Most people use the Summer months to re-connect with pastimes forgotten during winter months. It is this time of the year that sales soar both at the box office and in bookstores. Most normal people I know take trashy novels with them to the beach or submerge themselves in an entire season of 24 (which thanks to Netflix can be accomplished in a few intense evenings). I tend to lean toward the other extreme (although I have indulged in bad TV from time to time). My wife calls me a design geek because my bedside table is always full of design magazines, books and theory.
Most people use the Summer months to re-connect with pastimes forgotten during winter months. It is this time of the year that sales soar both at the box office and in bookstores. Most normal people I know take trashy novels with them to the beach or submerge themselves in an entire season of 24 (which thanks to Netflix can be accomplished in a few intense evenings). I tend to lean toward the other extreme (although I have indulged in bad TV from time to time). My wife calls me a design geek because my bedside table is always full of design magazines, books and theory.
That said, much of what has most inspired me throughout the years and helped to form a career path has very little to do with planning, architecture or urban design directly. Movies, novels, music, art have all played a very strong role. I recall watching Jacque Tati's movies for the first time. Playtime and Mon Oncle are amazing to me for their artistry, humor and commentary on the city. If anyone has seen the 1956 movie the Red Balloon or the Fritz Lang classic M lately then you may want to add them to your list. Looking for a classic that's as much about the City as it is about today's foreign conflicts? Try Battle of Algiers. Want to see where film director's blatantly stole from architects and planners? How about Lebbeus Woods's Information City used in the movie 12 Monkeys or Raymood Hood's City of Needles almost applied wholesale as background in Star Wars Episode One: Phantom Menace (yeah the bad one).
In a similar way, some early examples of photo collage (there's a great exhibit at the National Gallery of Art on this subject) and music by artists like Stereolab, Talking Heads and DJ Spooky have all helped me see cities in new ways. And for the true geeks out there, there's always the novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson but I've always been more partial to Douglas Coupland's brand of humor in Shampoo Planet.
Given that all of this is so personal, I think understanding where our inspiration comes from can help to better understand each other as professionals. That's why this summer a goal of mine is to start an "Inpiration Bank" in my office. Pop culure, art, anything, except traditional planning and design literature, is allowed. That's nothing against Jane Jacobs, Rem Koolhaas or any other author typically found on the shelves of a modern-day planner or designer. I just think I might learn more about a person that sees something unique in New Order than one that has read the planning essentials.
Miami: The Changing Face of America
The city of Miami is the setting of a forthcoming book by novelist Tom Wolfe, whose works have come to define eras in American culture. Some say his selection of Miami as a setting shows that the melting pot city is the face of a changing America.
Parks and Gardens as Spaces to Celebrate Lunar New Year
Parks and gardens serve as communal spaces that bring people together. As such, there are good reasons for them to host events and activities that celebrate Lunar New Year, an important festival deeply rooted in Asian cultures.
The Importance of LA's Exposition Park
Centrally located in Los Angeles, Exposition Park is a 160-acre urban park that is home to key recreational, cultural, educational, and athletic institutions and facilities. Learn more about the park from its general manager Andrea Ambriz.
Seattle Legalizes Co-Living
A new state law requires all Washington cities to allow co-living facilities in areas zoned for multifamily housing.
NYC Officials Announce Broadway Pedestrianization Project
Two blocks of the marquee street will become mostly car-free public spaces.
The City of Broken Sidewalks
Can Los Angeles fix 4,000 miles of broken sidewalks before the city hosts the 2028 Olympic Games?
Study: Automobile Dependency Reduces Life Satisfaction
Automobile dependency has negative implications for wellbeing. This academic study finds that relying on a car for more than 50 percent of out-of-home travel is associated with significant reductions in life satisfaction.
San Diego School District Could Accelerate Workforce Housing Program
A proposal to build housing on five district-owned properties could yield 1,000 housing units for low- and moderate-income district employees.
Denver Transit Board Approves $1.2 Billion Budget
The 2025 budget for the Regional Transportation District is the largest in the agency’s 55-year history.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
Village of Glen Ellyn
City of Laramie
American Planning Association, Sustainable Communities Division
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Cambridge, Maryland
Newport County Development Council: Connect Greater Newport
Rockdale County Board of Commissioners
