Archives /// Outer Space

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS � Certain words or phrases have a way of evoking images of particular cities. Say the term "car culture," for example, and the smog-choked expressways of Los Angeles immediately come to mind. Say the words "bicycle culture," and what comes to mind are the cities of Holland. I've had the good fortune to experience this bicycle culture for the last six months, living and working in Rotterdam. Separated lanes, bicycle traffic lights, and secure racks make Rotterdam's bicycle culture thriving and vibrant. This vibrancy reveals itself in small gestures: my boss pulling up next to me on our commute ...

TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS — At first glance, Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, appears to be a typical Latin American urban landscape. The city sits in a bowl; a dimple in the hilly terrain that defines its borders. The developed interior of the city gives way to discernible poverty that sprawls up the hillsides in the form of spontaneous makeshift communities, many of which lack infrastructure and basic services. Brief and superficial experiences of Tegucigalpa — or Tegus, as it's colloquially condensed — often reinforce the perception that it's a poor, dangerous, sprawling capital city. Crime is high, "local culture" is nominal, and ...