Planning Principles

Rules to live (or plan) by:

"Seven Planning Principles for Successful Community Design (1-7)

1. THE GRID: Regardless of specific form and geometry, spaces should be laid out in a network of pathways to maximize interconnection.
2. SMALL BLOCKS: Individual and collective spaces should be scaled down in such a way as to allow the most convenient access, with a priority always to the pedestrian.
3. NO BACKS: Blank walls, limited use zones, and other inhospitable spaces should be avoided in order to promote a safe environment.
4. ON FOOT: The experience of a place should be defined equally by the entry and approach as well as the arrival.
5. TO DWELL: Sidewalk and corridor environments are as much for dwelling as they are for passage and should be places that encourage interaction, collaboration and restoration.
6. MIXED UP: The right programmatic blend of uses and the way in which the functions interact should set the stage for a dynamic community environment.
7. SIMPLIFY: Design should be clear, understandable and beautiful – especially public space in order to create a sense of comfort and harmony for the community.

from: https://ceosforcities.org/simplify/

10 examples of projects for children

... that aren't playgrounds!





from: http://landarchs.com/projects-for-children/

New Amazon Headquarters

The future is farming! Amazon is moving from shipping books and products to growing food!

"Amazon pioneered internet shopping, electronic book reading and cloud computing. Now, as it enters adulthood, it is applying some of that inventiveness to its new home. The company is constructing a collection of high-rise and low-rise buildings in downtown Seattle that will be arrayed around three striking transparent, conjoined structures that Amazon calls spheres. They will act as high-tech greenhouses, the kind of flashy architecture that Amazon shunned for the first 22 years of its life."

from: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/11/technology/forget-beanbag-chairs-amazon-is-giving-its-workers-treehouses.html?_r=0

What Do Parks Offer?

"What Do Parks Offer?"


1. Re-establishing Social Bridges - relax and have social interactions, enriching personal experiences.

2. Power of Transformation - from places people avoid going to (...) to making places vivid again.



3. Standing for a Strong Cultural Identity-Telling History - representative of culture and nature, but also a community space.

4. Simple, but Influential - a sense of freedom to its users

5. A Playground to Learn From - an interactive environment

6. Economic Advantages - enhancing property values, increasing municipal revenue, bringing in home buyers and workers, and attracting tourists.

from: http://landarchs.com/6-parks-that-make-the-world-a-better-place-to-live/

Green districts

"Our definition of a green district is a densely populated and geographically cohesive area that is located within a city and employs technologies and design elements to reduce resource use and pollution. In general, green districts deploy design principles that lead to dense, transit-oriented, mixed-use developments; they also consider using renewable energy sources."

from: http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/sustainability-and-resource-productivity/our-insights/building-the-cities-of-the-future-with-green-districts

Converting big boxes

Integrating big box stores in an urban area is important because blank walls reduce walkability. "Large retailers have adapted to a densely populated, foot-oriented urban area."



"One key to walkability is to have as many destinations as possible within walking distance. In an urban area like Hoboken or Manhattan, a fine grained block can fit over 40 or so destinations. Single destinations - a large retailer, a museum, or a cathedral - that take up an entire city block reduce the number of destinations within that block to one."



"The Home Depot is unintrusive because it is surrounded by plenty of other retailers both big and small, so there are plenty of destinations within walking distance in this neighbourhood, and The Home Depot itself is comfortable to walk past. The reason this works is because these large retailers are the exception. If every store in this area had a such a large footprint, there would be significantly less destinations (less things to do, less reasons to be there, less within walking distance, thus less activity) in the area."



from: http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2016/7/12/big-box-stores-in-the-city

New uses for alleyways

"The alley is dark no longer. In the United States, these almost-accidental spaces between buildings have existed in a sort of limbo: not quite streets, but still thoroughfares; not private, but not public enough to feel protected; backdrops to crime, or filled with trash heaps. But as cities grow increasingly strapped for space, neglecting these narrow streets is no longer a viable option. Cities from Los Angeles to Baltimore to Seattle are rethinking their alleyways and transforming dead ends into into places of connectivity and productivity."

from: http://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2016/07/a-new-life-for-urban-alleys/491207

In Melbourne, they have taken it to a whole new level, including "al fresco eateries, one-off shops and cosy litte bars all nestle side-by-side in laneways threading throughout the city. Each arcade has its own individual character and charm." 

from: http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/Placestogo/LanewaysandArcades/Pages/LanewaysandArcades.aspx

and from: https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/laneway-culture-takes-across-australia/