The Van Alen Institute announced on Oct. 17 the upcoming launch of "Elsewhere", a multi-year initiative that will explore escapism in the contemporary urban environment. The community-centric initiative will consist of design competitions, various public programs, and research focusing on the multiplex aspects of escape — and how the findings from these investigations can create room for innovation and improvement in planning, design, and policy. — bustler.net
The kickoff for "Elsewhere" will officially begin on Nov. 12 through Nov. 17, with four days of public programs throughout New York City. Registration is required for all kickoff events, as space will be limited. You can register here starting Oct. 22. Except for the Nov. 12 event, all events are... View full entry
The best approach, it seems to me, is to say that the genre of “social practice” art raises questions that it cannot by itself answer. But it would be missing an opportunity not to join the debate, even if the goal is to take it in a completely different direction. — isreview.org
Nuanced critique of an art movement that is increasingly affecting discourse in architecture, design and urban practices. View full entry
In his 12-year tenure, Bloomberg built a gleaming Oz of new parks and plazas, skyscrapers and bike lanes. This didn’t stop plenty of terrible buildings from going up. But a focus on streets and architecture redrew whole swaths of the city: Brownstone Brooklyn boomed, the High Line opened, industrial wastelands became waterfront playgrounds. Urban living became a cause, a public good. Design, down to the curbside and the public bench, was no longer an afterthought... — nytimes.com
Opening last week at the Guggenheim Museum, the "Participatory City: 100 Urban Trends" exhibition by the BMW Guggenheim Lab is the interdisciplinary team's latest project in continuing the global conversation on major urban issues of the world's cities. "Participatory City" delves into key themes... View full entry
[Genie is] a platform with online-based planning applications to help architects and engineers in the design process, especially for skyscrapers and large buildings. The platform includes planning tools of expert architects and engineers and advance analytics and simulation tools. Genie standardizes and automates the design and construction processes with unlimited design options, enabling an architect to preserve the building's uniqueness in the urban environment. — Globes
To celebrate Disney Hall’s tenth anniversary, architect Frank Gehry and Conductor Laureate for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Esa-Pekka Salonen reminisced on the building’s inspiration last night, at a discussion held at the Hammer Museum. Co-hosted by the LA Phil, far from the actual... View full entry
The tower would have only been 697 feet until the developers bought Steinway Hall — a deal that allowed for the building’s height to double, but also gave the Landmarks Preservation Commission the final say.
The approval was a no brainer, members said.
“It represents the best of both worlds of new construction and design and historic preservation,” Commission Chairman Robert Tierney said Tuesday.
Fellow commissioner Fred Bland called the combo “daring and smart.”
— nydailynews.com
Apple's proposed new spaceship-shaped headquarters got a super-charged blast-off Tuesday night when the Cupertino City Council voted unanimously to approve the 2.8-million-square-foot behemoth beside Interstate 280, fulfilling a dream of co-founder Steve Jobs, hatching an iconic landmark for Silicon Valley, and promising more congestion in an already traffic-challenged region for decades to come. — mercurynews.com
It appears that cities of today, and especially big cities, all around the world, are all struggling with similar problems, as they all have developed huge territories - their metropolitan or "greater" areas - during the twentieth century that cannot be properly understood by anyone in terms of their form, but that now need to be recognized as something that truly exists, because it is a form that is in perpetual transformation and without limits. — http://www.monu-magazine.com
It appears that cities of today, and especially big cities, all around the world, are all struggling with similar problems, as they all have developed huge territories - their metropolitan or "greater" areas - during the twentieth century that cannot be properly understood by anyone in terms of... View full entry
Many people are still stuck in cyclone shelters because they have nowhere to sleep or get food and water, said T. Radha, the relief commissioner for Andhra Pradesh. He said plastic sheets are being distributed to the homeless, along with food and water. He said fishermen, who are unable to venture out to sea, are being given 10 kilograms of rice to help feed their families. — blogs.wsj.com
This week, as Goldberg’s famous work is pulled apart by wreckers, nothing about its loss seems symmetrical or graceful. Within 40 years, the building transitioned from a proud symbol of civic renewal and design innovation to the victim of old-fashioned Chicago politics. The controversy surrounding the demolition of Prentice, however, injected the preservation movement into an urban design discussion with a presence not seen in a long time. — nextcity.org
Related: As Prentice comes down, stakes rise on its replacement View full entry
Creativity was now the most valuable quality of all, ran Florida’s argument, “the decisive source of competitive advantage.” This made creative people into society’s “dominant class” — and companies that wished to harness their power would need to follow them wherever they went...
Every element of Florida’s argument infuriated our future correspondent. Was he suggesting planned bohemias? Built by governments? To attract businesses?
— salon.com
"Low-rise buildings collapsed on at least two islands and historic churches cracked and crumbled during the quake," , "which sparked panic, cut power and transport links and forced hospitals to evacuate patients."
The quake also damaged tourist attractions, such as the famed Chocolate Hills of Bohol. A photo of the damage to one hill that was by tourist Robert Michael Poole.
Churches that have stood for hundreds of years also suffered damage...
— npr.org
The Plaza hotel is suing the city and Citibank — complaining in scorching court papers that the block-long bike rack outside the landmark building is a traffic-clogging, advertising-festooned “eyesore.”
The row of bright-blue Citi Bikes that now stands across from the hotel along Grand Army Plaza is an affront to both architecture and city drivers, according to the suit.
— nypost.com
New York City’s Department of Buildings issues more than 4,400 violations a year for illegally converted basements, cellars and attics that cannot be occupied because of health and safety hazards, like poor ventilation or a lack of multiple exits.
But with the scarcity of affordable housing in the city and with many New Yorkers already living in makeshift apartments, some housing advocates are calling for a new approach.
— nytimes.com
