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(RE)Building Coastal Dunes
The goal to stabilize coastal dunes impacted by development is not a new endeavor, but has been made visible recently with the recent impact of Superstorm Sandy on the Eastern Seaboard. The dunes are vital to the overall integrity of coastal zones, elimination of vegetation is often the result of development and other disturbances, and…
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KERB Journal – Call for Submissions
One of my favorite journals is KERB, (especially one from a few years back) which is a student-run publication from RMIT. Now it’s 21st year, the journal is looking for content for the latest issue. From their call for submissions: The current topic is ‘Peripheral Processes: Adapted Modes of Practice’ and will address the current…
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High Density
Density, maxed out. Kowloon Walled City – a high-rise squatter camp in Hong Kong, demolished 20 years ago this month – with 50,000 residents – approximately 50 s.f. per person. Via Technocult: “A historical accident of colonial Hong Kong, it existed in a lawless vacuum until it became an embarrassment for Britain.”
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Field Trip: Cal. Academy of Sciences Green Roof
As mentioned previously, got a couple of shots on the road trip last year for the California Academy of Sciences Living Roof, across the street from the DeYoung Museum. A few shots of it from afar (as we missed getting inside by a few minutes). Oh well, maybe next time.
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Reimagining Mapping
Always good to see modern cartography – and the unlocking (unleashing?) of potential of digital tools and mobile devices. An interesting short post at Fast Company’s blog Co.Design looks at some work in mobile mapping (Nokia’s Next Platform) and some interesting tools, many that use nested tiling to make them more nimble. I attempted to…
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Lost Rivers
I am eagerly awaiting the Lost Rivers Documentary to come to a local theater, in the interim, there’s some great information on their website of the six cities covered in the film, including London, Seoul, Yonkers, Brescia, Toronto, and Montreal. Lost Rivers – OFFICIAL TRAILER from Catbird Productions on Vimeo. Once upon a time, in…
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Downtrodden Detroit
A continuing theme in the mainstream media is the consistent eulogization of Detroit – perhaps due to the fact that, according to Paul Clemens, unlike other cities, Detroit “is one of those places that require you to have an opinion about them”. In his recent review of Detroit: An American Autopsy, by Charles LeDuff Clemens…
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Sim City Chronicles
Todays NY Times, an article ‘Sim City, For Real: Measuring the Untidy Metropolis’ under the rubric of ‘Bright Ideas’ focuses on the data-driven, ‘Smart’ city – described as “the global drive to apply modern sensor, computing, and data-sifting technologies to urban environments…” The main focus is the NYU Center for Urban Science and Progress. The…
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Field Trip: deYoung Museum
A new series offers some highlights of the epic roadtrip down the coast of California and over to Arizona and back to Oregon via Palm Springs – over two weeks of the holidays. These won’t be in any particular order – just grabbing what grabs my attention when sifting through photos. deYoung Museum – San…
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Crazy Train
A fascinating video of the Maeklong Railway Market in Bangkok, Thailand – and interesting example of shared space (or maybe more along the lines of Hou’s Insurgent Public Space) that would never happen in the safety and litigation prone United States. Lots of info about this online via a web search, if you’re interested. A…