Looming Debate, by Veronique Vienne (Metropolis Magazine)
Interesting article (with some inaccuracies, too), focused chiefly on Bertrand Delanoe, the "Situationist"-inspired left-leaning, assassination attempt survivor and openly gay mayor of Paris, who gets blind-sided by Nikolas Sarkozy, the pro-business president of France, who wants Paris to be a bit more get-go-ish. Delanoe is on the side of the human-scale advocates who want to preserve its "charms," whereas Sarkozy doesn't mind a tall building or two. The article is interesting because it's one of the clearest outlines I've seen so far on making political linkages between certain attitudes toward modernization and height in Paris, vs preservation (and rejuvenation) of what that city's status quo as well as historical "essence" (at least mid-19th century onward) is.
more fromwww.metropolismag.com
Generative methods in urban design: a progress assessment, by Michael W. Mehaffy - Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability
Have only skimmed this so far, but worth going over in detail. Mehaffy focuses on Christopher Alexander's 1987 work, A New Theory of Urban Design, which was inspired by Jane Jacobs's 1961 work, The Life and Death of Great American Cities. Some of Alexander's ideas have been incorporated by the New Urbanists, and Mehaffy's article traces their "setbacks and shortcomings, and significant opportunities still remaining."
more fromwww.informaworld.com
"Pay your voluntary carbon taxes: Move into the fashionable high-rise city," by John Barber (globeandmail)
Barber's article links the ideas expressed around the demise of suburbs due to rising fuel costs, the benefits of densifying the cities (by building up, not out), and discussions around carbon taxes. "Meanwhile, the free market is applying its own time-tested solution to the problem of overconsumption, with salutary political as well as social consequences. Hillary Clinton never stooped lower than when she promised a summer "gas-tax holiday," joining John McCain in the promise. Barack Obama never looked better than when he condemned it." One answer? Live downtown, preferably on a public tranist line.
more fromwww.theglobeandmail.com
New Urbanists Point the Way Forward by Catesby Leigh, City Journal 18 April 2008
"The New Urbanism and suburban sprawl have something in common: they’re uncool. New Urbanism is uncool because it is basically traditional; modernism is still the thing in architecture, notes Andrés Duany, the most influential New Urbanist." For some reason, City Journal is impossible to annotate (neither highlights and consequently "stickies" work), which is too bad. Some good ideas in this article, but I can't mark it up.
more fromwww.city-journal.org
Chicago's Green Dividend
Short video clip produced by CEOs for Cities, which asks, "How much is it worth, to live two miles closer to work?" The answer(s) is (are) astonishing, when you take those 2 miles and make them cumulative, for the whole US. That said, imagine what it does mean, then, if we build cities that are walkable, that engage people in public transit, that shave those 2miles off people's commutes/ daily drives?
more fromblip.tv
"Wal-Mart and the city an uneasy mix" by Christopher Hume (Toronto Star)
Another article by Hume on the Leslie Street Walmart ("SmartCentres" development). I really like what he writes about delivery/ delivery trucks.
more fromwww.thestar.com
CEOS for Cities - Conversations - CEO Blog - Can Buffalo Ever Come Back?
Ed Glaeser dissed Buffalo in a City Journal article, and is subsequently asked to come to Buffalo to explain himself. His strategy: apologize, but then hammer home the point that buildings do not a successful city make --it's the people-talent, stupid. Interesting advice.
more fromwww.ceosforcities.org
Richard Florida and The Creative Class Exchange: Mega Debate
This is one of a series of posts by Florida in response to an article by Paul Krugman, who is sceptical of Florida's theories around mega-regions powering the world's economic engines. Lots of interesting ideas here.
more fromcreativeclass.typepad.com
Placemaking « Stephen Rees’s blog
Stephen Rees blogs Jan Gehl's talk at the Gateway Theatre, Richmond February 28, 2008. Found via Gordon Price ("Pricetags"), otherwise I would have missed this excellent summary (and a great comments thread, too). Coincidentally, I also watched Andres Duany's very engaging talk, "On the Edge," from January 16/08 on the SFU "City Program" site (video here: http://www.sfu.ca/city/city_pgm_video014.htm). It's a bit disconcerting to think that but for a fluke, I could have missed both these items. I don't remember seeing Gehl's lecture announced, and I didn't see any media follow-ups anywhere else. Duany's lecture I knew about, but missed that a video of same was available. Well, better late than never, I guess...
more fromstephenrees.wordpress.com
› Notes from the ‘Global Place’ conference
Still to read through this blog post, which I bookmarked because it includes such a great photo of Liane LeFaivre, friend from way back when at MIT days! Liane has a new book out on playgrounds, also bookmarked today, and has (judging by Kauffman's blog entry) been up to interesting things elsewhere, too. Re. the conference itself, Kauffman writes, "The conference was a resounding call for pragmatic utopianism and an integration of urbanism and ecology. It had an emphasis on getting things done rather than living to an ideal. Yet there was some agreement that there is gap between academic discussion and the cultural and material realities. Enough talk. There is a greater need for implementation." This makes me think that my interest in the local isn't so marginal, perhaps, insofar as *theory* happens ...what's the word?, across time & space? = unlocalized?, while *implementation* is local. So, if you understand the local very well -- and it's really NOT easy -- you get a better sense of how theory can work or be useful. K. adds a very useful observation re. the difference btw. space & place. The latter is made over time.
more fromwww.joshuakauffman.org
› Ma Qingyun asked us to answer 10 questions on cities of expiration and regeneration
- fascinating question & response (Qs by Ma Qingyun) re. cities and what they mean today. "Head Curator of the biennale Ma Qingyun (who’s also Dean of the USC school of Architecture and planning consultant to the Beijing Olympics) asked all participants and exhibitors to answer 10 questions on the theme of urban expiration and regeneration. The results were published in a 32 page newspaper distributed to all visitors. I can’t find this gem of aggregated thoughts on the future of our cities, but here are our answers posted on the blog documenting our design creations and research www.regional-office.com."
more fromwww.joshuakauffman.org
Ground-up City by Liane LeFaivre and Doll
010 (publisher) description of Ground-up City: Play as a Design Tool, by LeFaivre and the architecture firm Döll - Atelier voor Bouwkunst.
more fromwww.010publishers.nl
» We will not save the environment until… • Spacing Toronto • understanding the urban landscape
- transcript of a talk by Pier Giorgio DiCicco; emphasis on the bodily; added two rather long comments.
more fromspacing.ca
Innovations for the Built Environment 2008 - Designing energy efficient tall buildings
- one of many pages on "Innovations for the Built Environment" conference coming up in London, Feb. 26-28/08. This page is from the "seminars" section, which lists many sessions over those 2 days. Other sections include links to the "exhibit," "attractions," "the arena," "conference," and more.
My Other Car is a Bright Green City - WorldChanging: Tools, Models and Ideas for Building a Bright Green Future
via CEOs for Cities, an article by Alex Steffen, which argues for dense, urban communities that will help curb (literally) car use. \n\nFrom his intro preamble: "This is a rough draft of a long essay about why I believe building compact communities should be one of America's highest environmental priorities, and why, in fact, our obsession with building greener cars may be obscuring some fundamental aspects of the problem and some of the benefits of using land-use change as a primary sustainability solution."
more fromwww.worldchanging.com



