Chiang Mai, Thailand

The Buddhist temples of Chiang Mai exploit the architectural and decorative traditions of the Lanna Kingdom.  They remind citizens of northern Thailand that they once had a country of their own.  Here, a novice monk seems oblivious to tradition, in the form of a dragon, and engaged with modernity, in the form of a cell phone.  [2011]

Paris, France

The Eiffel Tower was built to brag about the new construction technologies that pointed to the high-rise future of cities in the 1880s. It was meant to be a temporary addition to the landscape, but it became so popular it survived and is now the symbol of not only Paris, but all of France, of not only France, but all of Europe. [2005]

Rome, Italy

Rome is not a Renaissance city. It's a Baroque city. And, nothing is more Baroque than Trevi Fountain. Hardly recognized it, did you?  Why is it that the tourist industry worldwide tends to despoil the resources (cultural and natural) on which it is built? I wonder what Oceanus thinks. [2006]

London, England, UK

Little does he know that you can't sit down for free in London's parks.  Deck chairs are for rent only.   Soon, the conductor (see him?) will be by to collect a few pounds in exchange for eating his lunch sedet in sella.  Beware diffusion:  here's one more idea for privatizing public space.  [2008]

Yehliu, Taiwan

The Queen's Head has become an iconic symbol of Taiwan. It is located where Datun Mountain meets the East China Sea, and its history is connected to both. Coastal processes sculpted the neck and head. Then, tectonic forces associated with Taiwan's mountain spine pushed the sculpture up out of the water. [2012]

Colebrook, Pennsylvania, USA

Dinosaur Rock, an outcrop of the fine-grained crystalline rock called diabase, is the product of differential erosion. The graffiti started to appear a decade ago and is now a full-blown case of dinosaur dermatitis. The infection commenced when the state put up a pointing arrow along the main road. Before that only the cognoscenti knew how to find it. [2002]

Jacksonville, Florida, USA

One challenge of urban design is figuring out how to bring the country into the city. How has Jacksonville met the design challenge? Clearly, there is a demand for fishing on the urban waterfront, but concrete and steel seem not to be up to the task of establishing a suitable sense of place for such a sport. [2007]