Landscape+Urbanism

Category: design

  • San Francisco Hidden Hydrology

    A project of note that made the rounds over the past month resonated with the concept of Hidden Hydrology.  The project ‘Ghost Arroyos‘, proposed as part of the Market Street Prototyping Festival  paints the town blue, in a sense.  I definitely like this idea, as we’ve discussed doing a similar exploration of Portland’s Tanner Creek.…

  • PE 1: Parallel Genealogies

    As mentioned, it would be worth while to explore some essays of the Projective Ecologies book, and what better way to start than with the introductory essay by Reed and Lister, Parallel Genealogies. The terms ‘ecologies’ and ‘ecosystems’ are co-opted for a variety of uses today beyond event these, which could lead to the eye-rolling…

  • Recent Landscape Art from Dezeen

    Great recent posts at Dezeen relating to environmental art worthy of a few links and pics.  Spurred by the recent post for an installation by Olafur Elisasson at the Denmark’s Louisiana Museum of Modern Art featuring the rocky stream web winding through stark while walls. Next is a stunning colorful installation by Pier Fabre for…

  • Bio-inspired Design

    The latest issue of Zygote Quarterly, an online journal with a focus covers Bio-inspired design, and offers another opportunity to explore this topic (and the back issues as well).  A really beautifully illustrated online magazine, ZG is worth delving into in depth, but also sitting back and and in this case, getting into a bit…

  • Ecology & Landscape Architecture

    A great post on the The Dirt from a couple of months back delves into a topic near and dear to my thoughts on landscape architecture and urbanism – particularly how do we blend science and design in meaningful ways.  The article “Teaching Ecological Restoration (Not Restoration Ecology) includes the new Temple University concentration in…

  • A Bit on Biomimicry

    Since reading Janine Benyus’ book Biomimicry back in 1997, I’ve been simultaneously fascinated and frustrated by the conceptual positioning and posturing of the proponents of biomimicry. Don’t get me wrong, i think the idea of biomimicry has much potential in design, particularly product invention, industrial design, and architecture. What i have a hard time wrapping…

  • Islands of Seattle

    This map of Seattle by UW Planner Jeffrey Linn via a post on The Whole U, features a speculation on sea level change in the Seattle region. The result is dramatic when taken to the level of complete world ice-sheets melting resulting in a 240′ sea level rise.  Particularly is you live in certain parts…

  • StreetMix – Transportation for the People

    Cool video from the Code for America summit and the StreetMix application, which “…is an interactive street section builder that helps community members mockup the streets they’d like to live on and offer these mockups as future plans for city officials and planners.” A screenshot of the tool below shows the initial concept – and…

  • Field Trip: Getty Center

    Last year around Christmas, we took a great road trip down the west coast and over through the desert.  Already mentioned is some tasty sites from San Francisco (deYoung + Cal. Academy).  Plenty more to come as i sift through pics, but the visit to the Getty Center, perched on the hillside in Los Angeles…

  • Visualizing Sagrada Familia

    An amazing architectural masterpiece worth adding to anyone’s bucket list is the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.  Besides its immense size and complexity, the process of development has taken from inception in 1882 and the involvement of the amazing architect Antonio Gaudi. Check out this video showing the final stages of the design that will be…