Field Notes: Pavement to Plaza

Isaac Kremer/ April 10, 2023/ Field Notes, Physical, plaza/ 0 comments

Pavement to plaza is a global movement to reclaim parking lots and repurpose them for use by people. William “Holly” Whyte famously said people are most likely to sit where there are places to sit. Food is among the best tools to attract people. Put these together then you have a formula for active, loved, and well used places. Related

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Field Notes: Open Space Technology

Isaac Kremer/ April 10, 2023/ Civic, Field Notes/ 0 comments

Open Space Technology is something I first became acquainted with in 2017. Since that time it has become an organizing principle for every meeting I moderate. The rules are simple: When it starts is the right time. Who shows up are the right people. When its over, its over. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have. They are

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Field Notes: Trail Connectivity

Isaac Kremer/ April 8, 2023/ Field Notes, Social/ 0 comments

Trail connectivity provides a promotional funnel to attract customers and dollars to an area. Some routes are local in nature. Often loops are best, such as the Atlanta Belt Line, Dragons Tooth (Blacksburg, VA), and the Billy Goat Trail (Great Falls, MD). People can get on or off at any point and return to their point of origin by completing

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Field Notes: Estimate Retail Market Demand

Isaac Kremer/ April 8, 2023/ Economic, Field Notes/ 0 comments

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX) to estimate retail market demand, based on the current household demographic characteristics. There are a number of expenditure categories in the CEX that can be omitted from the estimate, as these are atypical (e.g., funerary services). This example demonstrates how to calculate market demand for Metuchen, New Jersey in 2017. Average Household Income $112,971–          Groceries $3,757–         

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Field Notes: Flag Signs

Isaac Kremer/ April 8, 2023/ Field Notes, Physical/ 0 comments

Flag signs are the worst. They obliterate the human scale and are difficult to read… unless your business is on the highway and you are trying to catch the attention of drivers for half a second while speeding by 60 miles an hour. I encourage every design conscious downtown to eliminate flag signs, and work with owners on more appropriate

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Field Notes: Triadic Closure

Isaac Kremer/ April 8, 2023/ Civic, Field Notes/ 0 comments

Triadic closure is an important skill for building strong and resilient networks. As an example, I know Hannah and Ed but they might not know each other. Introducing Hannah and Ed opens the possibility for connection and sharing between their networks. This skill is most powerful in person but introductions may also be done by email. Strong network builders apply

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Let the 2023 planting season begin!

Isaac Kremer/ March 3, 2023/ family, garden/ 0 comments

Note: the story of how our family garden came to be is here. Below are brief updates from the garden. 2023-Feb-26: We started a new grow operation with approximately 300 seeds of 12 different varieties. These included favorites that we re-plant from seeds collected, year after year. There were also at least three new varieties of tomatoes – one is

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How the Progressive Republican who Named Metuchen, New Jersey, ‘The Brainy Borough’ was Run Out of Town

Isaac Kremer/ February 25, 2023/ Writing/ 0 comments

For the man who named Metuchen the Brainy Borough, there is a little-known story about how this newspaper reporter, turned utility superintendent, turned postmaster, turned Republican committee member, turned real estate and insurance agent, took on the bosses that led the Republican Party in New Jersey and spectacularly lost. This is his story and the lasting impact his life has

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