Location: Alabama
Website:
Our primary mission is to advocate for the collaboration of the design arts and their importance in creating and enhancing place in Alabama.
Who is DesignAlabama?
DesignAlabama is a nonprofit, citizen-led organization that seeks to raise the bar for design in our great state through education of the applied arts, promoting designers who live and work in Alabama and supporting sound design thinking to sustain our communities. Our board of directors is made up of design professionals, community development officials and business professionals who champion design.
What does DesignAlabama do?
DesignAlabama was founded in 1987 under the wing of the Alabama State Council on the Arts. The organization has since developed initiatives to bring awareness to design professions that help shape how we live and the environment around us. The design arts supported include a range of interconnected fields including architecture, engineering, graphic design, industrial design, interior design, landscape architecture and urban design.
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Some of our most impactful initiatives have been our Mayor’s Design Summits. In these daylong workshops civic leaders work with designers and planners to excavate ideas that will help make their communities desirable, profitable and more livable. We even tackle important design problem solving such as rebuilding after a natural disaster.
DesignAlabama also creates educational content to inform civic leaders and the general public of design processes and why design is a critical factor in using resources effectively. We share case studies from Alabama designers to highlight examples of successful creative work being done across our state.
Professionals associated with DesignAlabama visit communities selected to participate in the DesignPlace Program to provide design, planning and community identity assistance. Included are design professionals with experience in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, graphic design, interior design and planning, showing the underlying success of community development when design arts are used. During intensive visits of one to four days, DesignPlace professionals survey the community, review issues to be addressed, meet with community groups and leaders, develop recommendations, and outline strategies for implementation.
How are communities selected for DesignPlace?
Communities who have been represented at the DesignAlabama Mayors Design Summit can apply to participate in DesignPlace. Please download the application, complete and submit to DesignAlabama for consideration. A committee of design professionals charged with directing the program will make final selections.
What are the benefits of DesignPlace?
Perhaps the greatest benefit is the stimulation and mobilization of the general public. Citizen participation is absolutely critical to the success of DesignPlace or any local design and planning initiative. A DesignPlace visit is not an end in itself; rather, a new beginning. DesignPlace is invaluable for illustrating the value of community design and planning in Alabama. It stimulates awareness of design issues and dramatizes the impact design can have upon a community’s vitality and the quality of life within its boundaries.
What are the costs associated with DesignPlace?
The DesignAlabama design professionals offer their time and expertise at no cost to the community. The community, however, is expected to commit to the following:
• Reimbursement of travel and other out-of-pocket expenses for team members
• Provide lodging, meals, equipment, supplies and a workspace for team
• Defray cost of publication and distribution of team’s findings and recommendations
• A financial commitment by the community to implement recommendations
Showing posts with label Urban Design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Urban Design. Show all posts
Monday, July 31, 2017
Thursday, September 8, 2016
UD/MH
Location: International
Website: urbandesignmentalhealth.com
The Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health (UD/MH) is a start-up think tank focused on answering one question: how can we design better mental health into our cities?
More people are living and working in urban environments than ever before - and these environments affect how we feel. Urban design by architects, transport designers, city planners, developers, interior designers, urban gardeners, street artists, and many more impact our mental health as we move around our built environments.
The Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health: Reviews the breadth of research on urban design and mental health, summarizes, and identifies gaps.
Catalyzes interdisciplinary dialogue on urban design and mental health in cities around the world.
Showcases successful projects and innovative ideas,
Develops practical, evidence-based recommendations to improve mental health and reduce mental illness through urban design.
Mission:
To help inform, motivate and empower policymakers, designers, planners, and public health professionals to build better mental health into their cities through smarter urban design.
Vision:
To be a central repository and global go-to resource for policymakers, architects, transport planners, urban planners, developers, designers, engineers, geographers, and others who want to design better mental health into cities, and drive integration of mental health into urban design as standard.
Approach:
Share knowledge -
UD/MH brings together useful research, ideas, experiences and intelligence from across the world and shares it on our platforms to increase its reach and make it more accessible to academics and diverse city makers. We also publish external op-eds and participate in conferences and other events to share knowledge and inspire new audiences into action.
Increase knowledge -
There is still much we need to learn about how urban design can improve mental health. UD/MH encourages research and sharing of ideas and experience by providing global platforms for publication - the Journal of Urban Design and Mental Health, and our Sanity and Urbanity blog.
We also encourage investment in research focused on this field.
Improve cross-sector communication -
We convene cross-sector dialogues in cities around the world, bringing together experts from architecture, urban planning, transport, geography, public health, psychiatry, and many more to identify opportunities and discuss potential collaborations.
Empower practical action
UD/MH works closely with those involved in policy-making and on-the-ground citymaking to understand the barriers to integrating better mental health into urban design, and tries to help address these barriers by inputting to consultations and producing practical, evidence-based advice.
UD/MH launched in July 2015.
Website: urbandesignmentalhealth.com
The Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health (UD/MH) is a start-up think tank focused on answering one question: how can we design better mental health into our cities?
More people are living and working in urban environments than ever before - and these environments affect how we feel. Urban design by architects, transport designers, city planners, developers, interior designers, urban gardeners, street artists, and many more impact our mental health as we move around our built environments.
The Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health: Reviews the breadth of research on urban design and mental health, summarizes, and identifies gaps.
Catalyzes interdisciplinary dialogue on urban design and mental health in cities around the world.
Showcases successful projects and innovative ideas,
Develops practical, evidence-based recommendations to improve mental health and reduce mental illness through urban design.
Mission:
To help inform, motivate and empower policymakers, designers, planners, and public health professionals to build better mental health into their cities through smarter urban design.
Vision:
To be a central repository and global go-to resource for policymakers, architects, transport planners, urban planners, developers, designers, engineers, geographers, and others who want to design better mental health into cities, and drive integration of mental health into urban design as standard.
Approach:
Share knowledge -
UD/MH brings together useful research, ideas, experiences and intelligence from across the world and shares it on our platforms to increase its reach and make it more accessible to academics and diverse city makers. We also publish external op-eds and participate in conferences and other events to share knowledge and inspire new audiences into action.
Increase knowledge -
There is still much we need to learn about how urban design can improve mental health. UD/MH encourages research and sharing of ideas and experience by providing global platforms for publication - the Journal of Urban Design and Mental Health, and our Sanity and Urbanity blog.
We also encourage investment in research focused on this field.
Improve cross-sector communication -
We convene cross-sector dialogues in cities around the world, bringing together experts from architecture, urban planning, transport, geography, public health, psychiatry, and many more to identify opportunities and discuss potential collaborations.
Empower practical action
UD/MH works closely with those involved in policy-making and on-the-ground citymaking to understand the barriers to integrating better mental health into urban design, and tries to help address these barriers by inputting to consultations and producing practical, evidence-based advice.
UD/MH launched in July 2015.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Mayors' Institute on City Design
Location: Nationwide
Website: micd.org
The Mayors’ Institute on City Design (MICD) is a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the American Architectural Foundation and the United States Conference of Mayors with support from United Technologies. Since 1986, the Mayors’ Institute has helped transform communities through design by preparing mayors to be the chief urban designers of their cities.
MICD achieves its mission by organizing sessions where mayors engage leading design experts to find solutions to the most critical urban design challenges facing their cities. Sessions are organized around case-study problems. Each mayor presents a problem from his or her city and get feedback from other mayors and design experts.
Every year, the partner organizations plan and manage six to eight Institute sessions held throughout the country. Each two and one-half day session is limited to less than twenty participants, half mayors and half a resource team, consisting of outstanding city design and development professionals. Mayors present a range of challenges, including waterfront redevelopment, downtown revitalization, transportation planning, and the design of new public buildings such as libraries and arts centers. Following each presentation, mayors and the resource team identify important issues, offer suggestions, and discuss potential solutions. The interchange sparks lively debate, opens new perspectives, and generates creative ideas.
Website: micd.org
The Mayors’ Institute on City Design (MICD) is a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the American Architectural Foundation and the United States Conference of Mayors with support from United Technologies. Since 1986, the Mayors’ Institute has helped transform communities through design by preparing mayors to be the chief urban designers of their cities.
MICD achieves its mission by organizing sessions where mayors engage leading design experts to find solutions to the most critical urban design challenges facing their cities. Sessions are organized around case-study problems. Each mayor presents a problem from his or her city and get feedback from other mayors and design experts.
Every year, the partner organizations plan and manage six to eight Institute sessions held throughout the country. Each two and one-half day session is limited to less than twenty participants, half mayors and half a resource team, consisting of outstanding city design and development professionals. Mayors present a range of challenges, including waterfront redevelopment, downtown revitalization, transportation planning, and the design of new public buildings such as libraries and arts centers. Following each presentation, mayors and the resource team identify important issues, offer suggestions, and discuss potential solutions. The interchange sparks lively debate, opens new perspectives, and generates creative ideas.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Design Trust for Public Space
Location: New York, NY
Website: designtrust.org
The Design Trust for Public Space (DTPS) has improved the quality of public space and the dialogue around it in New York City for 17 years, championing new ideas and nascent projects. It has broadened the definition of public space by embracing a range of sites, issues and arenas. When DTPS was founded, it stood relatively alone in its field –though not without models and precedent –to provide think-tank-like planning services focused exclusively on public space.
Much has changed since DTPS’ inception. New York City has experienced the proliferation of organizations concerned with the quality of public space and design, many which have taken on similar issues and even adopted planning methodologies that follow DTPS’ successful fellow model.
DTPS itself is a much different organization today than it was 17 years ago, with paid professional staff, a professional leadership of stature, a growing Board, and and a track record that has set a standard for the quality of product delivered by each project. Yet DTPS’ impact and reputation are largely unknown beyond the design community.
Website: designtrust.org
The Design Trust for Public Space (DTPS) has improved the quality of public space and the dialogue around it in New York City for 17 years, championing new ideas and nascent projects. It has broadened the definition of public space by embracing a range of sites, issues and arenas. When DTPS was founded, it stood relatively alone in its field –though not without models and precedent –to provide think-tank-like planning services focused exclusively on public space.
Much has changed since DTPS’ inception. New York City has experienced the proliferation of organizations concerned with the quality of public space and design, many which have taken on similar issues and even adopted planning methodologies that follow DTPS’ successful fellow model.
DTPS itself is a much different organization today than it was 17 years ago, with paid professional staff, a professional leadership of stature, a growing Board, and and a track record that has set a standard for the quality of product delivered by each project. Yet DTPS’ impact and reputation are largely unknown beyond the design community.
Friday, April 3, 2015
theCityFix
Location: International
Website: www.thecityfix.com
TheCityFix is an online resource for learning about the latest in sustainable urban mobility and planning. Launched in 2007, the site connects a global network of writers, urban planners, designers, engineers, and citizens who work to make cities better places to live. The blog is produced by EMBARQ, a not-for-profit program of the World Resources Institute that works to catalyze and help implement environmentally, socially, and financially sustainable transport and urban planning solutions.
Since 2002, the EMBARQ network has grown to include six centers – based in Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and Turkey – that work together with local authorities, businesses and national governments to reduce pollution, improve public health, and create safe and accessible urban environments.
TheCityFix relies on this international community and other volunteer contributors to provide a global, multi-disciplinary perspective to its coverage of issues relating to urban sustainability.and policies that help advance sustainable urban mobility and planning, with a strong focus on scalable and replicable solutions for cities in the developing world. Launched in 2007, the site produced by EMBARQ connects a global network of writers, urban planners, designers, engineers, and citizens who work to make cities better places to live.
TheCityFix covers key happenings in sustainable transport and urban planning, with a focus on the following topics:
Integrated Transport – advanced bus systems, rail, metro, bicycling, walking, fuels and technology.
Urban Development + Accessibility – land use, urban design, infrastructure, public space
Climate Change– local pollution, air quality, global CO2 emissions, climate adaptation
Health + Road Safety – public health, quality of life, active transport, non-communicable diseases
Communications – branding, mapping, visualization, user engagement, photography, video, trends.
Website: www.thecityfix.com
TheCityFix is an online resource for learning about the latest in sustainable urban mobility and planning. Launched in 2007, the site connects a global network of writers, urban planners, designers, engineers, and citizens who work to make cities better places to live. The blog is produced by EMBARQ, a not-for-profit program of the World Resources Institute that works to catalyze and help implement environmentally, socially, and financially sustainable transport and urban planning solutions.
Since 2002, the EMBARQ network has grown to include six centers – based in Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and Turkey – that work together with local authorities, businesses and national governments to reduce pollution, improve public health, and create safe and accessible urban environments.
TheCityFix relies on this international community and other volunteer contributors to provide a global, multi-disciplinary perspective to its coverage of issues relating to urban sustainability.and policies that help advance sustainable urban mobility and planning, with a strong focus on scalable and replicable solutions for cities in the developing world. Launched in 2007, the site produced by EMBARQ connects a global network of writers, urban planners, designers, engineers, and citizens who work to make cities better places to live.
TheCityFix covers key happenings in sustainable transport and urban planning, with a focus on the following topics:
Integrated Transport – advanced bus systems, rail, metro, bicycling, walking, fuels and technology.
Urban Development + Accessibility – land use, urban design, infrastructure, public space
Climate Change– local pollution, air quality, global CO2 emissions, climate adaptation
Health + Road Safety – public health, quality of life, active transport, non-communicable diseases
Communications – branding, mapping, visualization, user engagement, photography, video, trends.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Build a Better Burb
Location: Nationwide
Website: www.buildabetterburb.org
Build a Better Burb is an online publication dedicated to improving suburban design and planning. It uses engaging visuals to help suburban residents and leaders explore solutions from across the country that can be applied to their communities.
By showcasing innovative ideas and outstanding projects, the site seeks to inspire conversation about the importance of design and planning within suburban communities.
The articles on the site highlight bold ideas for improving housing, regional planning, parking and transit, and a sense of place within suburban downtowns and neighborhoods.
The Build a Better Burb website evolved from a design competition that was sponsored by the Long Island Index in 2010. The Build a Better Burb competition called for bold ideas from architects, urban designers, planners, and visionaries for the underutilized land in Long Island’s downtowns.
The goal was to reimagine what might be possible for our region. Seeing the scope of the problems facing Long Island, we realized that small tinkering at the edges wasn’t going to stop the brain drain or create vibrant town centers or convince businesses to locate here in order to reinvigorate our sagging economy.
We knew there was land to build on – 8,300 acres, in fact, within just ½ mile of our over 100 downtown communities. But where were the exciting ideas of what we might create there? For too long, there has been a crisis of imagination.
Bold new ideas are urgently needed. So in recruiting designers for the competition, we asked that they drop any preconceived notions about what was or was not possible.
We asked:
What would you do on these acres of opportunity? Build a car-free community? Plant an oasis of urban agriculture? Produce renewable energy and with it, provide well-paying green jobs? Use landscape systems to repair regional ecologies? Enhance public space and the civic realm?
The Build a Better Burb competition asked for innovative solutions at a variety of scales, from small-scale to regional. It sought both prototypical ideas as well as concepts tailored to particular downtowns. Photographs, renderings, plans, diagrams and other illustrations were requested to illustrate entrants’ ideas.
Website: www.buildabetterburb.org
Build a Better Burb is an online publication dedicated to improving suburban design and planning. It uses engaging visuals to help suburban residents and leaders explore solutions from across the country that can be applied to their communities.
By showcasing innovative ideas and outstanding projects, the site seeks to inspire conversation about the importance of design and planning within suburban communities.
The articles on the site highlight bold ideas for improving housing, regional planning, parking and transit, and a sense of place within suburban downtowns and neighborhoods.
The Build a Better Burb website evolved from a design competition that was sponsored by the Long Island Index in 2010. The Build a Better Burb competition called for bold ideas from architects, urban designers, planners, and visionaries for the underutilized land in Long Island’s downtowns.
The goal was to reimagine what might be possible for our region. Seeing the scope of the problems facing Long Island, we realized that small tinkering at the edges wasn’t going to stop the brain drain or create vibrant town centers or convince businesses to locate here in order to reinvigorate our sagging economy.
We knew there was land to build on – 8,300 acres, in fact, within just ½ mile of our over 100 downtown communities. But where were the exciting ideas of what we might create there? For too long, there has been a crisis of imagination.
Bold new ideas are urgently needed. So in recruiting designers for the competition, we asked that they drop any preconceived notions about what was or was not possible.
We asked:
What would you do on these acres of opportunity? Build a car-free community? Plant an oasis of urban agriculture? Produce renewable energy and with it, provide well-paying green jobs? Use landscape systems to repair regional ecologies? Enhance public space and the civic realm?
The Build a Better Burb competition asked for innovative solutions at a variety of scales, from small-scale to regional. It sought both prototypical ideas as well as concepts tailored to particular downtowns. Photographs, renderings, plans, diagrams and other illustrations were requested to illustrate entrants’ ideas.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
The Urban Assembly
Location: New York, NY
Website: www.urbanassembly.org
The Urban Assembly was founded in 1990 to address a wide range of poverty issues. In the mid-'90s we spearheaded a major planning effort to transform a 300-block area of the South Bronx.
That effort identified the lack of high-quality local secondary schools as a major concern and recommended creating three model high schools, each tied to a major local institution.
In 1997, in partnership with the New York City Department of Education and New Visions for Public Schools, the Urban Assembly opened the first of these schools, the Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice, and in 2002 it opened the second, the Academy for Careers in Sports.
Based on our success, the Urban Assembly was invited to submit proposals for two more schools. In 2003, we opened the Bronx Academy of Letters, and, inspired by the commitment of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, shifted the organization’s focus exclusively to the creation and support of new small schools.
Twenty-one Urban Assembly schools are now up and running.
We are reaching into the communities where kids need us most and giving thousands of students the education they deserve. By every measure, our children are among the city’s most underserved.
94% of our students are African-American and Latino. 69% of our students qualify for free and reduced lunch programs. 70% of 9th graders enter our high schools with scores below city and state proficiency levels in math. 64% are below proficiency in reading. 50% of our students speak a language other than English at home.
Our schools demonstrate that at risk students can achieve incredible success with the right learning environment, instruction and support. The Urban Assembly’s network-wide graduation rate is 76% — 15 points higher than the New York City average and seven points higher than the national average. Several of our schools have graduation rates above 90%.
Website: www.urbanassembly.org
The Urban Assembly was founded in 1990 to address a wide range of poverty issues. In the mid-'90s we spearheaded a major planning effort to transform a 300-block area of the South Bronx.
That effort identified the lack of high-quality local secondary schools as a major concern and recommended creating three model high schools, each tied to a major local institution.
In 1997, in partnership with the New York City Department of Education and New Visions for Public Schools, the Urban Assembly opened the first of these schools, the Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice, and in 2002 it opened the second, the Academy for Careers in Sports.
Based on our success, the Urban Assembly was invited to submit proposals for two more schools. In 2003, we opened the Bronx Academy of Letters, and, inspired by the commitment of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, shifted the organization’s focus exclusively to the creation and support of new small schools.
Twenty-one Urban Assembly schools are now up and running.
We are reaching into the communities where kids need us most and giving thousands of students the education they deserve. By every measure, our children are among the city’s most underserved.
94% of our students are African-American and Latino. 69% of our students qualify for free and reduced lunch programs. 70% of 9th graders enter our high schools with scores below city and state proficiency levels in math. 64% are below proficiency in reading. 50% of our students speak a language other than English at home.
Our schools demonstrate that at risk students can achieve incredible success with the right learning environment, instruction and support. The Urban Assembly’s network-wide graduation rate is 76% — 15 points higher than the New York City average and seven points higher than the national average. Several of our schools have graduation rates above 90%.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Barcelona Urban Lab
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Website: www.urbanretailinstitute.com
22barcelona.com/content/view/698/897/lang,en/
One of the aims of the "22@Barcelona" municipal company is to consolidate Barcelona’s role as an innovative city and to foster innovation in its business fabric.
BARCELONA URBAN LAB was created under this framework as a specific line of action to foster use of the city as an urban laboratory. Through this project, the city is made available to companies with innovative projects to test their infrastructures and services for the future in a real environment.
Urban Lab is a tool to facilitate the use of public spaces in the city of Barcelona to carry out tests and pilot programs on products and services with an urban impact, which are in the pre-market stage and in line with the Barcelona City Council’s aims, priorities and lines of action.
Urban Lab acts as a gateway to the City Council and facilitates internal coordination among the different areas. The form detailing the pilot proposal is presented to the Urban Lab Board, made up of members that are directly responsible for different areas of action (such as urban-planning, mobility, environment, etc.) and this group approves or rejects implementation of the plan.
Urban Lab allows for the creation of pilot programs but is not a tool to sell products that already exist on the market. In fact, the pilot programs are funded by the companies themselves and this is not a funding tool for innovative projects. Furthermore, carrying out a pilot program doesn’t imply any commitment on behalf of the Barcelona City Council to implement the solution tested in the long term.
The pilot programs must demonstrate an express need to use public spaces, the city streets. Other types of products/services will not be admitted into this project.
Urban Lab isn’t a showroom for products or services currently available on the market or that are being marketed. This project seeks out innovative solutions to unresolved needs.
The pilot programs must meet the Barcelona City Council’s real needs and must have a direct impact on the functioning of the city or on the services provided by the City Council itself, benefiting residents.
To foster business innovation through 22@Barcelona, the innovation district.
To reduce time to market for companies through pilot programs and, if these demonstrate their value, to allow them to then market their product or service on a large scale in Barcelona or any other city in the world.
To learn and create new products or services than can bring improvements to Barcelona’s residents.
Better products, better solutions, and better municipal services.
Test space and testing in a real environment to facilitate market access and increase business competitiveness.
This is a powerful technology-transfer tool on both a local and international scale.
A tool to facilitate the introduction of new solutions (ongoing improvement).
Website: www.urbanretailinstitute.com
22barcelona.com/content/view/698/897/lang,en/
One of the aims of the "22@Barcelona" municipal company is to consolidate Barcelona’s role as an innovative city and to foster innovation in its business fabric.
BARCELONA URBAN LAB was created under this framework as a specific line of action to foster use of the city as an urban laboratory. Through this project, the city is made available to companies with innovative projects to test their infrastructures and services for the future in a real environment.
Urban Lab is a tool to facilitate the use of public spaces in the city of Barcelona to carry out tests and pilot programs on products and services with an urban impact, which are in the pre-market stage and in line with the Barcelona City Council’s aims, priorities and lines of action.
Urban Lab acts as a gateway to the City Council and facilitates internal coordination among the different areas. The form detailing the pilot proposal is presented to the Urban Lab Board, made up of members that are directly responsible for different areas of action (such as urban-planning, mobility, environment, etc.) and this group approves or rejects implementation of the plan.
Urban Lab allows for the creation of pilot programs but is not a tool to sell products that already exist on the market. In fact, the pilot programs are funded by the companies themselves and this is not a funding tool for innovative projects. Furthermore, carrying out a pilot program doesn’t imply any commitment on behalf of the Barcelona City Council to implement the solution tested in the long term.
The pilot programs must demonstrate an express need to use public spaces, the city streets. Other types of products/services will not be admitted into this project.
Urban Lab isn’t a showroom for products or services currently available on the market or that are being marketed. This project seeks out innovative solutions to unresolved needs.
The pilot programs must meet the Barcelona City Council’s real needs and must have a direct impact on the functioning of the city or on the services provided by the City Council itself, benefiting residents.
To foster business innovation through 22@Barcelona, the innovation district.
To reduce time to market for companies through pilot programs and, if these demonstrate their value, to allow them to then market their product or service on a large scale in Barcelona or any other city in the world.
To learn and create new products or services than can bring improvements to Barcelona’s residents.
Better products, better solutions, and better municipal services.
Test space and testing in a real environment to facilitate market access and increase business competitiveness.
This is a powerful technology-transfer tool on both a local and international scale.
A tool to facilitate the introduction of new solutions (ongoing improvement).
WALK [YOUR CITY]
Location: Nationwide
Website: www.walkyourcity.org
In 1960, 1:4 citizens took one useful, 10 minute walk each day. Now that number is 1:10.
More people live in cities now than ever before. What makes a place more or less walkable is determined by the choices you have to walk somewhere useful as part of your everyday routine. Walkability is becoming a major factor in how we, both citizens and cities, are shaping our future communities.
Take ownership of your streets, improve or share the walkability of your street.
Walk [Your City] empowers you to promote walkability in your community by creating, producing and installing pedestrian wayfinding signage. Signage that is consistent communication and organization of navigational cues from our surrounding environment (i.e. directional signage to get aroundBuild a sign!
Walking builds the local sense of community and helps citizens become more engaged.
Our platform helps community groups, schools and non-profits become neighborhood advocates by making it easy for you to promote walkability.
Interested community group?
Contact us to get more info or go ahead and build a sign.
Website: www.walkyourcity.org
In 1960, 1:4 citizens took one useful, 10 minute walk each day. Now that number is 1:10.
More people live in cities now than ever before. What makes a place more or less walkable is determined by the choices you have to walk somewhere useful as part of your everyday routine. Walkability is becoming a major factor in how we, both citizens and cities, are shaping our future communities.
Take ownership of your streets, improve or share the walkability of your street.
Walk [Your City] empowers you to promote walkability in your community by creating, producing and installing pedestrian wayfinding signage. Signage that is consistent communication and organization of navigational cues from our surrounding environment (i.e. directional signage to get aroundBuild a sign!
Walking builds the local sense of community and helps citizens become more engaged.
Our platform helps community groups, schools and non-profits become neighborhood advocates by making it easy for you to promote walkability.
Interested community group?
Contact us to get more info or go ahead and build a sign.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Council for Canadian Urbanism
Location: Canada
Website: www.canadianurbanism.ca
The Council for Canadian Urbanism (CanU) is a movement and organization of city planners, urban designers, architects landscape architects, engineers, developers and other urbanists operating across Canada, in urban design leadership positions within city governments and the private or community sectors.
CanU strives to connect urbanists across Canada and has actively promoted the inclusion of all regions with representation in both English and French, in the use of best practices and in sharing experience in the building of great communities.
Website: www.canadianurbanism.ca
The Council for Canadian Urbanism (CanU) is a movement and organization of city planners, urban designers, architects landscape architects, engineers, developers and other urbanists operating across Canada, in urban design leadership positions within city governments and the private or community sectors.
CanU strives to connect urbanists across Canada and has actively promoted the inclusion of all regions with representation in both English and French, in the use of best practices and in sharing experience in the building of great communities.
CanU believes that dialogue and debate is required, but must lead to meaningful action. It is up to all those involved in planning and design of our cities, subscribing and believing in this idea, to respond to this appeal and rally with the group leading towards a better future for our regions, cities, towns and villages.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Mount Vernon Triangle CID
Location: Washington,D.C.
Website: www.mountvernontriangle.org
The Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District is a private, nonprofit organization established to enhance the overall quality of life for residents, visitors, employees, and property owners in Washington DC’s newest 24-hour neighborhood by providing a clean and safe environment, marketing, and fostering planning and economic development.
The vision for the MVTCID is to develop Mount Vernon Triangle as a new neighborhood on the east end of Downtown DC with new residences, Class-A offices, and fine places to shop, dine, and enjoy this vibrant mixed-us community that is active day and night.
The ingredients for making Mount Vernon Triangle the next great neighborhood are:
- People: a diverse and energetic group, eager to be part of this emerging community.
- Space: a lively mix of residential, retail, and office uses.
- Design: outstanding architecture, historic places, public art, open space, and plazas.
- Retail: restaurants, shops, services, theatres, museums, convention center, and an arena nearby.
Transportation: Metro, Downtown Circulator, Amtrak, MARC Train, and easy access to 395.
- Partnerships: an innovative public- collaboration.
A Community Improvement District is a designated geographic area in which the property owners have agreed to pay a supplementary real property tax in order to raise funds for designated programs or projects, such as to augment street cleaning services provided by the City.
Under District law, the Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District (MVTCID) is legally defined as a BID. The concept of a Community Improvement District is based on that of a Business Improvement District, but includes commercial and residential properties.
BIDs have proven to be successful in hundred of cities throughout the United States and eight BIDs have now been established in the District of Columbia: Downtown BID, Golden Triangle BID, Georgetown Partnership, Capitol Hill BID, Adams Morgan Partnership, Mount Vernon Triangle CID, NoMa BID, and now the Capitol Riverfront BID.
Website: www.mountvernontriangle.org
The Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District is a private, nonprofit organization established to enhance the overall quality of life for residents, visitors, employees, and property owners in Washington DC’s newest 24-hour neighborhood by providing a clean and safe environment, marketing, and fostering planning and economic development.
The vision for the MVTCID is to develop Mount Vernon Triangle as a new neighborhood on the east end of Downtown DC with new residences, Class-A offices, and fine places to shop, dine, and enjoy this vibrant mixed-us community that is active day and night.
The ingredients for making Mount Vernon Triangle the next great neighborhood are:
- People: a diverse and energetic group, eager to be part of this emerging community.
- Space: a lively mix of residential, retail, and office uses.
- Design: outstanding architecture, historic places, public art, open space, and plazas.
- Retail: restaurants, shops, services, theatres, museums, convention center, and an arena nearby.
Transportation: Metro, Downtown Circulator, Amtrak, MARC Train, and easy access to 395.
- Partnerships: an innovative public- collaboration.
A Community Improvement District is a designated geographic area in which the property owners have agreed to pay a supplementary real property tax in order to raise funds for designated programs or projects, such as to augment street cleaning services provided by the City.
Under District law, the Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District (MVTCID) is legally defined as a BID. The concept of a Community Improvement District is based on that of a Business Improvement District, but includes commercial and residential properties.
BIDs have proven to be successful in hundred of cities throughout the United States and eight BIDs have now been established in the District of Columbia: Downtown BID, Golden Triangle BID, Georgetown Partnership, Capitol Hill BID, Adams Morgan Partnership, Mount Vernon Triangle CID, NoMa BID, and now the Capitol Riverfront BID.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Website: www.laforum.org
Founded in January of 1987, the Forum has organized lecture series and site visits to significant buildings and sites throughout Los Angeles and the region; hosted a number of special events, symposia and a theory reading group; held several design competitions; distributed a quarterly newsletter and online articles; produced many publications, including Experimental Architecture in Los Angeles (Rizzoli International) and Everyday Urbanism (Monacelli Press), as well as national-distributed pamphlet-sized books.
Website: www.laforum.org
Founded in January of 1987, the Forum has organized lecture series and site visits to significant buildings and sites throughout Los Angeles and the region; hosted a number of special events, symposia and a theory reading group; held several design competitions; distributed a quarterly newsletter and online articles; produced many publications, including Experimental Architecture in Los Angeles (Rizzoli International) and Everyday Urbanism (Monacelli Press), as well as national-distributed pamphlet-sized books.
The Forum has worked with other groups, architects and institutions to understand its community and participate in activities to rebuild it.
Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design provides a framework for design professionals and members of the general public to explore, evaluate, and impact the development of architecture in Los Angeles.
Throughout its 20+ years of operation, the Forum has brought together young designers, seasoned professionals, critics, urban theorists, artists, students, and people interested in their physical environment in a diverse series of activities.
The Forum seeks to reach out beyond the confines of professional organizations, schools and established groups and does not limit itself to one approach to design or theory.
It provokes discussion, seeks out places and designs unseen or unnoticed by the general public, publicizes architectural investigation and commentary, and promotes the serious exploration of strategies to influence the development of our urban environment.
Financial support for LA Forum projects has been received from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, the California Arts Council, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Woodbury University School of Architecture, and from many members over the years.
The Forum is widely recognized as one of the most active architecture and urban design groups in Southern California.
Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design provides a framework for design professionals and members of the general public to explore, evaluate, and impact the development of architecture in Los Angeles.
Throughout its 20+ years of operation, the Forum has brought together young designers, seasoned professionals, critics, urban theorists, artists, students, and people interested in their physical environment in a diverse series of activities.
The Forum seeks to reach out beyond the confines of professional organizations, schools and established groups and does not limit itself to one approach to design or theory.
It provokes discussion, seeks out places and designs unseen or unnoticed by the general public, publicizes architectural investigation and commentary, and promotes the serious exploration of strategies to influence the development of our urban environment.
Financial support for LA Forum projects has been received from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, the California Arts Council, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Woodbury University School of Architecture, and from many members over the years.
The Forum is widely recognized as one of the most active architecture and urban design groups in Southern California.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Sacramento Tree Foundation
Location: Sacramento, CA
Website: www.sactree.com
The Sacramento Tree Foundation is a nonprofit organization working to grow healthy, livable communities in the Sacramento region by building the best regional urban forest in the nation. We are leading the effort to plant 5 million trees in the Sacramento region.
The Sacramento Tree Foundation relies on private-public partnerships to enable its success. Our core staff made up of dedicated and passionate individuals work hand-in-hand with a committed Board of Directors, an unmatched Technical Advisory Commitee, and many business and civic partners.
Website: www.sactree.com
The Sacramento Tree Foundation is a nonprofit organization working to grow healthy, livable communities in the Sacramento region by building the best regional urban forest in the nation. We are leading the effort to plant 5 million trees in the Sacramento region.
The Sacramento Tree Foundation relies on private-public partnerships to enable its success. Our core staff made up of dedicated and passionate individuals work hand-in-hand with a committed Board of Directors, an unmatched Technical Advisory Commitee, and many business and civic partners.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
eme3
Location: International
Website: www.eme3.org
Eme3 was born in 1999 in response to the need to find a space for architects, urbanists and artist from different disciplines, where they could meet and present innovative and unconventional projects that went beyond common trends in urban planning and construction.
It was the volumetric concept, the measure unit in cubic meters that gave it the name. Although the social parameters and context have greatly changed since then, eme3 still operates as an opportunity and platform for the presentation and exchange of ideas. Eme3 has become a forum and facilitator for interaction and a shuttle of proposals that in a retrospective sense can be fully defined as avant-garde architecture. With architecture as the starting point, and the combination of both art and design, eme3 brings together the new producers of emergent architectures in a space for experimentation, display and debate.
Eme3 generates projects that take shape in different formats (installations, urban projects, workshops, lectures, discussions and audiovisual projections) and locations, through the continuous program, eme3_on, as well as the annual encounter, eme3_festival. As a think-tank, eme3 provides the participant with a physical and interactive space to interact and share his ideas, as well as the possibility for the visitor to discover a different architecture yet close to the real and current problems in society, bringing an optimistic perspective. All the material generated during and for eme3 remains registered and will be available through the web and the catalog of each edition.
Website: www.eme3.org
Eme3 was born in 1999 in response to the need to find a space for architects, urbanists and artist from different disciplines, where they could meet and present innovative and unconventional projects that went beyond common trends in urban planning and construction.
It was the volumetric concept, the measure unit in cubic meters that gave it the name. Although the social parameters and context have greatly changed since then, eme3 still operates as an opportunity and platform for the presentation and exchange of ideas. Eme3 has become a forum and facilitator for interaction and a shuttle of proposals that in a retrospective sense can be fully defined as avant-garde architecture. With architecture as the starting point, and the combination of both art and design, eme3 brings together the new producers of emergent architectures in a space for experimentation, display and debate.
Eme3 generates projects that take shape in different formats (installations, urban projects, workshops, lectures, discussions and audiovisual projections) and locations, through the continuous program, eme3_on, as well as the annual encounter, eme3_festival. As a think-tank, eme3 provides the participant with a physical and interactive space to interact and share his ideas, as well as the possibility for the visitor to discover a different architecture yet close to the real and current problems in society, bringing an optimistic perspective. All the material generated during and for eme3 remains registered and will be available through the web and the catalog of each edition.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Future Cape Town
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Website: www.futurecapetown.com
With our roots firmly in the present, and eyes on the full potential of the city we live, play and work in, Future Cape Town is a diverse collection of minds that are driven by sustainable and innovative ways to address modern urban design challenges.
Website: www.futurecapetown.com
With our roots firmly in the present, and eyes on the full potential of the city we live, play and work in, Future Cape Town is a diverse collection of minds that are driven by sustainable and innovative ways to address modern urban design challenges.
We offer our opinion through cooperation and collaboration. In doing so, we promote an inspired and active citizenry, a reliable and innovative government and public sector willing to invest in projects that offer change in new ways.
We consider the model of partnerships to be a feasible and sustainable way forward.
We believe it offers value to all partners, while ultimately benefiting communities.
Driven by our focus of “Inspiring a more liveable Cape Town” and through our projects and initiatives, we serve as a platform that brings different stakeholders together, promoting the acceleration of urban change.
We invest significantly in our social media influence and online presence; these we consider key tools in stimulating active citizenry and creating meaningful public participation techniques and methods.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Urban Open Space Award
Location: North America
Website: www.uli.org/programs/awards-competitions/urban-open-space-award
Urban Open Space Award celebrates and promotes vibrant, successful urban open spaces by annually recognizing and rewarding an outstanding example of a public destination that has enriched and revitalized its surrounding community.
The award was created through the generosity of Amanda M. Burden, New York City Planning Commissioner and 2009 laureate of the J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development,
ULI J. C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development,
In 2011 the Kresge Foundation, MetLife Foundation, and the ULI Foundation joined forces to continue the ULI Urban Open Space Award through 2014.
The winner of the ULI Urban Open Space Award receives a commemorative plaque and is recognized in an awards ceremony held in conjunction with ULI’s Fall Meeting.
A $10,000 cash prize is awarded to the individual or organization most responsible for the creation of the winning open space project. Further recognition includes press releases and announcements in Urban Land magazine and on ULI.org.
Eligible projects must:
- Be located in an urbanized area in North America, - Have been open to the public at least one year and no more than 15 years, - Be predominantly outdoors and inviting to the public, - Be a lively gathering space, providing abundant and varied seating, sun and shade, trees and plantings with attractions and features that offer many different ways for visitors to enjoy the space, - Be used intensively on a daily basis, and act as a destination for a broad spectrum of users throughout the year, - Have a positive economic impact on its surroundings, Promote physical, social, and economic health of the larger community, and - Provide lessons, strategies, and techniques that can be used or adapted in other communities.
Website: www.uli.org/programs/awards-competitions/urban-open-space-award
Urban Open Space Award celebrates and promotes vibrant, successful urban open spaces by annually recognizing and rewarding an outstanding example of a public destination that has enriched and revitalized its surrounding community.
The award was created through the generosity of Amanda M. Burden, New York City Planning Commissioner and 2009 laureate of the J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development,
ULI J. C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development,
In 2011 the Kresge Foundation, MetLife Foundation, and the ULI Foundation joined forces to continue the ULI Urban Open Space Award through 2014.
The winner of the ULI Urban Open Space Award receives a commemorative plaque and is recognized in an awards ceremony held in conjunction with ULI’s Fall Meeting.
A $10,000 cash prize is awarded to the individual or organization most responsible for the creation of the winning open space project. Further recognition includes press releases and announcements in Urban Land magazine and on ULI.org.
Eligible projects must:
- Be located in an urbanized area in North America, - Have been open to the public at least one year and no more than 15 years, - Be predominantly outdoors and inviting to the public, - Be a lively gathering space, providing abundant and varied seating, sun and shade, trees and plantings with attractions and features that offer many different ways for visitors to enjoy the space, - Be used intensively on a daily basis, and act as a destination for a broad spectrum of users throughout the year, - Have a positive economic impact on its surroundings, Promote physical, social, and economic health of the larger community, and - Provide lessons, strategies, and techniques that can be used or adapted in other communities.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
New Yorkers for Parks
Location: New York, NY
Website: www.ny4p.org
New Yorkers for Parks conducts research and develops tangible policy recommendations around our findings related to park development, management and sustainability. Using this research as a foundation for our advocacy campaigns, NY4P drives both immediate actions and long-term policies that protect and enhance the city’s vast network of parks, ensure adequate and equitable distribution of open space resources to all neighborhoods, and inform and empower communities throughout New York City to advocate for their open space needs.
To support our efforts,NY4P builds and maintains strategic partnerships with government officials and agencies, local parks groups and conservancies, academic institutions, and other key stakeholders in the public and private sectors.
Our guiding principles are:
- Open spaces, and the resources to support them, should beequitably distributed,
- Existing parks and open spaces should be well-maintained,
- Parks are an essential public service and should be primarily funded by public dollars, and
- Innovative financing strategies for creating, improving, and maintaining open space should be explored to augment public dollars.
Website: www.ny4p.org
New Yorkers for Parks conducts research and develops tangible policy recommendations around our findings related to park development, management and sustainability. Using this research as a foundation for our advocacy campaigns, NY4P drives both immediate actions and long-term policies that protect and enhance the city’s vast network of parks, ensure adequate and equitable distribution of open space resources to all neighborhoods, and inform and empower communities throughout New York City to advocate for their open space needs.
To support our efforts,NY4P builds and maintains strategic partnerships with government officials and agencies, local parks groups and conservancies, academic institutions, and other key stakeholders in the public and private sectors.
Our guiding principles are:
- Open spaces, and the resources to support them, should beequitably distributed,
- Existing parks and open spaces should be well-maintained,
- Parks are an essential public service and should be primarily funded by public dollars, and
- Innovative financing strategies for creating, improving, and maintaining open space should be explored to augment public dollars.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Urban Climate Lab
Location: Nationwide
Website: www.urbanclimate.gatech.edu
Georgia Tech's City Regional Planning Program who are exploring the connections between climate change and the built environment.
Through this website, we hope to highlight the range of mechanisms through which land use change, both within and outside of cities, is driving ongoing warming trends and impacting human and environmental health.
Globally, urbanized areas account for the majority of the human population but have received relatively little attention in climate change research. The UCL integrates expertise in the realms of environmental science, urban design, and public health to develop strategies to manage and counteract climate change at the urban scale.
Of particular interest to our research group is the influence of land use on observed warming trends in cities. Land use is contributing to climate change through two distinct mechanisms. First, land use change in the form of urbanization is associated with increased energy consumption and the emission of greenhouse gases, serving to enhance the global greenhouse effect. As detailed on the "Projects" page, our work has addressed the potential benefits of alternative land development strategies, such as "smart growth," for reductions in auto use and emissions of carbon dioxide. A second and more direct mechanism through which land use influences climate change is through the displacement of natural land covers, such as tree canopy cover, by building materials with a greater capacity to absorb, store, and reemit heat energy. In response to what we term the "green loss effect," our work finds large cities in the U.S. to be warming at more than twice the rate of the planet as a whole as a result of the loss of naturally vegetated land covers. Through several ongoing research effects, the UCL is measuring the success of alternative land development and urban design strategies in abating the pace of climate change in cities.
Website: www.urbanclimate.gatech.edu
Georgia Tech's City Regional Planning Program who are exploring the connections between climate change and the built environment.
Through this website, we hope to highlight the range of mechanisms through which land use change, both within and outside of cities, is driving ongoing warming trends and impacting human and environmental health.
Globally, urbanized areas account for the majority of the human population but have received relatively little attention in climate change research. The UCL integrates expertise in the realms of environmental science, urban design, and public health to develop strategies to manage and counteract climate change at the urban scale.
Of particular interest to our research group is the influence of land use on observed warming trends in cities. Land use is contributing to climate change through two distinct mechanisms. First, land use change in the form of urbanization is associated with increased energy consumption and the emission of greenhouse gases, serving to enhance the global greenhouse effect. As detailed on the "Projects" page, our work has addressed the potential benefits of alternative land development strategies, such as "smart growth," for reductions in auto use and emissions of carbon dioxide. A second and more direct mechanism through which land use influences climate change is through the displacement of natural land covers, such as tree canopy cover, by building materials with a greater capacity to absorb, store, and reemit heat energy. In response to what we term the "green loss effect," our work finds large cities in the U.S. to be warming at more than twice the rate of the planet as a whole as a result of the loss of naturally vegetated land covers. Through several ongoing research effects, the UCL is measuring the success of alternative land development and urban design strategies in abating the pace of climate change in cities.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The Town Square Initiative
Location: International
Website: www.gensleron.com/cities/
By 2050, nearly 70 percent of the world’s population—some 6.29 billion people—will live in cities, according to data from the United Nations. The pressure to create urban centres that facilitate healthy human social interaction is greater than ever. And it will grow ever more.
Our cities need to become better at what they do. They must provide comprehensive answers to help balance and foster our lifestyles on a global level. The time is now, and those of us who can have an obligation to contribute to—and even to instigate—dialogues on how to best achieve this.
Gensler is taking on this challenge by launching the Reimagining Cities campaign. Each year, our offices around the globe will explore one topic that defines modern cities and seek out, in the places Gensler calls home, ways to demonstrate innovative urban ideas.
Town Square Initiative was the inaugural effort for Reimagining Cities. The primary focus of this yearlong volunteer effort was to reconsider the public open spaces in cities and to explore how we can improve our social capacity through an improved physical urban environment.
We are only now understanding that so many past urban solutions have led us to dysfunctional spaces. How do we avoid replicating previous mistakes?
Mistakes, for example, in urban planning and development that sought to streamline a single aspect of infrastructure, such as automotive transportation, at the great expense of the most fundamental of tasks a city performs: bringing people together and enabling social exchange and physical interaction.
Today we know that we cannot afford to develop singular answers. Our challenges are multi-faceted, complex questions, and the answers must be equally ambidextrous. Our modern cities need to mirror our modern, multitasking lifestyles.
Today, cities in so-called developed countries are models for the development of cities across the developing world. And developing cities are growing at staggering rates.
As economies increase, aspirations of wealth and the associated lifestyles threaten to come at the expense of balanced, society-oriented urban development—much as they did in the developed cities, only now we are looking at much larger scales of intervention. Cities are growing into megalopolises, generating an entirely new set of challenges.
Even in the established urban centres across Europe and North America, shifting economies are beginning to grow and merge into significantly larger hubs of social and business activity.
We must therefore understand the challenges we face not only in developing countries, but also in our much admired so-called developed cities . When we look at these established urban centres, we discover fundamental flaws in how we utilise spaces and how we prioritise the use of these spaces.
The social functions of public spaces—however utilitarian they may appear to be—are not to be underestimated. The urban fabric is the physical seed bed of our increasingly urban societies. With the modernisation and globalisation of our societies, social structure, responsibility, and accountability seem to be ever more challenged.
Our urban public spaces—from streetscapes and waterfronts to parks, civic plazas, and the neighbourhoods we live in—need to contribute to our social awareness; our sense of social purpose and belonging.
From reconsidering the fundamentals of urban design as well as identifying missed opportunities, the Town Square Initiative seeks to recontextualise our existing cities' social environment by exploring innovative approaches and proposing straightforward, multifaceted, future-oriented solutions.
Over the last 12 months more than half of Gensler's offices worldwide engaged in this initiative to improve the urban environment. What we discovered is that despite the very specific and individual challenges different cities across the globe are facing, there are fundamental commonalities that begin to help us understand this effort as a global challenge.
Website: www.gensleron.com/cities/
By 2050, nearly 70 percent of the world’s population—some 6.29 billion people—will live in cities, according to data from the United Nations. The pressure to create urban centres that facilitate healthy human social interaction is greater than ever. And it will grow ever more.
Our cities need to become better at what they do. They must provide comprehensive answers to help balance and foster our lifestyles on a global level. The time is now, and those of us who can have an obligation to contribute to—and even to instigate—dialogues on how to best achieve this.
Gensler is taking on this challenge by launching the Reimagining Cities campaign. Each year, our offices around the globe will explore one topic that defines modern cities and seek out, in the places Gensler calls home, ways to demonstrate innovative urban ideas.
Town Square Initiative was the inaugural effort for Reimagining Cities. The primary focus of this yearlong volunteer effort was to reconsider the public open spaces in cities and to explore how we can improve our social capacity through an improved physical urban environment.
We are only now understanding that so many past urban solutions have led us to dysfunctional spaces. How do we avoid replicating previous mistakes?
Mistakes, for example, in urban planning and development that sought to streamline a single aspect of infrastructure, such as automotive transportation, at the great expense of the most fundamental of tasks a city performs: bringing people together and enabling social exchange and physical interaction.
Today we know that we cannot afford to develop singular answers. Our challenges are multi-faceted, complex questions, and the answers must be equally ambidextrous. Our modern cities need to mirror our modern, multitasking lifestyles.
Today, cities in so-called developed countries are models for the development of cities across the developing world. And developing cities are growing at staggering rates.
As economies increase, aspirations of wealth and the associated lifestyles threaten to come at the expense of balanced, society-oriented urban development—much as they did in the developed cities, only now we are looking at much larger scales of intervention. Cities are growing into megalopolises, generating an entirely new set of challenges.
Even in the established urban centres across Europe and North America, shifting economies are beginning to grow and merge into significantly larger hubs of social and business activity.
We must therefore understand the challenges we face not only in developing countries, but also in our much admired so-called developed cities . When we look at these established urban centres, we discover fundamental flaws in how we utilise spaces and how we prioritise the use of these spaces.
The social functions of public spaces—however utilitarian they may appear to be—are not to be underestimated. The urban fabric is the physical seed bed of our increasingly urban societies. With the modernisation and globalisation of our societies, social structure, responsibility, and accountability seem to be ever more challenged.
Our urban public spaces—from streetscapes and waterfronts to parks, civic plazas, and the neighbourhoods we live in—need to contribute to our social awareness; our sense of social purpose and belonging.
From reconsidering the fundamentals of urban design as well as identifying missed opportunities, the Town Square Initiative seeks to recontextualise our existing cities' social environment by exploring innovative approaches and proposing straightforward, multifaceted, future-oriented solutions.
Over the last 12 months more than half of Gensler's offices worldwide engaged in this initiative to improve the urban environment. What we discovered is that despite the very specific and individual challenges different cities across the globe are facing, there are fundamental commonalities that begin to help us understand this effort as a global challenge.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Placemaking Chicago
Location: Chicago, IL
Website: www.placemakingchicago.org
Placemaking is a people-centered approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces. Put simply, it involves looking at, listening to, and asking questions of the people who live, work and play in a particular space, to discover needs and aspirations. This information is then used to create a common vision for that place.
The vision can evolve quickly into an implementation strategy, beginning with small-scale, do-able improvements that can immediately bring benefits to public spaces and the people who use them.
Placemaking can be used to improve all of the spaces that comprise the gathering places within a community—its streets, sidewalks, parks, buildings, and other public spaces—so they invite greater interaction between people and foster healthier, more social, and economically viable communities.
But Placemaking is not just the act of building or fixing up a space; it is a process that fosters the creation of vital public destinations—the kind of places where people feel a strong stake in their communities and commitment to making things better.
Placemaking capitalizes on a local community’s assets, inspiration and potential, creating good public spaces that pro mote people’s health, happiness, and economic well-being. As a PPS survey of its members suggests, this process is essential—even sacred—to people who care about the places in their lives.
Website: www.placemakingchicago.org
Placemaking is a people-centered approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces. Put simply, it involves looking at, listening to, and asking questions of the people who live, work and play in a particular space, to discover needs and aspirations. This information is then used to create a common vision for that place.
The vision can evolve quickly into an implementation strategy, beginning with small-scale, do-able improvements that can immediately bring benefits to public spaces and the people who use them.
Placemaking can be used to improve all of the spaces that comprise the gathering places within a community—its streets, sidewalks, parks, buildings, and other public spaces—so they invite greater interaction between people and foster healthier, more social, and economically viable communities.
But Placemaking is not just the act of building or fixing up a space; it is a process that fosters the creation of vital public destinations—the kind of places where people feel a strong stake in their communities and commitment to making things better.
Placemaking capitalizes on a local community’s assets, inspiration and potential, creating good public spaces that pro mote people’s health, happiness, and economic well-being. As a PPS survey of its members suggests, this process is essential—even sacred—to people who care about the places in their lives.
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