UP|Urban Design

Facade restoration of storefronts

krazeeboi — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:39:29 +0000

An example from Columbia, SC

Before:

After:

Why we need architecture

krazeeboi — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:50:04 +0000

I'd be interested in hearing about how world events coincided with the advent of brutalism, that's for sure.

Most dangerous metros for pedestrians...

krazeeboi — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:48:39 +0000

I expected Sunbelt cities to top the list, but I surely didn't expect all of Florida's major metros to be the absolute worst in terms of pedestrian safety!

Why we need architecture

Neo — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:59:04 +0000

On Point (heard on NPR) had an interesting discussion yesterday about why we need architecture and how architecture integrates with the world around us, not only physically but with world events that occur in the time period things are designed.

You can listen to the podcast (~45 minutes) here: http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/11/why-we-need-architecture

Most dangerous metros for pedestrians...

Neo — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:40:00 +0000

Transportation for America just released rankings of metro areas over one million based on pedestrian safety. The worst rankings belonged to cities in the south. Southern cities are obviously known for low density development so this should come as no surprise. Perhaps we should look up to cities like Minneapolis even more when designing our own cities to be more pedestrian friendly.

Best Urban Planning Master's Programs

phase123 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:19:48 +0000

good discussion.

I wonder is there anyone like me who's spent all years in architecture field and now wants to get into the business academic field? I wonder what's the chance getting a MS in urban planning and economics at the same time? I've 5yrs architecture work experience but NO previous planning experience. will that be a no go for my application?

Bio-architecture...is this really the future?

marcoc — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:59:29 +0000

The future? product tha provide a way to recover part of the environmental impact generated by our system of life, by reducing the effects produced daily by pollution and smog and respecting the ecosystem. Materials like this http://www.active-ceramic.com/ or this http://eu.toto.com/site/TOTO/Templates/Hydrotect.aspx?pageid=131&cc=GBl

Bio-architecture...is this really the future?

cloudship — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:38:28 +0000

I think the term "bio-architecture", or as used in the US at least "Green Architecture", is a bit vague right now. For some it means traditional buildings with new technologies, for others it means new technologies and modern designs, and for yet others it means a total rethink about our buildings.

On one hand, I think we are going to see more technology being applied to our buildings in attempt to make them more efficient. While people may think green, energy efficiency speaks the language of money, and as builders realize this they are going to start including those technologies in simply to make their buildings more marketable. The risk is that too many untried technologies become popular, and as they age they become cost prohibitive to maintain, thus in the long term giving some green technologies a bad name.

From a design standpoint, many people are equating green design with a total rethink of architecture. We may be moving beyond typical 20th century modernism and into a new era of building - something which not only brings a new look to our buildings, but radically rethinks what the building is. I think there will eventually become a movement where the building and it's surroundings blend. The notions of urban versus rural will change, so that urban does not equate to a built environment, and rural no longer means isolation.

Bio-architecture...is this really the future?

Neo — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:52:24 +0000

I would say that all of the above are the future of architecture and growth in cities. While it may not be the near future, I'm certain that it will be the future long-term and cities that build with the plan of being sustainable will pull ahead of those cities who continue to keep current and yesterday's standards as part of their growth plan.

How is your city dealing with the recession?

Sam Trevino — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:14:27 +0000

Neo, on 01 July 2009 - 03:39 PM, said:

Most cities are hurting right now for the loss of tax revenue from closed businesses and a downturn in consumer spending. To balance the budget, most cities have taken steps to reduce their budget. One example for my own city is the elimination of being able to pay your utility bill with a credit card. This saves over $200k just in credit card processing fees alone, and while I'm not happy about being charged a couple of bucks to use my credit card to pay the bill, I understand the need for it.

What are some of the things your city is doing to ride through the downturn?

The City of Austin has not done anything that I could determine. Texas was not hit as hard as the rest of the country. However, it does seem that it would be prudent to cut costs and save money during a recession. I think I'll investigate further to determine if Austin actually did anything in response to the recession, but my preliminary research has not shown any direct governmental reactions. I'll see if I can get any responses directly from city officials and follow-up here within a few days (or when I get replies).

Some factors in comparison to the rest of the U.S. as per Texas A&M Real Estate Center economist Jim Gaines:

Official start of recession was December 2007. Texas did not join the recession until the begining of this year (2009). We have had about 4 months of continuous job loss (as of July 2009). Texas job growth for 2009 was estimated around -2% compared with U.S. job growth at -4% to -6%. Commercial real estate is hurting. The Austin Business Journal recently reported about a 21% vacancy in commercial real estate. Residential real estate markets are tightening in Texas due to the credit (mortgage) market. Austin has been doing well despite this factor when compared to the rest of the U.S.

The Austin Chamber of Commerce: "Forbes named the Austin metro as the best poised for recovery in its list of the 10 U.S. cities poised for a rebound..."

The Dallas Fed indicated, "Dallas has small shares in noncyclical industries such as health, leisure and government. Austin has large shares in such cyclically sensitive industries as construction, wholesale trade and information." It indicated that Dallas and Austin would be hurt the most in 2009. This coincides with Jim Gaines comment on home builders being out of business.

Sources:

http://www.austincha.../InTheNews.html

http://www.dallasfed...09/swe0901b.cfm

http://www.austinhom...fo/AHSLive.aspx "Economic Outlook for Central Texas Real Estate"

Bio-architecture...is this really the future?

marcoc — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:11:55 +0000

Hi, i am an italian student of architect. In italy since many times on the specialistic magazine, on Tv and on internet the people and the opinion leader speak about Sustainable Architecture and Building Biology. But...is thi really the futture of architecture? And what really is the new frontier of Sustainable Architecture Architecture?
Saving energy?
Using renewable energy sources?
Using sustainable and recyclable materials?
Thanks

Chaotic intersections

The Escapists — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:26:13 +0000

Seems like the new movement in Dutch planning communities toward Naked Intersections. I am always adverse to cars owning the road, but I wouldn't trust anyone in a car if I were the pedestrian... there in lies the dilemma: trusting your neighbors.

A resident of your city is called a ______?

miagrace1988 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:41:45 +0000

in Huntsville alabama we are called Huntsvillians

ceramic floor and wall tiles antibacterial

marcoc — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:34:28 +0000

Hi I am an italian architect. In italt many people speak about a new production methodology with Titanium dioxide (or titanium oxide (IV) or E171) that
makes it possible to create ceramic floor and wall tiles able to carry out a specific antibacterial action and to reduce polluting factors. It is true?
I'm redecorating a kindergarten and I would'like to understand if these products are already on the market and they are true!
This the the new production metodology www.active-ceramics.com/

Ordos Art Museum, designed by chinese architect - DNA

yilong — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:54:30 +0000

Ordos Art Museum is the first building of Ordos’ new civic center on a stretch of sand dunes along the lake that is dedicated as a “public corridor” with art and cultural facilities. This 29,000 sq.ft. of exhibition and research space is distributed within an undulating form with a central span lifting clear off the ground, suggesting a desert viper winding over the dunes.
The space is conceived as one uninterrupted room with a series of openings absorbing natural light while offering cinematic views of the raw surroundings; the art exhibition mingles with the natural landscape that becomes an integrated experience for views.

Highrise Condo falls Over

yilong — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:42:30 +0000

This pic can tell you why this building collapse.

Chaotic intersections

andrew69@ltu — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:54:45 +0000

Gard, on 23 October 2009 - 10:05 PM, said:

What really catches my attention is how there seems to be no road rage. If there was an intersection like that in America with no lights, there would be a dozen accidents/fatalities a day at it from the road rage we seem to have in this country.

They must have more patience then (the fact that some of the drivers actually slow down to accommodate pedestrians, bikes, and left turning vehicles). My guess is that they also don't all have cell-phone stuck to their ear and a plethora of other electronic devices at hand either so they are able to really pay attention to their driving. Interesting to think that we have to have all sorts of complex traffic signal patterns to control intersections like that in the U.S.

Chaotic intersections

Gard — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:05:51 +0000

Chaotic intersections

Neo — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:14:10 +0000

I ran across this video from 2004 of an intersection in China. Amazing how it even functions without massive injury!

Buildings as art displays...

go_vertical — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:25:43 +0000

Neo, on Jul 29 2009, 08:20 AM, said:

How many buildings can be art presentations like the one in this video?

[vimeo]5677104[/vimeo]

Just stumbled onto this. This is absolutely mind blowing and it takes the idea of architecture as art to a new level. I hope this concept takes off. Buildings adjacent to public squares are perfect for this. Unfortunately, I think here in America it's use, more often than not, would be altered and used as advertising space. Although that would be cool advertising.

What do you live in?

FromCityToRural — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:59:44 +0000

Single family home. Owned.

Suburbs vs. City

FromCityToRural — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:33:44 +0000

It's hard for me, as I've mentioned. An urban place to live appeals to me greatly, with a nice variety of things to do, places to eat, cultural opportunities, concerts, urbane and cosmopolitan people etc., as well as its liveliness. I love the look of a city, I love the complexities of it, the ins and outs of its infrastructure, its layout, its heart and soul. A liberatrian at heart, I find urban centres to be too intrusively regulated, however, as well as too heavily taxed. I am also a classic car restorer, and finding a home in an urban centre that allows me to indulge in my hobby is nigh on impossible.

Out in the country, it's more or less the opposite. I have the freedom to more or less do as I please, and the lack of services isn't so much of a bother to myself. But, it's a long drive to eke out any kind of fun things to do, like the concerts and cultural events mentioned earlier. It also makes for a long commute.

The suburbs have the best of both, in a sense, with more freedom and breathing space than urban centres, but good proximity to jobs and urban and natural recreation.

Public spaces in urban areas

cityboi — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:47:15 +0000

Center-City park opened about 3 years ago in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina. This is a very successful urban park and there are usually plenty of people in the park day and night. Its located right in the heart of downtown where office workers go during their lunch breaks. many nights there are between 40 to 100 people there. The park is not just a green space where people go to relax. It also service s a venue for concerts and other community events. Street musicians sit down in the park to play a little jazz and free WiFi is available. The focal point of the park are the fountains

[imghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3577/3771502071_f8fe0275eb.jpg[/img]

"Cool Cities"

miklos — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:23:18 +0000

JDC, on Jun 26 2008, 09:32 AM, said:

Now that I'm back in my home state of Massachusetts, I have to say that Cambridge is probably the "coolest" city in the Bay State. Boston's got it's cool neighborhoods, and I'm a big fan of Northampton, but for me, Cambridge is where it's at.

I would give Lowell some consideration. It's probably the best preserved old mill town in the state and my favorite. What do you think?

"Cool Cities"

FromCityToRural — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:27:48 +0000

Austin is regarded as the hip city to be in, but Houston and San Antonio seem to have some appeals that way as well. Dallas has a lot to offer but gets passed over in people's perception.

A resident of your city is called a ______?

MJLO — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:03:40 +0000

Phoenix - Phoenicians

A resident of your city is called a ______?

varider — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:45:47 +0000

For Norfolk it's Norfolkian.

For VaBeach, I don't have a clue lol. VirginiaBeachers?

A resident of your city is called a ______?

Charlotteman — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:18:39 +0000

Starscream, on Sep 7 2009, 05:56 AM, said:

Technically, I'm a Baltimorean. But we like to jokingly call ourselves Baltimorons (p.s., if you're not from Baltimore, make this joke at your own risk.)

isn't the local pronounciation "Bahlmer, Merlin" ? LOL

A resident of your city is called a ______?

Charlotteman — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:12:44 +0000

I live in Bremerton, Washington and some punk rockers in the past derided it, and called it's residents "Bremeloes". These days Bremerton has became as liberal and progressive as Seattle, which is across the water an hour away.

I have no idea what a person from Bremerton is legitimately called-lol

"Cool Cities"

Charlotteman — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:06:40 +0000

In Washington State everyone says Seattle....but I think Tacoma is totally underrated. For a city it's size it has so many museums and art glass exhibits you would be amazed. And the people in Tacoma aren't pretentious and plastic like people in Seattle with their boring "seattitude".

In Florida I thought Gainesville and Orlando were pretty cool. Lotsa arts, music, and sports in both cities.

"Cool Cities"

unless — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:49:04 +0000

Some cool cities in California (abridged version):

Santa Monica
Los Angeles
Hollywood
Malibu
Laguna Beach
Carpinteria
Santa Barbara
San Luis Obispo
Morro Bay
Carmel
Monterey
Santa Cruz
San Francisco
Berkeley
Oakland
Davis
Petaluma
Healdsburg
Mendocino
Fort Bragg
Arcata

Public spaces in urban areas

cloudship — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:07:35 +0000

It's kind of interesting to propose that one of the most important features of a successful urban environment is a place of nature where you get away from the built environment. But I think it is that juxtaposition that makes a downtown more identifiable. Just as the most successful modern brutalist buildings relied on well planned greenery or signage to soften the edges and make it approachable, so does a green space make the urban environment more acceptable and settled in.

The most successful public spaces, however, aren't always the largest but rather those than most provide a city with an identity. For instance London has many huge greenswards. But what are perhaps the most important social spaces are the pedestrian streetscapes of Soho and Trafalgar Square. The streetscapes provide socialization and interesting destinations, Trafalgar Square has the magnetism of a grand fountain which draws people in and provides a focal point both visually and more importantly socially and directionally. The same could really be said of Times Square.

I don't think there is any one style which works best - it depends upon what other features the city already has. What I think DOES need to be there is destination. A reason, a focal point (and not necessarily visual) to bring people out and to bring them together.

Public spaces in urban areas

dbhstockton — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:12:43 +0000

I'd like to check out that SC park!

When thinking about public space, I think it's also good to look beyond the big, signature spaces like Central Park or the Boston Common, etc. Great cities have a network of smaller public open spaces peppered throughout. I'm in school for architecture. In two separate courses we've used the same resource for learning guidelines to designing urban public spaces: For over thirty years the bible on this topic has been William H. Whyte's film and book "The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces." I found a link to the intro to the film here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2GfOhFZkY8
Yes the film is obviously dated (and he turned out to be exactly wrong in diagnosing the problems of Manhattan's Bryant park), but it is very watchable for layperson and professional alike. It altered the way I viewed urban public spaces and after I saw it, I began to see its influence everywhere I went.
I'm sorry if it's mentioned elsewhere on the forum; I'm an infrequent visitor.

Decorative interior water fountains in hospitals?

Charlotteman — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:18:30 +0000

I bet people in the hospital suffering urinary disorders would totally hate the presence of a large water feature. The sound of water can be treacherous for those folks.

Highrise Condo falls Over

manzell3 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:29:51 +0000

Look at the crumbling concrete too - no rebar in sight. And, judging from the poor portland mix chinese schools were built with, I would venture the failure was related to structural collapse. Especially for those tall buildings, you can't just build something on MUD and expect it to stand for long!!!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...r_of_pisa_2.jpg

Best Urban Planning Master's Programs

Chiguy810 — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:58:06 +0000

Spartan-

You seem to provide great insight on people's questions. Obviously if anyone else would like to offer their perspective, that's more than welcome too.

I'm in a similar position to a few of the other people who have posted on here in that I've figured out that I'd like to go get my Master's in Urban Planning but I really have little experience directly related to it. I don't currently have a full-time job, and would like to begin attending school next fall. Given that, I have about 3 1/2 months before I need to get my apps in if I want to be eligible for assistantships. What is the best way to increase my chances of obtaining one? Volunteer and continue to work part-time? Find an unrelated full-time job to demonstrate more professional experience (I have about 3 years of it across various positions/internships)? Do I need to try to push really hard to forge a relationship with a professor at schools I'm interested in applying to as an "in"?

Also, when people mention the idea of finding an internship or even just getting an informational interview w/the local planning department, is that something that might prove fairly difficult in a big city like Chicago?

Tower crane assembly [VIDEO]

Neo — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:44:49 +0000

Here is a video showing the construction of a tower crane from start to finish:

Awesomeness!

A resident of your city is called a ______?

Starscream — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:56:21 +0000

Technically, I'm a Baltimorean. But we like to jokingly call ourselves Baltimorons (p.s., if you're not from Baltimore, make this joke at your own risk.)

I also lived almost 10 years in Cambridge, MA. A resident of Cambridge is called a Cantabridgian.

What do you live in?

suburban george3 — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 03:31:46 +0000

Single Family home just inside the city limits. Close proximity to major highways, important to me because I drive all over the East Coast with work. Still close to major shopping districts and the downtown area.

What do you live in?

Louisiana Thunder — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:44:17 +0000

back in the same room i grew up in, but, yea this is home....