urban condition photos
Latest Headlines
-
At home with the car
Posted on August 31, 2010 | No CommentsThe old mews, now converted to coveted, quiet residential courts was one of planners’ answers to accommodating horse and carriage; what are our solutions for the “horseless carriage”? Space... -
Supermodel Sirens on “Sanctuary” Island
Posted on August 30, 2010 | 1 CommentIn a recent article “Can you see a pattern?”, Witold Rybczynski praised the genius of C. Alexander and deplored the fact his great work is absent from architecture and planning... -
A Fused Grid Neighbourhood in Construction
Posted on August 29, 2010 | 1 CommentA new Calgary neighbourhood shows the features of a good, Fused Grid neighbourhood In Calgary, Alberta work has begun on a new 64 hectare subdivision that will put leading edge urban planning... -
Neighbourhood fit up for retrofit
Posted on August 11, 2010 | 1 CommentChange is constant. Neighbourhoods, stable as they look at first, go through natural cycles of change that may be triggered by family makeup, income changes, ageing, technology, regulations or planning... -
The Importance of Being Urban
Posted on May 25, 2010 | No CommentsCity planning has yet to achieve the status of a theory, most likely because “the criterionfor the scientific status of a theory is its falsifiability, or refutability or testability.” (Popper,... -
How to Please Nature and Delight Residents
Posted on May 4, 2010 | 1 CommentBuilding a new neighbourhood always brings change to the natural landscape that it replaces. And the biggest change that goes unnoticed is what happens to the rainwater that falls on... -
The True Public Realm
Posted on April 16, 2010 | No CommentsSame city(Montreal), two streets and two strikingly different approaches to the public realm. Both streets are intensely public and encompass a range of uses but are predominantly gathering and socializing spaces.... -
New Urbanist Cul-de-sac: an ideal match
Posted on March 26, 2010 | No CommentsNew Urbanist, Walkable Cul-de-sac This 650-foot cul-de-sac has all the characteristics of an ideal New Urbanist street: compact, harmonious, well proportioned, on a grid, fully connected and walkable. Built in... -
Beloved and Abandoned: A Platting Named Portland
Posted on March 21, 2010 | 3 CommentsIn the 4000-year history of the grid, American incarnations are relatively new, appearing first about 300 years ago, frequently as a simple, orthogonal and often square (such as Portland’s) ‘Hippodamian’... -
Unplanned Best Urbanism, Adaptive Mix of Uses
Posted on March 14, 2010 | No CommentsPostponed, adaptive mixed use and walkable neighbourhoods. At the perimeter of this early 20th century city stood proud, simple or embelished houses on a quiet street;...