two millionth vehicle. Customers Don and Janine Edwards purchased a 2019 Honda Pilot at Larry H. Miller Honda Murray, marking a company milestone nearly 40 years in the making.

“In 1979 when we bought our first dealership, Larry and I could not have imagined selling 2,000,000 cars, but today we are celebrating that milestone,” said Gail Miller. “We are grateful for the growth and success of our company and recognize the hard work and dedication of our employees and the continued support from our customers and the communities where we do business.”
During the delivery of the car on February 6, the Edwards were presented with a $5,000 VISA gift card by Larry H. Miller Group of Companies owner and chairman, Gail Miller; Miller family members; and company management.__________________________________________________________________________________
Larry H. Miller adds 13th Arizona auto dealership
with Mesa purchase
"Larry H. Miller Dealerships has added its 13th Arizona auto store with the acquisition of Berge Ford in Mesa.
The purchase gives the Utah-based company 1,586 employees in Arizona, including retention of existing staff at Berge Ford.
The March 1 purchase involves a sales and service center, now named Larry H. Miller Ford Mesa, along with a collision center, a commercial-vehicle facility and more. The purchase price wasn't announced.
Berge Ford had been family owned for more than 75 years. The company looked for a buyer whose "values and culture matched with our own," said Nancy Berge, president of Berge Ford, in a prepared statement. She cited Miller's company culture, treatment of employees and history of giving back to the community as favorable factors.
__________________________________________________________________________
More than 80 businesses united by one goal: Enriching lives.
From auto dealerships and sports teams to entertainment venues and retail outlets, we are the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies.
http://www.lhm.com/

Dealerships, Sports & Entertainment, Finance and Insurance - and Doing Good
Want to help the homeless?
The Miller family, which owns more than 60 car dealerships and the National Basketball Association’s Utah Jazz, will match up to $10 million in donations for programs and services at three new homeless shelters in Salt Lake County.
“We can‘t afford to turn our back on the homeless and those who are less fortunate,” Larry H. Miller Cos. owner Gail Miller said at Thursday’s announcement. . . The three new shelters are expected to come on line by July 2019 and provide comprehensive, all-day services that would more effectively connect homeless people with jobs, treatment and housing. . .
The Miller family’s donation won’t go toward the estimated $45 million needed to build the three new structures, or the two-year shelter-area law enforcement effort that began in earnest Monday, dubbed Operation Rio Grande.
Donations toward services — matched by the Millers dollar for dollar — can be made to the shelters’ owner, Shelter the Homeless, at www.homelessutah.org.
The nonprofit’s president, Zions Bancorp. CEO Harris Simmons, said he hopes the Miller family’s donation prompts  ”every individual, every family in this valley ... to have a conversation about how we can make a difference.”

 
at

Dirty Dining @ Chicago Cubs Spring Training Complex Here In Mesa Riverview

at

Information Wanted: Drug King Jimmy Chagra

Las Vegas author Jack Sheehan has wanted to tell the story of Jimmy Madrid, who died of cancer at the age of 63 on July 25,2008, while living under-cover in a trailer park here in Mesa with a new identity in the Federal Witness Program.
The notorious  mobster drug-dealer, Jamiel H. Chagra, probably attracted little attention from neighbors while living under a false assumed-identity given to him by the FBI. As you can see in the opening image he looks much like your average retiree who move to Mesa. But there's a difference. Jimmy Chagra was so many things — a mob-connected drug runner, a smart man with a dark side, a high roller and convicted felon. Rich and powerful and criminal, Chagra wound up living anonymously in Arizona.
All these attributes make Chagra a dream subject for a documentary. Las Vegas author Jack Sheehan has seized the opportunity to chronicle Chagra’s live and is developing a full-scale documentary film about a man at the center of one of the great crime stories of the last half-century.
Sheehan has partnered with Eric Thiermann  of Impact Creative on this project, which has been in development over the past two months.
Las Vegas author developing documentary on drug kingpin Jimmy Chagra
By / Las Vegas Review-Journal | March 9, 2019 - 1:57 pm
. . . It’s the great American tragedy,” Sheehan says. “It’s the breakdown of an immigrant family. You see how Chagra changed the way money was laundered in Las Vegas. You see Jimmy’s face and hear his voice, talking about all of it, how he was able to run a functioning marijuana empire until 1978. He had $100 million dollars — which today is about a half-billion —in various bank accounts, and was a blue-chip celebrity on the Strip who wound up in Mesa, Arizona.”
Sheehan is still seeking some individuals who knew Chagra and can contribute to this project — and if you fit the bill, opportunity knocks . . .
Reference > Las Vegas Review Journal
_________________________________________________________________________
RELATED CONTENT: 
Jamiel Chagra
Updated on


". . . Jimmy Chagra was released from prison for health reasons in Atlanta, Georgia on December 9, 2003. He was reportedly placed in the Federal Witness Protection Program. The story surrounding the assassination of Judge Wood was profiled in an episode of City Confidential. A fictitious name reference to the Judge John Wood assassination also appeared in an "FBI Files" episode Dangerous Company as the show regularly changed names of real-life people to protect privacy.
He was also used in FBI: The Untold Stories.
Jamiel Chagra married his third wife, Lynda Ray, while living under the name James Madrid on November 22, 2005. They were married in Las Vegas.
Chagra died of cancer at 10:30 am on July 25, 2008.
He had been living in Mesa, Arizona with his wife.
https://alchetron.com/Jamiel-Chagra 
at

Saturday, March 09, 2019

Looks like the bears are coming out of hibernation after 10 years

Market Sell-Off  . .  where's
the money gonna go? . . . .Lessons learned 10 years after that "Financial Crisis" . . . and Central Banks don't have much ammunition left
Published on Mar 8, 2019
Views: 7,524+
 
The bears are coming out of hibernation as growth fears grip Wall Street. With CNBC's Scott Wapner and the Fast Money traders, Carter Worth, Tim Seymour, Steve Grasso and Dan Nathan
at No comments:
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)

Zelensky Calls for a European Army as He Slams EU Leaders’ Response

      Jan 23, 2026 During the EU Summit yesterday, the EU leaders ...