Alive from Chicago

I'm not in Chicago, but I found this picture I took while I was there scoping out neighborhoods and attending last year's GreenBuild.

Isn't this mailbox a great idea? This particular street in the Lincoln Park area felt very well-tended for, very alive and balanced. I especially loved the groomed alleyways that snaked behind the houses (unfortunately did not think to pull out my camera).



Also, Look how much space is given to the pedestrian space, instead of to the road The tree pits are spaced far apart along the walkway too, so there's a feeling of space and lush growth.

Age-friendly neighborhoods

montague street
Originally uploaded by James Andrachuk

When I moved to Brooklyn Heights, I didn't expect to stay long in this particular spot. It's a small studio, and currently needs to provide for a couple with an energetic dog. But as I have gotten to know the neighborhood, I realized that it would be a dream spot in which to grow old. It's in an elevator building across the street from the library, two blocks from the closest subway station, one block from two bus lines, two blocks from a drugstore, two blocks from a grocery store, and two blocks from a dry-cleaner, among other amenities. The Green market is open three blocks away every Saturday and it is one block from a park. There isn't ample seating in the neighborhood, but there are wide sidewalks that are well-maintained. (Through another lens, this place would be great for kids too. But I digress...)

I realized just how fabulously lucky I was - sure, I benefit from all of these amenities now, but I was more struck by how much I would benefit if I lost my mobility, had a significantly reduced income, and am perhaps far away from family. Anyway, all of this to say, I was pleased to find this new initiative from the City Council and the New York Academy of Medicine called Age-Friendly New York City. We easily take for granted our ability to cross the street for example, and don't often stop to think that others might experience difficulty.

Thursday, Thursday, Thursday

I highly recommend checking out the image source.

Where are you going to be?

Join the Hester Street Collaborative in celebrating the Year of the Rat.
5:30 pm design activities for children in the workshop
7 pm cocktail and hors d'oeuvres
113 Hester Street

Still wondering about green architecture? Find the answer at the Goethe Institute, where it will launch a year-long inquiry, "What is Green Architecture?", curated by MoMA's Andres Lepik. The series will be kicked off with a talk by the German architect Jürgen Mayer H.
7:00pm, Goethe-Institut New York
1014 Fifth Avenue@83rd Street

Finally, it's the all-star round: PPS hosts a Social with special guests Transportation Alternatives and The Open Planning Project. C'mon people, this is the crowd behind Streetsblog, NYC Streets Renaissance, all things streets. It's kind of like a sub-gathering of TED, but it's tangible, about New York, and you're invited.
5:30pm
The Edge Bar, 95 E. 3rd St between 1st and 2nd Ave

Community development turned on its head

A couple of articles that caught my eye, both from the NYT.

Starbucks is closing one of its three locations in Kansas City, Missouri, although the local coffeeshop next door is flourishing. It will be interesting to see what it does in the next several months, as it has not rescinded any of its goals to grow the number of franchises around the world. I'm not opposed to Starbucks, especially when they're able to use their muscle to open a spot in neighborhoods which may be high risk for a mom-and-pop, but no one can like the fact that they have stratically set up shop in places to edge out existing businesses.

In New York City, community groups oppose a big development on public land that seems to be geared for...communities. This is the dispute over Hudson Pier 40 - should it stay as a ball field and risk neglect, since the city has already stated that it does not have the funding to rehabilitate the field? Or should it become a mega-entertainment/recreation complex (complete with ball fields) and serve a greater population? (Methinks that Related could come up with a better compromise to meet the needs of the community, and honestly, parents of the now tony Village, you shouldn't be hoarding ball fields).

On Thursday, Jan 31

Image from my friend's 20x200, get 'em while you can.

This event posting is dedicated to this one, for whom I have a soft spot. Go out and find some inspiration to make the public spaces around you better.

From Design Trust for Public Space:
"Tipping Points: Art, Design, Architecture, Politics, and Civic Engagement"
Moderated by: Susan Szenasy; editor in chief, Metropolis Magazine
Introduction by President Dr. Thomas Schutte
6:30 pm to 8:00pm, Thurs Jan 31
Reception to follow

Seeded with the idea of political engagement and grassroots activism this session will speak to driving change in NYC. The audience will be encouraged to offer ideas and strategies to continue the momentum of change. Open to the community.

o Letitia James - City Councilwoman, Brooklyn, District 35
o Wendy Feuer - Asst. Commissioner for Urban Art and Planning, DOT
o Laurie Kerr - Mayor's Office for Long Term Planning and Sustainability
o Blaise Backer - Director, Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project
o Sean Meenan - Owner, Habana Outpost
o Deborah Marton - Executive Director, Design Trust for Public Space
o Eva Hanhardt - Coordinator, Pratt EMS program

Higgins Hall, Pratt Institute
Southeast corner of Lafayette Avenue & St. James Place, Brooklyn
G train to Clinton/Washington

Hi again

Yes, it's me. I disappeared because, well, there's already so many other things that you could be looking at online, and who needs to be on the computer when they are in front of a computer 12 hours a day; not me. But last night, at the Princeton Architectural Press's holiday party, (yes, of all events, thanks Russell!), I started to get that tingling of wanting to write again. So I started poking around, and yes, I found this, Invisible Paris. Perhaps this is old news, but this idea of how to see is something to always consider - when we are considering understandings and scenarios for good places, how are we looking at all the perspectives available?

So, unfortunately, things on BttN will be less frequent, but hopefully always worth a read.

Exciting stuff on the street

On another front, there are some interesting, exciting things happening on the street level.

A countdown crosswalk at 6th Avenue and 8th Street. Even without the digital countdown, the adjusted timing between pedestrians and cars is much improved for this confusing intersection.



Also on 6th Avenue and 10th Street, there's a bicycle crossing. This is one of those spots where the street is marked for bikes to be on either side (look to the way left of the image for the other bike marking). What's the thinking behind this?

Busy week

Another busy week. I went to visit CarpetCycle's recycling center (they will come in and remove carpet before demolition, save it from going into the landfill). The CEO spends a lot of his time looking for people who are looking for raw recycled material, so check out CarpetCycle if you fit that category. I just think it's great that someone's business model includes helping industry innovate. He does studies with universities around the country.


Isn't it great that all this stuff isn't going into a landfill?


Last night I checked out some of the best of the best from architecture schools in this region at the Center for Architecture. I loved a project out of Parsons. It was a proposal for a new Yankee Stadium that twisted up the traditional stadium form which allowed for lots of flexible use public space underneath the seated viewing areas. Go check it out.


Studying the boards



So many great minds, but then this happened: Incidentally, I went to the AIA again this morning, to attend a session for the Green Issues Task Force with regard to PlaNYC. This is an open task force, anyone may attend. Am I just being a curmudgeon, but does the NY AIA seem particularly ineffective with this very pressing issue of our city's sustainability plan? Does anyone know of a design profession group that's actually making inroads for this plan? I know the congestion pricing issue has been discouraging, but there's many many other initiatives that can get off the ground. Anyone??

L.A. Downtown public spaces

Our office in Los Angeles is way up in the sky, so I can get a pretty good view of downtown (from one side, anyway).

From above, there seem to be a lot of public spaces, but they are two or three stories above street level, usually above a parking garage.










This is what it's like from the street:




You need these pedestrian walkways to get to the public spaces, but how do you get up there?




Actually, I shouldn't assume that those green spaces are actually public. But you have to wonder when much of the retail is underground.



In addition to elevated plazas, sunken plazas are also quite popular.




There are a couple of spots where it was more humane, like in front of the Los Angeles public library.



And the plaza across the street from the library.



Downtown Los Angeles seemed to be a true Modernist experiment - separation of cars and people, elevation of cars in status, and separation of everyday functions (buying and eating lunch, shopping) from the banality of walking on the sidewalk. During the day, downtown isn't half-bad, but I did get annoyed when the hotel told us not to jog because the downtown was too dangerous. This perception was only reinforced by native LAists, who also told me not to walk around at night when I mentioned going for an after dinner stroll. It will be interesting to see how the city develops downtown, especially with the big Grand Avenue redevelopment project.

I did get to ride the subway, which I have been very curious about....



...only I was not supposed to ride it back.

LA

I'm in LA for the rest of the week, but back in New York, it looks like the CitySol festival is worth checking out.

Dumbo's public space experiment

...hard to see, but it's twilight on Pearl/Washington Street in Dumbo. I realize that it is imperative to let cars know that there is a public space here where they once were able to run willy-nilly, but the number of barriers seems to repel the people who should be using it. Cars still drove by as fast as possible...thinking it was a construction site.

This is what it's like inside the square.



Update: of course, Clarence from Streetfilms beat me to it! He's got some clearer shots in this video.

Vancouver's sustainability plan

Vancouver releases its sustainability plan, EcoDensity,

"the City’s bold, new vision for how Vancouver will grow in the future. It’s about the kind of city we will leave for our grandchildren. It’s about the affordability of our city for everyone. It’s about maintaining Vancouver’s status as one of the most desirable places in the world to live."

Now this is one city that doesn't side-step the use of the word "density."

FAQ: Managing Millenium Park

From Flickr

From my work, I am guessing that a frequently asked question is how to best design, manage (and fund) public spaces, especially high profile ones. So, here is Ed Uhlir, Director of Design, Architecture and Landscape for Millenium Park in Chicago, answering some questions about the famous park.

As promised, the FLoating Pool

A couple of pictures...



It was an early morning and gray day, and not warm enough to go swimming. So you see, no one is using the pool.

I do wish the "beaches" were located closer to the water, and not in the middle of the parking lot. But they do look nice...maybe providing more seating and shade options would be a good idea too.

Finally, bike share! among other things...

Isn't it about time that NYC tried a bike share?

Why stop with a place in Manhattan? They should do a kiosk in Brooklyn too...maybe around Smith Street?

I caught a glimpse of the floating pool over by the Brooklyn Heights waterfront. It hasn't been as busy as I thought it might be, but I missed the few really hot days last week. I'll go and take some pix sometime this week so you can see how cool it is.

R&R

Image from flickr

I'm off for a week for the woods and waters of Maine, and we are not bringing our craptops, so this means there will be no posts for one week. Not that I have been posting much lately anyway.

I'm excited to come back fresh and get working again on Cityskip and This Place Is... when I return. In the meantime, here are some things to read/listen/watch:

Car, bike and pedestrian advocates debate on the Brian Lehr Show



A montage of different acts from Make Music New York at Street Films.

An example of the Playground Fence.

A new film about land development in Texas, The Unforeseen.

Make Music Day

Happy Summer Solstice - it's Make Music Day, an international event. You can catch some free music today, all around the city. Here's the complete listing. We'll be playing a short set (or two) at the Liz Christy Community Garden around 6 PM.

Street Food Cartography

I got really excited when I saw the title of this page, but then I realized that it is a narrative cartography - there isn't an actual map. Still, these are winning street food vendors, so check it out.

Endless drawing

I'm not supposed to be posting anymore, but I keep finding interesting stuff. Here's an activity map on a city-level - and multi-city level! One person's yearlong trips across the city...

RiverGlow

I couldn't resist - this is fabulous! RiverGlow - technology that detects pollutants in the water, and is beautiful.

via inhabitat

I like the mission statement of The Living, the architecture group responsible for the idea and execution.

Communal ovens

I have been consumed by the upcoming move, so will not be writing as much until next week. And then it's a week in Maine, where I'll be totally offline.

Meanwhile, learn a little bit more about the importance of food in public spaces. Food is such a connector between people. This includes production and consumption.

The NYTimes writes about a Morrocan oven that is open to all.

But did you know that North America had its own version of such a thing? In Toronto, Jutta Mason sparked the revitalization of Dufferin Grove Park by building a community bread oven.

And for more tales of food, community and spaces, visit the Kitchen Sisters' show Hidden Kitchens.

Borough Hall

I'm moving to Brooklyn in a week or so - very excited to be back in Brooklyn! Though of course I love my neighborhood right now too. (BTW, if you are around NoHo on June 21, we'll be playing at the Liz Christy Garden.)

My go-to subway station will be Jay Street/Borough Hall. I've been pleasantly surprised at how active Borough Hall is. Doesn't this entrance to the Supreme Court building feel great with the market in front? It makes me feel like the government actually does work for me.




There was a good amount of sitting when I was there.



But look at the cars. This area was sectioned off so people could walk through it and it feels pedestrianized, but it was no fun to walk through with all the cars taking up prime space.



Though you could certainly walk through this area, everyone stayed on the sidewalk.

Willoughby pedestrian plaza

I last visited Willoughby Plaza in February, when it was a barren space.

In the springtime, it has picked up a lot of energy.

The combination of sun and shade help it so much. (It was between 3 and 4 PM when I took these pictures).






One thing that signals a successful space is when people can share space - even a single table, and yet have a sense of privacy. How many conversations can you pick out in this photo (especially in the table to the far left)?




Willoughby is so successful that the seating has been expanded, now wrapping around the corner.




Look, the tweens will even deign to play in this space.

TA Rally June 8 - For congestion pricing

From my friends at Transportation Alternatives:

Come to a rally this Friday, June 8th and show our State Legislators that the vast majority of New Yorkers support congestion pricing as the best way to improve our air quality and fund better transit.

On Friday the New York State Assembly will have a public hearing, here in New York City, on the transportation portion of the Mayor's PlaNYC: A Greater, Greener New York. The state legislature has to vote to approve significant portions of the transportation portion of the plan. If this hearing goes well and our elected officials see the broad public support for the Mayor's plan, then we are well on our way to cleaner air, better transit and safer streets; goals T.A. and our members have fought for all along.

While the Mayor's plan for congestion pricing may seem like a commonsense solution to a T.A. member like you, many Assemblymembers are still skeptical. And a small but vocal opposition threatens to dominate the crowd in the hearing room on Friday. Don't let them!

If there's one action you take this year to support greener streets, this is it. 20 minutes can change the future of New York City streets.

We need as many people as possible at the rally and at the hearing on Friday. Wear green to indicate your support for a greener Big Apple. Please RSVP if you can attend. Together we can show our strength and give our legislators the courage they need to make the right decision.

When:
Friday, June 8th
Rally: 8:15 am
Hearing on PlaNYC: 10 am

Where:
Association of the Bar of the City of New York
Auditorium
42 West 44th Street
Between 5th and 6th Avenues
Manhattan

Itinerant Urbanist

I've been a big fan of Karrie Jacobs, and her urbanist blog on House & Garden is really good. I loved her writing for Metropolis - it was often the not-to-be-missed when the magazine seemed overwhelming. I never thought I would be directing people to House & Garden, but here it is.

Public space art/technology

Not in New York, but a very cool application of the touchable screen is this display in Helsinki, called the CityWall.



And second, a public art piece for Rockefeller Center, by the photographer Agnes Winter.

New stuff around town...

New bus shelter, this one in Livingston Street, at Court in downtown Brooklyn. Isn't it nice to know where you are just by lookng at the bus shelter? I worked on one of the teams that was responding to the RFP for the street furniture, and one of my tasks was to take photos of existing bus shelters in different contexts throughout all five boroughs so that we could figure out how to meet the needs of all the different neighborhoods with the new design. It turned into an unnecessarily difficult task because the bus shelters all look the same and they have basically no identifying marks, except maybe the name of the bus line on the post near it.


And the new recycling bins, this set in Union Square.

If only I can get our office's management company to recycle - or maybe they should put some of these in midtown, close to the office buildings. When SL Green isn't recycling, that means lots of office buildings, and their tenants, are not recycling.

And finally, enjoying some cafe time.