The magic of cities comes from their people, but those people must be well served by the bricks and mortar that surround them. Cities need roads and buildings that enable people to live well and to connect easily with one another ... in the most desirable cities, whether they're on the Hudson River or the Arabian Sea, height is the best way to keep prices affordable and living standards high. — grist.org
The late John Chase was the City of West Hollywood's urban designer for 14 years. During that time, he made his mark on every corner of West Hollywood, helping transform Santa Monica Boulevard into a pedestrian-friendly strip, shepherding high-quality development, commissioning well-designed signage, and carving out much-needed pocket parks. — A group of his friends, family, co-workers, and collaborators
On May 21, John's birthday, a group of his friends, family, co-workers, and collaborators will lead a walking tour across the city to experience John's legacy. Architects and city leaders will meet the group at the various projects to talk about working with John and offer advice on how designers... View full entry
News This summer the designers of the Union Street Urban Orchard will return to 100 Union Street, Southwark to transform a derelict site into the Urban Physic Garden, a pop-up community built garden celebrating medicinal plants which will host an on-site cafe and summer festival of events... View full entry
For several years, the Gulf states have been engaged in an ambitious rebranding campaign, to establish themselves as a centre for art, culture and science. Leading academic institutions, like the New York University or Paris's Sorbonne university, have opened campuses in Abu Dhabi; major museums, like the Louvre and the Guggenheim are planning to build branches there. — Qantara.de
The Abu Dhabi Art Fair has turned into an attraction, not just for regional artists, gallery-owners and art experts, but also for those from Europe, the USA, South Asia and Australia. The Emirate of Sharjah puts on an Art Biennial which has international status. These developments are part of the... View full entry
The Montreal UNESCO City of Design initiative aims at creating opportunities for designers in Montreal so as to give vital and tangible expression to Montréal’s status as a UNESCO City of Design.
First launched throught an investment of $1.2 million over three years (2007-2011), the initiative aims to fund design and architecture competitions as well as promote made-in-Montréal design initiatives via various digital communication tools.
— Montreal UNESCO City of Design
To celebrate the 5th anniversary of Montréal's designation of a UNESCO City of Design, the city will be hosting a year-long event titled Montréal, UNESCO City of Design, from May 2011 to May 2012. View full entry
Among 64 submissions, a team of Slovenian architects was assigned the 1st prize in the open competition for the kindergarten „Mavrica“ in the small town of Brežice, Slovenia. The municipality of Brežice in cooperation with the Chamber of Architecture and the Spatial Planning of Slovenia had invited applications for this public project. The winning team comprises Ljubljana architects Breda Bizjak, Lidija Dragišić M.A., Katja Florjanc, Emir Jelkić, and Ajda Vogelnik Saje. — Bustler
Most ills in this world (and we know there isn’t a shortage of them) require massive change on systematic and ideological levels. Indeed, it is a capacity—and many say, a responsibility—of design to address the many pressing problems facing the world today.
But is this the only role for design? Is design solely a form of crisis management and problem solving? Or can design also offer a different perspective on a problem, without having the aim of solving the problem entirely?
— openhouse2011.com
Renny Ramakers responds to the NYT Opinionator piece by Allison Areiff, published last week. View full entry
The first phase of this zero-carbon Gulf city is up and running. But behind the futuristic facade of driverless pods, medieval streets twist and turn back the clock to traditional design — guardian.co.uk
Most of these units have never sold, and though they were finished just three years ago, they are already falling into disrepair, the concrete chipping off the sides of the buildings. Vandals have stolen piping, radiators, doors — anything they could get their hands on. — nytimes.com
Five winners have just been announced at the 2011 edition of DawnTown Miami. The annual architecture ideas competition seeks to bring creative, innovative, and inspiring new solutions to Downtown Miami and to the City of Miami at large. — bustler.net
Now in its fourth year, DawnTown partnered with a local historic preservation group to help bring prominence to an early piece of Miami's modern architecture period. The competition invited designers to envision a complimenting structure to the Miami Marine Stadium, aiming to make it a great event... View full entry
In the early '90s Caracas dreamed of a shimmering downtown financial centre—now it's the tallest squat in the world — domusweb.it
MONU - magazine on urbanism has released its new call for submissions for MONU #15 on the topic of Post-Ideological Urbanism — MONU
Today we find ourselves in a jealous mood, yet at the same time disillusioned, looking back to the times when revolutionary urban ideologies were not only conceived but actually, unlike today, also truly believed in. Just think about the passionate ideas of the Situationist International, who... View full entry
News Orhan Ayyüce visited the semi private Central Park at Playa Vista by Michael Maltzan Architects. In the latest Working out of the Box: we interview Logan Amont who at one point worked in Ahmedabad as an assistant to Balkrishna Doshi, but now works with a master gardener named... View full entry
Or rather, what is the value of using the traditional tools, processes and sensibilities of architecture, urban planning and related disciplines to the processes and practices of producing cities?
In particular, I'm trying to focus on the idea of 'identifying the right questions', rather than letting discipline-based thinking or unthinking define answers to what may be the wrong questions
— City of Sound
Responding to the Australian Government's release earlier this year of their National Urban Policy discussion paper, Dan Hill writes about the missing vision for Australian cities. His post (which is reprinted with permission from an earlier article, written originally for Architecture Australia)... View full entry
April 2011 marks the completion of "Metropol Parasol", the Redevelopment of the Plaza de la Encarnacíon in Seville, Spain. Designed by Berlin-based J. MAYER H. architects, this project has already become the new landmark for Seville, a place of identification and to articulate Seville's role as one of the world´s most fascinating cultural destinations. — bustler.net