Essays

Essays on the deeper patterns shaping cities, culture, and civic life. Written for those who know there’s more at stake than policy and planning alone.

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Stone foundation in downtown Boise marked “A.D. 1906,” showing a durable remnant of the city’s early built inheritance.

We’ve Forgotten Who We Are

The Living Remnant Every growing city has a few old structures that...

Sunlit photograph of a weathered stone archway in downtown Boise, framed by leafy tree branches and long shadows, with a bright starburst of light filtering through the canopy and nearby buildings and sidewalk visible in the background.

The First Signal

If you want to understand when a city begins to lose confidence...

Two runners move along a dry foothills trail under a wide sky, suggesting effort, place, and the ritual of moving through landscape.

The Marathon Pattern

The Story Inside the Race On any given weekend in almost any...

Fruit trees growing in an orchard with foothills in the background, evoking Boise’s spring growth and the need to shape abundance with care.

The Wisdom of Pruning

In Boise, spring makes growth visible everywhere. The foothills turn green. Trees...

Downtown Boise street scene with wide traffic lanes, sidewalks, signals, and brick buildings near 8th Street.

The Gallery Problem

“The essential function of art … is to become personally enlightened, wise,...

A Canada goose stands alert on a grassy area near mature trees in Boise.

The Goose on the Greenbelt

By late April, goslings begin to take over the Boise Greenbelt. The...

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