Archive for April, 2010
Do a Jane’s Walk!
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010Jane Jacobs was an urban thinker ahead of her time. When the great thinkers of the day were promoting freeways and auto-centric suburban development, she spotted what was being lost. To her, the best cities and neighbourhoods were organic, constantly evolving communities, or networks of relationships. People knew each other and looked out for each […]
Supermarket parking lots as new neighbourhood hubs
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010Could supermarket parking lots in now-dense urban areas become public squares? or be re-designed as great public places in other ways?
Neal Pierce recently penned an intriguing piece about supermarkets on Citiwire.net.
We perfected the buy-and-drive model from the post-World War II expansion onward. But is it necessarily the future?
No, asserts my Seattle friend and urban […]
What ever happened to world’s fairs?
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010In the 20th century, World’s Fairs were major events celebrated in the host city and globally. Daily news items emerged from these three-to-six month celebrations that also showcased new products and ideas. Even if you did not attend, you could share in the experience via television and newspapers.
Some fairs today remain legendary worldwide such as […]
Higher fuel, living green and a new normal for home prices?
Saturday, April 3rd, 2010Over the past few years, many urban residents have become increasingly interested in more sustainable as well as more time efficient lifestyles. Thousands (even millions worldwide) are choosing to live closer to work, even if it means a smaller home–whether to save money, spare the environment or save time (or all three).
Simultaneous with the above […]