urban cartography

PARK(ing)

Stewf, a friend of UC's in San Francisco, sent us a link to this site recently, and I found it just enchanting. What he had to say:

This urban planning group installed turf, tree, and bench in a parking
space in our neighborhood. Passersby and users fed the meter. Why?
Instant park. Green space in a part of the city that's missing it.

Think you want to take part? Just follow the handy do-it-yourself instructions. With these simple transformations, the Rebar group shows us how any regular parking spot can function as a PARK(ing) spot, and how desperately such slivers of green are needed in the urban landscape.

What View of Density?

A co-worker sent around a link to the The San Francisco League of Conservation Voters’ density calculator. The SFLCV is an organization whose mission is to “promote environmental protection participation” through education and legislation in San Francisco’s political system (although many issues on their accomplishments page are state and federal). The online tool they created allows the user to enter a specific density value and see how it changes a variety of local variables. It also gives some examples of what density looks like. A simple, yet interesting tool.

However, I am not certain how useful this tool is in San Francisco, which has fewer problems battling low density sprawl developments as a community like Sacramento. Perhaps something that looks at transit ridership as an alternative means of commuting would be more suited to San Francisco. Plus, it would make Central Valley residents jump for joy as they get most of their poor air quality from Bay Area drivers.

If this is truly about sprawl, they should include some examples of medium density developments and target other Bay Area suburbs that are more vulnerable to sprawl. These outlying areas need far more help, and would benefit more from a realistic medium density of 20 dwelling units per acre (something that might actually get built) than a 90 dwelling unit per acre high-rise that will drive most NIMBYs back to their 1 acre McMansions.

International Cartographic Association

The International Cartographic Association (ICA) is the prime international body for Cartography and Geographic Information (see www.icaci.org for more information). The mission of the Association is to promote the discipline and profession of Cartography and Geographic Information in an international context. Its core activity to progress the professional, academic and scientific status of all working in the geospatial professions.

Improving Architecture Education

To break in our new education category, Dr. Siamak G. Shahneshin, co-director of the Shahneshin.net interdisciplinary design, research and sustainability project in Zurich shares his thoughts on the future of architecture education.

A while ago, Rachel Munn, AIA, asked the following question: If we could imagine creating a new architectural school from scratch, what would architectural education look like? I would like to modify her question somewhat to ask the following: what is wrong with current academic architecture – specifically architect "educashion®" – and what is the cure? If I may straightforwardly answer this question: I believe the missing factor, the cause for these problems, is a lack of well-trained faculty.

devaluing student work

I work as a graphic artist. Our unions and guild work very hard to eliminate so-called design contests - usually situations where a private for-profit business tries to get student proposals and briefs for free (as well as work from amateurs and professionals facing a job market driven even more competitive by scams like these), while offering as a prize a cash award less than what they'd pay for a single brief and project from a commercial designer. These "speculative contests" are an underhanded and dishonest way for clients to get plenty of choices without paying craftspeople for their work.

Over on Planetizen, I see a press release advertising a similar plan: the Chamber of Commerce in Jackson, MI will pay out a $25,000 cash award to the student or group of students who can come up with the most succesful urban renewal/revitalization plan for their 8-acre downtown. I think this just devalues the entire profession. Asking students to do professional work – which many of them are perfectly able to do – and then pay only those the Chamber likes the best is ridiculous. What about the dozens of others who worked their asses off and weren't picked? The spiritual capital they gain from hard work is supposed to somehow compensate them? All this does is devalue the work of all planners. Do we really want to teach students that they may not be paid at all for their best work? Do we want to teach clients that they don't need to pay for good work?

Former Jackson Planning Commission member Charles Aymond said maybe not all projects were feasible but the biggest value of the competition was the influx of new ideas.

Yes, I'm sure it was - including all of those "new ideas" that didn't win the prize, but which still become the property of the Chamber. What a deal for them!

grow your urban garden

My favorite alter-ego, Gayla Trail, a successful author and photographer as well as celebrated gardener, will be in New York City this coming Saturday, May 21st to explain to us concrete-jungle dwellers how to add a dash of green to our environs. If I lived there, I would go to her Urban Gardening Demos to learn how to grow a garden on my defunct fire escape, but alas, I'll just have to settle for her fantastic book.