In my work, if we talk about a project site in some detail and you bring it up a week later, I have to think a bit to get it fixed back in my head. Same with visiting a new city and driving to a project site using only written directions. I may have trouble finding it again later. But if I see a site plan or find a location on a map, it’s burned into my brain. I’m spatial.
Tulsa Online 2.0 will need excellent interactive maps Continue Reading »
Land use regulations take away rights from land owners. There is a basic premise that says, as a land owner I have a right to use my property any way I see fit.
Zoning and other land use laws restrict my use of property. Such restrictions help protect against incompatible land uses occurring on adjacent properties or buildings being placed on one property in a way that negatively affects the use of adjacent properties. Property restrictions help maintain peace and harmony in a community of many different land owners.
But it’s a delicate balance Continue Reading »
I’ve heard it said that the results from the Land Use Education and Communication Task Force must be far reaching. It will take significant cultural changes, abandonment of dysfunctional mental models, and vast improvements in public notification systems to turn this ship in a positive direction.
It was mentioned at a recent task force meeting that a “web page” isn’t going to be the answer. Continue Reading »
I was invited to present my ideas about online delivery of land development rules and processes to the Mayor’s Task Force this evening (4/13/09).
You can view the slides I used below. If you want a copy to keep in the bathroom, download a Power Point or PDF copy over on the right column under “Downloads – Land Use Education & Communication Task Force”.
I saw an article in Planetizen today about Twitter and the variety of uses people are finding for it.
One woman tweeted for help after being mugged and 3 people immediately called 911 for her. Most of us have heard already that the first report of a plane landing in the Hudson River came from a guy who tweeted about it as he watched the landing unfold from a nearby ferry.
Twitter users have moved way beyond merely answering the question, “What are you doing?”
Of particular interest here at LandRules, the Planetizen article says, “… the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning has set up a Twitter feed to solicit input as part of their Go To 2040 planning initiative, posting tweets on topics like U.S. Census data and federal earmarks affecting Chicago.”
LandRules envisions a land use education and communication environment where we think creatively about ways to employ technologies like Twitter and others we don’t know about yet.
Tulsa Development Online 2.0 must begin with a solid, well conceived information architecture road map.
Information Architecture is a distinct discipline of designing and organizing an information space to facilitate task completion and intuitive access to content. It is the combination of organization, labeling, and navigation schemes within an Continue Reading »
The task force appointed by Mayor Taylor to study and make recommendations on planning and development processes had it’s first meeting March 11, 2009. It was an open meeting, although not very well publicized. I read about it in the Tulsa World and decided I’d go. Good Stuff, l-o-n-g overdue.
As I sat there listening it became clear that “LandRules” describes a conceptual approach to a much needed product that is a very close fit with this Task Force’s mission. Continue Reading »
In 2002 I got an idea that came out of a passion for helping people understand the maze of land use regulations in Tulsa. Our systems and processes are confusing and the available resources are not as accessible as they should be. Continue Reading »
