My first visit to New Orleans was in January 2006. As a FEMA contractor I was stationed there a few days because there was no place to stay in Baton Rouge where headquarters was. After returning home I recounted the visit in a series of weekly letters that were published...

Today I had the great pleasure of hearing Sara C. Bronin give her views on zoning. Author of the recently published book "Key to the City," she has a unique perspective of the many maladies caused by outdated zoning laws from the 1950s and 1960s with large lot zoning and...

This handsome station and plaza are a common sight for commuters. One needs to walk a few blocks away to see some exciting things happening. These way-finding signs offer an important amenity, especially for first time visitors. Given their significant size, a missed opportunity is to have something on the...

This cast concrete block building on the edge of town makes use of this distinctive building material. Upon entering town this skinny vernacular cottage caught our attention for the detailed spindle work. The town of Occoquan originated in 1758 when John Ballentine built his home Rockledge. Grist mills, a foundry,...

The first National Eucharistic Congress in over eight decades was an opportunity for Catholics throughout the U.S. and the world to reaffirm the presence of the body and blood of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Four pilgrimage routes converged in Indianapolis after travelling through the country for sixty days. One...

Cleveland Plaza is a level of architectural intervention unusual for an older building. The canopy on steel and reinforced concrete armature gives a neat hat atop this structure. I was fortunate to get a peek into St. Michaels church down the block. The stained glass, while narrow and compact, had...

Earlier we shared our story from arriving in Birmingham through the close of the Opening Plenary on Day 1. This post will cover the time after the Opening Plenary on Monday and before leaving Tuesday afternoon. A full day of programming was available Monday afternoon. I started by heading my...

Recently Terminal A in Newark, NJ, was named the best new terminal in the world. Almost immediately upon arriving it was apparent why. Great thought went into designing an environment worthy of the travel experience. From the way finding, to seating, to public art, and retail mix with many local...

Today the results from the Equitable Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Rural Communities Pilot Program . Main Street America has positioned itself well at the center of these important discussions, continuing many years of excellent work with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Several important findings were shared. Acknowledge and address imbalances and...

The following are my recollections from the Main Street Now conference in Boston, Massachusetts. This was written 15 months after the conference itself. We drove from New Jersey to Boston, crossing the Hudson River on the still relatively new Mario Cuomo bridge. Joining me on the trip this year was...