10/12/2009
Boarded Up
London-based graphic designer James Reynolds posts up on abandoned buildings and gets some love for it. It is nice to see such a simple and sincere concept for public art.
Look for Cincinnati’s version around town via Keep Cincinnati Beautiful’s Future Blooms.
01/08/2009
California (streetcar) Dreaming
On such a winters day it is good to envision the warm vibrant city life of a distant coast.
I just happened upon this convertible streetcar among San Francisco’s fleet on a recent visit. Also, discovered that while it is true that they have a car painted to replicate a historic Cincinnati streetcar they don’t actually have an original.
10/01/2008
Credit Crunches City Projects
Just came across an interesting article about how the economic crisis is impacting municipal bond markets and consequently city funded projects.
It is likely a short-term problem, but it is an interesting view of how the “Wall Street” crisis impacts “Main Street”.
08/21/2008
Response to UK’s public drinking ban
In the UK a ban that would prohibit drinking in public spaces is being protested by throwing a party in a public park.
It is fascinating that it is illegal to drink in most public spaces in the states, but simply putting a bag over your drink or a publicly sanctioned event makes it alright.
These quotes from this Guardian article made me think about Sennett’s book The Uses of Disorder and the Fall of Public Man.
The longer these bans are imposed, the more each of us refuse to take responsibility for public space, and stop resolving our own issues, leading to a more antisocial society. This is not a campaign for drunkenness, it’s for the public right to engage in our own space.
The police should be concerned with people breaking the law, not with these so-called preventative measures. Cultural issues are not solved with blanket bans, but by political and social engagement for which we need a vibrant public sphere.
08/20/2008
The Art of the Urban Farm Dance Party
Work Architecture Company, winners of the Young Architects Program, installed an urban farm inside the courtyard of P.S.1 in Queens for their weekly summer dance party. What a seemingly random amalgamation of things; dance party, art and urban agriculture. Leave it to P.S. 1.
08/19/2008
Indy Does it Again
Sports teams are like crack-cocaine to city administrators. They seem to see them as the quick fix to harsh economic realities, building new stadiums to attract or retain teams as economic investments. Rarely does the investment change the harsh reality, but it does put a buzz in the air. Still, taxpayers are typically left paying the bill long after the life of the stadium. This is the case in Indianapolis as they open the Indianapolis Colts new Lucas Oil Stadium and get ready to demolish the Hoosier Dome, which is yet to be paid for.
Regardless of the cost, the new stadium is going to be a great asset for the city as it continues to grow and expand its urban identity. There are certainly valid criticism of architecture too, but generally I think that it works well. Putting a monolithic structure in modern downtown is no small feat and the siting and building design do well to integrate it as much as possible with the rest of the downtown. Hopefully mixed use developments will continue to emerge in the areas around the stadium.
Really though, I just can’t wait for the Colts to show the Bengals how a professional football team should conduct itself, no offense Cincinnati.
An architectural review from the Indianapolis Star
08/18/2008
More Urban Play
More urban play from a masters industrial design student at Central Saint Martin.
71% of adults used to play on the streets when they were young. 21% of children do so now. Are we designing children and play out of the public realm?
This project is a study into different ways of bringing play back into public space. It focuses on ways of incorporating incidental play in the public realm by not so much as having separate play equipment that dictates the users but by using existing furniture and architectural elements that indicate playful behaviour for all. (via pixelsumo)
