While there are, of course, far more than 5 TNDs (traditional neighborhood developments) in the Southeastern U.S. that are innovative and interesting enough to keep a close eye on, these are the five that have most attracted my notice: 1.  Davidson, NC.  Ok, this isn’t actually a TND – it’s a whole entire town, which [...]

Filed under: I'On Group, Urban Sustainability, Videos & Photos on December 30th, 2008 | No Comments »

Interested in improving your city?  Get involved with Keep North Charleston Beautiful, a  group that does clean-up and beautification projects across the city.  Their first meeting of the year is at 11:00am on Jan. 6, at the Park Circle Community Building; they’ll have Helen Floyd, of Legare Nurseries, as a speaker. From Carmen Hanlon, the [...]

Filed under: I'On Group on December 30th, 2008 | No Comments »

There’s a list of 50 on the website, but here are a few of my favorites: Hang Nga Guesthouse, Vietnam.  Fun because it’s like a scary wizard’s house who has a giant giraffe for a pet. The Stone House in Portugal.  Fun because it looks like a hobbit-house…only way bigger. The Mushroom House in Cincinnati.  [...]

Filed under: I'On Group, Videos & Photos on December 30th, 2008 | No Comments »

Drew Grossklaus finds an amazing book at Goodwill…read his special report below! While shopping at a local Goodwill I came across an interesting book, “Are You Missing the Real Estate Boom” by David Lereah.  The book was one of three prominently displayed to draw the shoppers’ eye to the book section.  On initial glance, my [...]

Filed under: I'On Group, I'On Real Estate, Morris Square on December 30th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

The Trust for Public Land, which has done wonderful work all over the Charleston region, recently published a coffee table book detailing the planning history of Park Circle from the original vision in the early 20th century, to today.  Check out their blog post, and buy the book here!

Filed under: I'On Group, Mixson, Urban Sustainability on December 29th, 2008 | No Comments »

Sounds like fun even if you have no idea what it means, right?  Well, I discovered carrotmobbing randomly on the CoolTown Studios blog, and it turns out that it’s an extremely innovative method of helping businesses to become more sustainable or socially responsible. See for yourself with this video and post, and then head over [...]

Filed under: Charleston SC Green Living, I'On Group, Mixson, Urban Sustainability on December 29th, 2008 | No Comments »

Crowdsourcing,  in which a group of people perform a task (often for free) usually undertaken by a single professional, seems to be the next big thing in placemaking.  CoolTown Studios is an informative, lively blog devoted to crowdsourcing for creatives – not only artists, writers, filmmakers, etc., but  cultural creatives: the people who, through education, [...]

Filed under: Charleston SC Green Living, I'On Group, Mixson, Urban Sustainability on December 29th, 2008 | 2 Comments »

You know what this means – the exhaust smells like coffee.  Plus  we have yet another source of environmentally friendly fuel for our insatiable energy-guzzling lifestyles.  Check out this article from the NY Times about a group of scientists who’ve come up with a way to make biodiesel from used coffee grounds.  I wonder if [...]

Filed under: Charleston SC Green Living, I'On Group, Urban Sustainability on December 23rd, 2008 | No Comments »

The Post and Courier reported on Thursday, Dec. 18 that the Johns Island toll road is unlikely, although they’re still considering a road that would span part of the island.  Also, on Wednesday, Dec. 17, the P&C had an article about the 526 expansion – fortunately, they’re still weighing alternatives to the mega-highway idea that [...]

Filed under: I'On Group, Urban Sustainability on December 23rd, 2008 | No Comments »

Want to see a Couchbike, a pedal-powered pub, and something called the AquaSkipper?  Of course you do!  Click here to see Treehugger’s gallery of the bizarre, the well-meant, and the ultra-cool in human powered transportation.

Filed under: I'On Group, Videos & Photos on December 23rd, 2008 | No Comments »