from: http://www.metronews.ca/features/vancouver/vancouvering/2016/08/26/vancouver-residents-active-in-the-design-of-public-space.html
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Public space in Vancouver
"Passersby stop to watch an impromptu jazz concert under the Cambie Street Bridge, neighbours chat while perusing books at an outdoor micro-library, children play with oversized chess pieces on a Mount Pleasant boulevard. Vancouverites are taking an increasingly active role in place making, a community-based approach to the design and use of public spaces. Place making involves the use of urban public spaces to improve city-dwellers' happiness and well-being, fostering a sense of community."
from: http://www.metronews.ca/features/vancouver/vancouvering/2016/08/26/vancouver-residents-active-in-the-design-of-public-space.html
from: http://www.metronews.ca/features/vancouver/vancouvering/2016/08/26/vancouver-residents-active-in-the-design-of-public-space.html
Copenhagen by bike!
Curbs, hops, elevated pathways, and posted low-speed limits - how Copenhagen accommodates so many bicycles.
"Nearly 38% of all transportation trips in Copenhagen are done by bike. With plenty of safe, bicycle infrastructure (including hundreds of miles of physically separated cycletracks) it's no wonder that you see all kinds of people on bikes everywhere. 55% of all riders are female, and you see kids as young as 3 or 4 riding with packs of adults."
"Nearly 38% of all transportation trips in Copenhagen are done by bike. With plenty of safe, bicycle infrastructure (including hundreds of miles of physically separated cycletracks) it's no wonder that you see all kinds of people on bikes everywhere. 55% of all riders are female, and you see kids as young as 3 or 4 riding with packs of adults."
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Vienna's secret
"The Austrian capital has ranked first on the list for seven years in a row. Mercer has consistently praised Vienna for being a safe city with good public services, transport and recreation facilities. In another survey, Monocle magazine also gives Vienna high marks. While Vienna dropped to third place on that list this year, the magazine hosted its annualQuality of Life conference here in April. The Economist’s latest “Liveability Ranking” — released this week — put Vienna second."
"What’s Vienna’s secret? According to government and business leaders, it’s a mix of good long-term planning, an emphasis on citizen participation and a relentless focus on social equity. “Vienna keeps in touch with its traditions, but at the same time embraces advancement,” says Judith Sandberger of the Vienna Business Agency. “Vienna doesn’t stand for the ‘fast buck’.”
Monday, August 29, 2016
The history of cities
"About 10,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers, aided by rudimentary agriculture, moved to semi-permanent villages and never looked back. With further developments came food surpluses, leading to commerce, specialization and, many years later with the Industrial Revolution, the modern city."
"Vance Kite plots our urban past and how we can expect future cities to adapt to our growing populations."
"Projects such as New York City’s High Line are shining examples of forgotten parts of a city being redeveloped into spaces that draw people and commerce from far and wide. As artisans and entrepreneurs bring life back into urban areas, many experts are beginning to talk about the environmental benefit of city life."
"A cursory consideration of city life might lead one to believe that it is much less sustainable than an existence lived out on a farm in the country. Upon further examination, however, one might realize that city dwellers inhabit smaller spaces, drive far less, and procure goods from nearby shops."
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Lighting the way
"Light pollution hides views of the cosmos and causes a host of environmental problems. But architectural and landscape lighting can be designed so that it is sensitive to the night sky and ecosystems yet still responds to clients’ requirements."
"What is light pollution? Mark Major, principal of London-based lighting design firm Speirs + Major, explains simply that since illumination is a byproduct of energy, if you are using more than is required, or you are putting it where it isn’t desired or necessary, “by definition, that is pollution.”
"The outdoor lighting strategies recommended by IDA include luminaires that are shielded to direct light downward rather than up into the sky, are only as bright as necessary, and shut off or dim after hours. Strasser sums up the basics of outdoor lighting as “light where you need it, when you need it, and no more. Everything else is just waste.”
from: http://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/11814-designing-for-the-dark
"What is light pollution? Mark Major, principal of London-based lighting design firm Speirs + Major, explains simply that since illumination is a byproduct of energy, if you are using more than is required, or you are putting it where it isn’t desired or necessary, “by definition, that is pollution.”
"The outdoor lighting strategies recommended by IDA include luminaires that are shielded to direct light downward rather than up into the sky, are only as bright as necessary, and shut off or dim after hours. Strasser sums up the basics of outdoor lighting as “light where you need it, when you need it, and no more. Everything else is just waste.”
from: http://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/11814-designing-for-the-dark
Art in the city!
"Keys to the Streets brings delight and surprise to Vancouver’s public spaces by providing vibrantly painted pianos for everyone to play. The pianos offer a space for improvisational gatherings, spontaneous connections, and celebrations of music."
"The pianos provided help to address the issue of social isolation in Vancouver by providing spaces that allow and encourage connections between many demographics, all levels of musical skill, and those that simply listen."
from: http://keystothestreets.com/#about
"These public pianos are part of the Keys to the Streets project that has placed free, playable pianos to public places in Vancouver. The pianos are available from July 1 to August 23, 2014. This project is inspired by similar pop-up piano initiatives which have appeared in cities such as Montreal, Toronto, and New York."
from: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2014/07/03/public-pianos-vancouver-key-to-the-streets/
"The pianos provided help to address the issue of social isolation in Vancouver by providing spaces that allow and encourage connections between many demographics, all levels of musical skill, and those that simply listen."
from: http://keystothestreets.com/#about
"These public pianos are part of the Keys to the Streets project that has placed free, playable pianos to public places in Vancouver. The pianos are available from July 1 to August 23, 2014. This project is inspired by similar pop-up piano initiatives which have appeared in cities such as Montreal, Toronto, and New York."
from: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2014/07/03/public-pianos-vancouver-key-to-the-streets/
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)