life on foot

"Buildings are no longer apprehended in a glance at their front but experienced from all angles...."

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:42:02 -0400

“Buildings are no longer apprehended in a glance at their front but experienced from all angles. ‘It’s a sensibility,’ says Holl, ‘becoming more acutely aware of how we experience things.’ Architecture, he explains, is felt and understood by the ‘subject-body,’ which moves through space. Music, for him, is a powerful metaphor for the dynamic unfolding of experience.”

- Philip Kennicott speaking of Architect Steven Holl in Dwell Magazine Vol. 13.6, May 2013

Watch Rio Erase and Rebuild Its Entire Waterfront in 3 Minutes

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:21:30 -0400

Watch Rio Erase and Rebuild Its Entire Waterfront in 3 Minutes

"For decades, cities have reflected the neat separation of work and home, with residences in one part..."

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:25:23 -0400

“

For decades, cities have reflected the neat separation of work and home, with residences in one part of town, offices and industry in another, and infrastructure (highways, parking garages, hub-and-spoke transit systems) built to help connect us between the two around what has been for many people a 9-to-5 work day. But what happens when more people start to work outside of offices, or really anywhere – at all times?

Suddenly, we need WiFi in parks, and certainly in underground subway systems. We need more physical spaces that serve this new lifestyle: co-working offices and live/work apartments.

”

- How the End of the Traditional Workplace Is Changing Our Cities

‘For the pedantic rail enthusiasts, the definition of a...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:58:50 -0400

‘For the pedantic rail enthusiasts, the definition of a subway used here is, with some caveats, “a network containing high capacity grade-separated passenger rail transit lines which run frequently, serve an urban core, and are underground or elevated for at least part of their downtown route.” For the rest of you, the definition is “an underground train in a city.”’

The 24 Most Colorful Cities In The World - BuzzFeed

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:28:45 -0400

The 24 Most Colorful Cities In The World - BuzzFeed

"But the star of the social innovation show, and the tool for cities to fix their human capital,..."

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:10:57 -0400

“But the star of the social innovation show, and the tool for cities to fix their human capital, digital, and social service infrastructure, is a financial instrument you’ve probably never heard of—the social impact bond. Social impact bonds infuse private capital into traditionally public-sector activities, helping build a better safety net while reducing the state’s burden to care for vulnerable citizens.”

- Every American City Needs an Office of Urban Innovation

Authors: Jennifer Stoff and John Roman

New Brunswick, NJ

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 11:40:26 -0400

New Brunswick, NJ

Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one trying to gentrify...

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 16:09:36 -0400

Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one trying to gentrify this neighborhood

TIME FOR LIVABLE STREETS IN SAN DIEGO

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:06:21 -0400

TIME FOR LIVABLE STREETS IN SAN DIEGO:

Mayor Bob Filner recently announced the initiation of San Diego’s biggest block party: CicloSDias. Stretching from Barrio Logan to City Heights, the 5.2-mile route opens the street to people walking, biking, playing, sitting and just enjoying their streets without the fear of vehicle traffic. Best of all, it’s free for all who want to join. Why CicloSDias, and why is it important?

San Diego arguably has some of the best weather in the United States. We love being outdoors. As a result we rank near the top in the country for fitness and healthy living. On a beautiful day we jump in the car and head to the beach, to the park, or for a hike. However, with a lack of good, safe bike lanes and sidewalks, riding a bicycle through the streets of San Diego or simply walking remains a challenge that many are unwilling to risk. And there’s good reason: San Diego also ranks among the highest in the nation for pedestrian and bicycle deaths.

"Statistically, walking and cycling may be low risk activities…but no amount of statistics can change..."

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:15:30 -0400

“Statistically, walking and cycling may be low risk activities…but no amount of statistics can change the often unpleasant and at times frightening experience of trying to negotiate a street network that has been engineered around the needs of the motorist.”

- A New Movement for The New City: The Problem With Cars | Bruce McVean, founder of Movement for Liveable London (via atlurbanist)

"I’m not here to suggest that government should be run like a business or that politicians should all..."

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 23:28:15 -0400

“I’m not here to suggest that government should be run like a business or that politicians should all act like entrepreneurs. However, we do need to take some of the elements of entrepreneurialism—being nimble, networked, innovative, and willing to take risks and make mistakes—and incorporate them into government.”

- Gavin Newsom, Citizenville

This Is Your Office in the Year 2020

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 12:33:46 -0500

This Is Your Office in the Year 2020:

“In the distant year 2020, you’ll speed to work in your flying car and a robot maid named Rosie will do all your work for you.

Not so fast — this isn’t The Jetsons. But today’s connected world would seem like science fiction to the typical person living just a few decades ago. So what advances will we make by the start of the next decade? Surely there will be changes to your daily routine as technology moves forward. What will your computer look like? Will everyone in the office receive a jetpack as a signing bonus?”

smartercities: City of Dubuque: Investing in sustainability for...

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:20:35 -0500

smartercities:

City of Dubuque: Investing in sustainability for economic development now and in the future.

By monitoring traffic patterns as well as water and power consumption, Dubuque, Iowa is improving sustainability and engaging its citizens.

"Give pedestrians what’s best, as opposed to what’s left."

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:59:24 -0500

“Give pedestrians what’s best, as opposed to what’s left.”

- Unknown (via burdenedwgloriouspurpose)

ATL Urbanist: When transit is hard to walk to: bunker-like MARTA stations

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 11:40:31 -0500

ATL Urbanist: When transit is hard to walk to: bunker-like MARTA stations:

atlurbanist:

There’s a good post today at Progressive Transit: Why is it so hard to walk to a MARTA station? Good insights and lots of images to illustrate the point that many MARTA stations are, unfortunately, built to be more accessible to cars coming from the road (for park-and-ride use) than to…

"My suspicion is that many hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of those households in the 2020s to..."

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:27:00 -0500

“My suspicion is that many hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of those households in the 2020s to 2030 and beyond will simply give up the house and walk away.”

- Arthur C. Nelson, The Great Senior Sell-Off Could Cause the Next Housing Crisis

"Ok, if there’s 1.5 to 2 million homes coming on the market every year at the end of this decade from..."

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:23:00 -0500

“Ok, if there’s 1.5 to 2 million homes coming on the market every year at the end of this decade from senior households selling off, who’s behind them to buy? My guess is not enough.”

- Arthur C. Nelson, The Great Senior Sell-Off Could Cause the Next Housing Crisis

Millennials Say They’d Give Up Their Cars Before Their...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 13:27:40 -0500

Millennials Say They’d Give Up Their Cars Before Their Computers or Cell Phones

I happen to like the pre-fab, sustainable, infrastructure-heavy...

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:45:21 -0500

I happen to like the pre-fab, sustainable, infrastructure-heavy aspect of this design, but it just seems too much like the 21st Century update of Le Corbusier’s Radiant City.

urbanimaginary:

The film details the need to outgrow the dated and inefficient methods of politics, law, business, or any other “establishment” notions of human affairs, and use the methods of science, combined with high technology, to provide for the needs of all the world’s people. It is not based on the opinions of the political and financial elite or on illusionary so-called democracies, but on maintaining a dynamic equilibrium with the planet that could ultimately provide abundance for all people.

Can Syracuse Resurrect Its Street Life

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:50:37 -0500

Can Syracuse Resurrect Its Street Life