Sunset over Melbourne

Let's end this week with sunset in Melbourne's CBD.


This video was made in December 2009 by Givemeabrain and the YouTube link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9G_lrv4d_8 





Enjoy !






Francesco

The Street Aesthetics in New York City

Here's some more of New York City.

It's a great short video called 'The Street Aesthetic of New York City' shot by Christian Andersen.

Christian’s describes the video as 'I had a chance to go visit one of the greatest cities this summer. Right when I got of the plane and arrived downtown New York, I took my camera and strolled out through the busy streets of New York City. I wanted to capture the great culture and street aesthetic of New York and I think it turned out really well. The video includes recordings from both Manhattan and Brooklyn, where I spend hours capturing the culture and everyday life of native New Yorker.'

The Street Aesthetic of New York City from Christian Andersen on Vimeo.

Well done Christian and enjoy!

Francesco …

Cities are made of Music

Cities are all about buildings, roads, parks, stores, trains, buses, cars and people.  But they're also full of sounds and one of the more socially interesting of them is the music that is played and heard by the people of the city.


Since the advent of the walkman there's even more music going in cities and since MP3s and iTunes in in greater and greater variety.


In this interesting and amusing short film by Tyler Cullen he asks random New Yorkers wearing headphones what song they are listening to.  There's some interesting selections to fill the city with music.





Enjoy!  


And, see you with your headphones on soon.


Francesco ...

The Pushbike as an Urbanist Weapon

We can all see the buzz around pushbikes in cities as a ‘new’ solution to urban transport, congestion, health and environmental problems.  And, that’s all true and fair enough.

But this fascinating article by Kasey Klimes called The Real Reason why Bicycles are the Key to Better Cities argues a more subtle and interesting benefit of increased pushbike use in urban and city areas.

Kasey argues that the most vital element for the future of our cities is that “the bicycle is an instrument of experiential understanding” because on a pushbike, people experience their city with much more intimacy than when travelling in car, bus or train.  And it’s often happening for the very first time.

So, that to a cyclist livability isn’t an abstract concept, it’s an experience.

As they cycle around they see the intricacies of land use and transportation relationships, how density helps urban sustainability, how urban sprawl is economically flawed, the way motorways shred the urban fabric, where land use is working and where it’s not, what real people are doing and how interesting things are when you slow down as you pass them. 

Kasey likens the pushbike to a “secret weapon of the urban renaissance” because too few people see the problems, and even fewer understand the solutions.


Maybe pushbikes will bring enlightenment about what makes better cities?


See you on your bike in the city again soon.




Francesco …

Fly over San Francisco in a Zeppelin

I always like to see cities from the air as it shows the myriad of buildings, maze of streets and lanes and natural and built topographies of the places people live in so well.

And, San Francisco is a particularly attractive city to see from any height.

So here’s a great story and some photos by Andre Torrez of flying over San Francisco from an airship.

Enjoy and see you in a Zeppelin soon.

Francesco …

Another NYC Timelapse

Why do so many photographers and cinematographers focus their lenses on NYC? 

I suppose that’s because despite everything else there is that’s great about it, NYC is one of the biggest and most spectacular metropolis around with many, many huge buildings, even more people and water surrounding it.

Whatever the reason here’s another beautiful time lapse video of New York City by James Ogle.

Enjoy.

new york city. from James Ogle on Vimeo.





Francesco …

People Interacting with the Built Form

Buildings and the man made structures are there for people to use. 

Conventionally that’s typically on the inside of them.  But a few more adventurous humans prefer to interacts with the outside walls, roofs, ramps and ledges. 

You may know them as proponents of the sport called Parkour (or free running).

It’s crazy and looks extremely dangerous.

And, here’s a video of some San Francisco Parkourers, and free running masters Ryan Doyle and Brian Orosco recently came to San Francisco to demonstrate their acrobatic Red-Bull fueled wizardry in Parkour and Free Running with Ryan Doyle by Tylor Troy Bohlman.

The YouTube link is - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkx9t_dEGi0

Enjoy.

Francesco ...

NYC Timelapse

Do you like NYC?

Well, here's a great timelapse video by Josh Owens. The music is “Down to the Cellar” by Dredg.

NYC - Mindrelic Timelapse from Mindrelic on Vimeo.

Enjoy!

Francesco

Arrr … What Makes a Neighbourhood?

Neighbourhoods are communities where people interact and share things in close proximity that enrich each others’ lives.

But, as the world get’s busier and we become more disconnected this happens less (and less).

However, social media is filling the gaps fast.  I’m not talking about Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, Mozilla or that kind of application.  There are all sorts of even more edgy and far more local facilities like Neighbourhoodr.

Neighborhoodr is a local neighborhood blog network where anyone can quickly and easily post about what's happening in their neighborhood without having to log in or register. It’s already available in the following cities in the USA and around the world.

Some of the US cities where it's operating include Austin
, Baltimore, 
Boston, 
Charlotte,
 Chicago
, Columbus
, Dallas, 
Denver
, Detroit, 
El Paso, 
Fort Worth, 
Houston, 
Indianapolis
, Jacksonville, 
Los Angeles, 
Memphis, 
Nashville, 
New York
, Philadelphia, 
Phoenix, 
San Antonio
, San Diego
, San Francisco
, San Jose
, and Seattle.  And, internationally it's operating in Barcelona, Berlin, Hong Kong, London, Paris, Rome, Singapore, Toronto and Vancouver

Neighborhoodr says that over time, cities will have their individual neighborhoods represented, as the demand for that neighborhood presents itself.  And, that if they receive or see enough content from any particular neighborhood, they’ll launch a neighborhood page devoted to that hood.

For instance in New York there are already more than 50 neighborhoods.

This is an example of how larger strata building complex can create a resident, owner and neighbour contact space.  And, even smaller strata buildings could create a similar community with neighbouring buildings on or near their block.

So, why not explore and try to create your own strata neighbourhoodr?

Francesco …   

Vroom Vroom …. Strata Car Sharing

What have cars got to do with strata buildings?

In fact, there’s a lot.  And, one of the more recent (and interesting) is how strata buildings and owners can take advantage of the car sharing.

Car sharing is a convenient and reliable way use a car without the cost and hassle of car ownership by booking car use online for an hour or a day and picking the car up from convenient nearby locations.  People join a car share scheme, get a smart cards (which acts as a car key) and after booking online or by phone, pick up a car from reserved green bays on nearby streets … and returns it to the same reserved space.  Hourly costs usually range between $6 - $10, plus costs per kilometer.

There are already more than four thousand people in the City of Sydney in car share schemes and over 200 cars available in reserved parking spaces in the Sydney local area.

Sydney City Council supports the program and has made 180 public spaces available for car sharing. 

But, of course, many strata buildings could also provide hundreds more car parking spaces for car sharing.

Car sharing is good for people since there’s no need to own a car, no need to worry or hunt for a parking spot, low rates by the hour, reduces demand for new cars, encourages more sustainable travel using public transport, walking and cycling.  So, it’s good for the environment. 

But it’s also good for strata buildings as it helps residents without cars and can raise money for the strata corporation to help reduce owner levies. 

One car share vehicle can replace up to ten private vehicles that would otherwise compete for local parking space.

There are a few operators of car sharing in Sydney including –

Charter Drive

Flexicar

GoGet

Creen Carshare

See you when I drop of my car share Prius off tomorrow.

Francesco ….

Melbourne Wins on Liveability (Again)

In the never ending competition between Melbourne and Sydney, Melbourne wins another round.

The annual survey of world cities Liveability by the Economist Intelligence Unit have just been released and Melbourne claims second place whilst Sydney was in seventh place.

Vancouver topped the list of the world's most liveable cities for the fifth straight year.  The top 10 rankings are as follows.

1. Vancouver, Canada

2. Melbourne, Australia

3. Vienna, Austria

4. Toronto, Canada

5. Calgary, Canada

6. Helsinki, Finland

7. Sydney, Australia

8. (equal) Perth, Australia

8. (equal) Adelaide, Australia

10. Auckland, New Zealand

And, interestingly some of the world best know cities are well down the rankings as follows.

16th - Paris

18th - Tokyo

31st - Hong Kong

44th - Los Angeles

53rd - London

56th -  New York

72nd - Beijing

The Economist report says that "Mid-sized cities in developed countries with relatively low population densities tend to score well by having all the cultural and infrastructural benefits on offer with fewer problems related to crime or congestion".  That’s an interesting observation in the context of increasing densities in almost all cities and a warning that those increases need to be managed carefully to preserve liveability.

Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, was the worst rated city just below the Bangladesh, capital of Dhaka.

The Economist Intelligence Unit survey ranks cities based on 30 factors such as healthcare, culture and environment, and education and personal safety.

So, congratulations Melbourne.  


At least Sydney beat Adelaide and Perth (but only just).

Francesco …

What Makes Cities (and Buildings) Liveable?

I was reading the Australian Government’s discussion paper Our Cities and was intrigued by their identification of the things that make a city liveable.

They say that that “liveability” is “the way the urban environment supports the quality of life and wellbeing” including “mental and physical health, happiness and life satisfaction plus supportive social community relationships”. 

And according to the Australian Government the key factors for cities are –

• Balancing infill and green-field development
• Facilitating the supply of appropriate housing
• Supportive affordable living
• Improving transport options and reducing our dependence on private vehicles
• Improving the quality of the public domain
• Improving public health outcomes
• Redressing spatially concentrated social disadvantage

You can read more about these issues (and the Government’s approach to them) in the discussion paper.

On a different dimension the Economist Intelligence Unit runs the world cities Liveability Index every year and ranks cities on 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories –

• stability
• healthcare
• culture and environment
• education
• infrastructure

Each factor in a city is rated as acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable or intolerable. 

You can read more about these factors in their summary report.

But what are the factors that make a strata building liveable?  Are they the same, similar or different?  And, if not the same should they reflect the same themes?

I’m not sure but am certainly ready to start a debate.  So, my strata building liveability factors are as follows. 

Location - The building location suit a variety of occupiers’ needs – with access to work, transport, living, health, education and entertainment needs.

Built form - The configuration and construction of the building provides for safe, comfortable, private and useful separate accommodation and matching shared spaces.

Maintenance – The building is in good order and maintenance is ubiquitous (in that it happens without people noticing except in unusual circumstances).

Expenses - The steady state operational costs should match the socio-economic mix and capacities of owners and occupiers.

Disputes – Whenever conflicts arise they are resolved quickly in fair and transparent ways.

Commerciality - Buying, selling and leasing in the building is trouble free.

Adaptation - Longer term maintenance and building upgrades are regularly considered and (if agreed) promptly implemented.

Socialisation – Occupiers have opportunities to interact with each other on different matters.

There may be others too.  But, I think that if you could rate your building over 3 stars (out of 5) on all these it would be a pretty good place.

What do you think? What makes your building liveable (or not)?

Francesco …

Detroit: A City under the Radar

Detroit is a city that has suffered badly from the end of its motor vehicle manufacturing heydays in the 60’s, 70s and 80s.

But it’s still a huge city (the 11th largest in the USA by population with 910,921 people 910,921) and an important metropolis.

In  Views of Detroit Danish students experiment with using film as a tool for urban planning. Much of the film takes place in the grand abandoned buildings and overgrown greenspaces that dot the city. Interviews with residents offer insight on life in the troubled city as well as some novel and hopeful solutions, including the Loveland Project, a non-profit which invites you to purchase a square inch of Detroit for a dollar.

The film uses a strongly subjective narrative, with no aim to point out answers to the challenges Detroit is currently facing. However we hope our methodology can inspire planners to include new perspectives from everyday life in their work: creating future cities.

VIEWS OF DETROIT - exploring film in urban planning (Full Movie) from [PÅ::NU] on Vimeo.

Francesco  …

NYC Timelapse Video

I love big cities for many reasons.

The buildings, the scale, the noises, the variety of people and the many many things that are always going on.

Well, New York is one of the biggest and most busy.

So, here's NYC compressed in a timelapse video.

NYC - Mindrelic Timelapse from Mindrelic on Vimeo.

It's created by Josh Owens and the music is by Dredg.

Enjoy!

Francesco ...

Under the City there are many Adventures

We are so focused on what’s above ground that we forget that underneath exists an amazing subterranean world.

In this video by Andrew Worner called Undercity, he explores the tunnels under New York.

UNDERCITY from Andrew Wonder on Vimeo.

It’s really cool. So, enjoy !

Francesco …