Planning Pool

Melaka and George Town were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. Thanks to Gary Arndt on Flickr for the Creative Commons photo.

The Malaysian cities of Melaka and George Town have developed over the last 500 years through trading and cultural exchanges between the East and West in the Straits of Malacca. Asian and European influences have given these cities a very specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. Melaka’s government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications represent history from the early Malay sultanate (15th century) and the Portuguese and Dutch periods (16th century). George Town’s residential and commercial buildings represent its British era (18th century). These two cities along the Straits constitute a physical and cultural landscape unparalleled anywhere else in East and … Continue Reading

In case it is not yet obvious, chickens are now hip. Reacting to concerns about local food security, factory farming and dislocation between urban dwellers and their food, people who used to buy their eggs at the store are deciding instead to keep a few hens in a backyard coop. Cities around North America are changing their bylaws to allow households to keep chickens. Posh dwelling options for these urban hens abound, including stylish molded plastic Eglus imported from England.

The photo from Seattle shows children at last year’s Northwest Folklife Festival checking out the Seattle Urban Farm Co’s display. The little purple and yellow coop, built from recycled materials, illustrates the minimum amount of backyard space that residents would need to devote … Continue Reading