Many viewers may not fully appreciate movies as a visual story-telling medium, but that fact came home to me dramatically the other night while watching “Juno,” the off beat, smart and funny film that just snagged a best screenplay Oscar. The deliberate use of architecture and public spaces, in particular, was quite effective although you probably won’t find these references in plot summaries or synopses.
Public Spaces
'Guerrilla Gardeners' Taking Over Neglected Public Places
Vacant lots and underutilized dirt patches are the the romping grounds of a new breed of activists. Known as "guerrilla gardeners", groups of people all over the world are reclaiming their cities' public spaces and landscapes by planting seeds.
The Guardian
Best Ideas of the Week
Fri, 04/18/2008 - 16:08
From public transit to public parks to public space, this past week brought a lot of interesting and innovative ideas in the world of urban planning.
The New Graffiti
Using laser technology, two artists have created a new type of "temporary graffiti" -- light shows that use public places as canvasses for their laser art.
Time
Market Woes Stifle 'Great Park' Progress
Three years after Irvine, California's "Great Park" was approved, development of the planned public spaces, homes and businesses has struggled to move forward. The housing crisis is being blamed for the lack of action.
The Los Angeles Times
Toronto Mulls Corporate Sponsorship for Parks
Short on funding, Toronto's waterfront parks agency is considering a plan to sell the naming rights to the park's amenities, allowing corporate sponsors to add their name to such public features as walkways and play areas.
The Canadian Press
Smokng Banned in Mexico City
With one of the world's higher rates of air pollution, Mexico City is cracking down on one type of emission: cigarette smoke. Smoking has been banned in all public places in the city, including office buildings and restaurants.
Reuters
Reclaiming an 'Urban Wilderness' in Brooklyn
This article from Orion looks at an "urban wilderness" in Brooklyn that is being reclaimed and reused by locals.
Orion
Designing Public Places in D.C.
Redevelopment plans for Washington D.C. highlight the increased emphasis on public spaces.
The Washington Post
Greening Streets
This piece from The Tyee offers ideas about how to recreate streets into lively public green spaces.
The Tyee
Public Art Succeeds in Inspiring Consideration of Public Spaces
A public art exhibit in a Baltimore park has elicited complaints and compliments from various voices in the city. But like it or not, the art is good for the city's consideration of and connection to its public spaces, according to this editorial.
The Baltimore Sun
San Francisco's Little-Known Public Spaces
A policy requiring new commercial developments to include public spaces has created more than a dozen new public places in downtown San Francisco since the 1980s. Some say more effort is needed to make these public places known by the public.
The San Francisco Chronicle
Best Ideas of the Week
Fri, 03/21/2008 - 16:08
We all know there's a lot of planning going on around the world. Much of it is poor, short-sighted and generally just no good. But there are also some really great ideas being developed and adopted, and they should be considered by cities and communities all over the world as instructive examples of good planning. Here are what I think are some of the best ideas in urban planning from the last week.
Improving Design Can Improve Interaction
This piece from The Chronicle of Higher Education looks at the role design plays in encouraging interaction amongst academics and calls out for better planning.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Miami Parks Plan Looks Beyond Parks
Officials in Miami-Dade County have just released their parks master plan, an ambitious proposal that looks to go beyond creating park space by redefining the region's public realm.
The Miami Herald
Brooklyn Seeking Complete Streets
This article from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle looks at the increasing public demand for Complete Streets in Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Public Spaces Key to Flint's Rebirth
With a focus on public spaces, Flint, Michigan, is looking to revitalize itself.
Making Places
The Placemaking Checklist
The Project for Public Spaces offers this checklist to help determine if your city is a "great" city.
Making Places
What Balls!
Fri, 01/18/2008 - 17:33
The other day, half a million plastic balls bounced down the Spanish Steps, one of Rome's most visited and historic public places. Many visitors, picture-takers and members of the media were caused to wonder 'what's up with all these balls?'
Madrid’s Alternate Suburban Universe
Mon, 05/28/2007 - 15:06
Houston or Holland? The rapidly growing suburbs of Madrid uncomfortably (and instructively) amalgamate some of both. I was lucky to receive a recent tour from David Cohn, a long-time colleague and 20-year resident of Madrid; Sylvia Perea, a post-doctoral student and, until recently, an editor at the journal Arquitectura Viva, and Emilio Ontiveros, a young architect of the local Research Group on Social Housing.
