Jane Jacobs, Moynihan Station, and general feelings of apprehension- March 31, 2008 I've been thinking about the "Jacobsian" philosophy a lot lately, as it seems that more entities use The Death and Life as a way of defending their proposals, i.e. "inspired by Jane Jacobs." Many of these projects embody, at face value, a fundamental hypocrisy (such as new walkable communities in the desert joust utside of Las Vegas proper.) I thought more about it after this panel I attended about Jane Jacobs at the Strand last Thursday night. The panel featured a couple of my favorite...http://northbird.blogspot.com/2008/03/jane-jacobs-moynihan-station-and.html Muhheakantuck - Everything Has a Name- March 31, 2008 Tonight I went to see a CreativeTime exhibit by Matthew Cunningham. I'm fascinated with the process of mapping and how our world, physical and otherwise, becomes defined. There is another weekend's worth of showings (April 4-5, reservations required), and if you miss it entirely, I highly recommend trying the Water Taxi, especially right after sunset, and after having read up on Russell Shorto's The Island at the Center of the World. It's not the same, but about as close as you can get. (ED:...http://northbird.blogspot.com/2008/03/muhheakantuck-everything-has-name.html New activity in the Meatpacking District- March 31, 2008 Very successful traffic calming indeed! If you can believe it, these people are sitting in the middle of a stream of several lanes of traffic. Saturday was not even the warmest of days, but this space still managed to draw people and make them linger. This is the result of work that was started in 2005 with PPS, the Meatpacking Business Improvement District, and the New York City Streets Renaissance. Here's an overview of the initial approachapproach that was then taken up with more community...http://northbird.blogspot.com/2008/03/new-activity-in-meatpacking-district.html Desire paths- March 19, 2008 This one by Phil GyfordHere's a flickr pool with loads of them.Thanks Corey!http://northbird.blogspot.com/2008/03/desire-paths.html Transit Famo- March 18, 2008 It's not often that an argument for more mass transit to connect Brooklyn Queens and the Bronx is bookended by Randy Watson. You have to check it out for yourself. From F.A.T.http://northbird.blogspot.com/2008/03/transit-famo.html Enlivening a dead sunken plaza- March 18, 2008 Pablo Valbuena's approach is beautiful. Watch the full video here.http://northbird.blogspot.com/2008/03/enlivening-dead-sunken-plaza.html Designing Connected Places- March 18, 2008 I don't qualify for this summer program about Designing Connected Places in Torino Italy, so I want someone else to go and experience it!http://northbird.blogspot.com/2008/03/designing-connected-places.html Almost spring- March 16, 2008 from essimarhttp://northbird.blogspot.com/2008/03/almost-spring.html NYC Bike Rack Competition- March 14, 2008 From flickrCalling all innovators: NYCDOT and Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum just announced a new competition for a bike rack design and indoor bike parking. This isn't just an ideas competition - there is $50,000 for prototyping the winning design (along with $15,000 worth of prize money for the winners.)Check out the CityRacks competition site and the full NYCDOT release.I'm thrilled by this news - not only is it the DOT taking initiative with a unique partnership, there's design momentum behind.http://northbird.blogspot.com/2008/03/nyc-bike-rack-competition.html Good news on the public spaces front- March 12, 2008 From flickr"Latin Food Vendors to Stay at Brooklyn Soccer Field"Here's a food review of one of the vendors.http://northbird.blogspot.com/2008/03/good-news-on-public-spaces-front.html |