About THE AUTHOR

The creation of an economic development and urban planning travel blog that describes communities and regions as evolving entities with a complex mix of people and distinct economies has been percolating for some time. With 40+ years of economic development consulting experience behind me it is now time to launch this new idea.

The clients for my consulting practice include local governments, non-profit economic development organizations, for-profit developers and Indian Tribes. Travel to the project sites is a critical element of delivering effective consulting services. Travel into the field allowed me to engage with community stakeholders in nearly every region of California where I live as well as other states where I had projects that includes Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Washington. I met a lot of great people along the way and navigated my way through some challenging situations.

That said, my formative my formative perspective on the world and nation was shaped by service as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines during the mid to late 1970s. At that time the Philppines was under Martial Law and President Ferdinand Marcos was at the peak of his powers. I was assigned to be the Province of Palawan's Economist as one of 14 Peace Corps Volunteers that worked with various cities and provinces throughout the Philippines.  Palawan Province included 1,700 islands, of which the vast majority are uninhabited or sparsely populated. As you may guess Palawan turned out to be a fantastic place to be a Peace Corps Volunteer. 

Travel throughout the Province was an integral part of my work, which means riding overcrowded Jeepneys and buses along terrible roads, riding small boats to get to places where there are no roads, and doing lots of walking to more remote barrios with ongoing community improvement initiatives.

As you might guess nearly every day was an adventure travel day in the Philippines. Adventure travel seeped into my blood and has guided me through some amazing trips through Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. Traveling overland along the slow road and spending time away from the tourist path allows me to understand the local situation as much as possible.

Right now this web site only includes two travel blog posts, but I have sufficient enough material for about 10 additional posts. Leave your email and I will include you when new posts are created.