DesignCity LA 2.0.

a radically quick way to (re)build LA differently, around our new rail transit; and use largely private money to do it.

[ceevee5]

Can’t disagree, Donald.

[velovoodoo]

[designcityla]

Santa Monicans should not follow the British in chasing an illusory past, nor should they follow Trump’s example by pursuing the reactionary politics of

[designcityla]

Rem Koolhaas has said that our profession is in trouble. That might be the understatement of the month!

[expansegeography-blog]

Vancouver Canada, Yokohama Japan and Oslo Norway (seen above) are part of the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance that formed in Copenhagen. In total the alliance comprises 17 cities in a total of 9 countries. 

Metro areas account for nearly ¾ of total emissions globally. The first step in reducing ecological footprint will include the goal of reducing GHG emissions by 80% by the year 2050. 

For more information about the alliance and a full list of member cities visit:

http://newsroom.unfccc.int/lpaa/cities-subnationals/carbon-neutral-cities-alliance/

[urbangeographies]

URBAN SUSTAINABILITY:  Carbon neutral cities

[lastreetsblog]

It’s possible that the Expo Line’s stop in downtown Santa Monica has as much city-operated parking within walking distance as any light-rail station in the country.

Christopher Hawthorne in a May20 L.A. Times article (some points similar to last week’s SBLA article praising Metro for not over-building Metro parking)

[designcityla]

COOKFOX–designed Bronx affordable housing tops off

High on a hill in the West Bronx, the view from the top of COOKFOX‘s latest building plays tricks on the Manhattan skyline: One World Trade Center, the Empire State Building, and 432 Park Avenue seem to stand next to each other. Next year, thanks to a nonprofit developer, hundreds of lucky residents will get to take in the view.

[designcityla]

One could not say this often enough, not in our car crazed world....

[urbangeographies]

ERSATZ CITY CENTERS:  Designed mixed-use, highrise developments like Metropica in Florida mimic the density of traditional downtowns, but often fail to deliver on real architectural and social diversities, according to a recent critique in The Economist: 

But creating the appearance of urbanity is not the same as making a city. Cities are supposed to be cosmopolitan and surprising; they ought to change in unpredictable ways. Mixed-use developments, by contrast, are fully-formed when they are built—and are too costly for the poor. They are not supposed to be diverse. John Hitchcox of Yoo, a design firm that has worked on Metropica and many other projects, says that mixed-use developments aim to create communities of like-minded people. Though they look like cities, they are supposed to feel like villages.

On the other hand, the lower-rise 1960s suburbs where Metropica is being built are already full of cosmopolitan surprises. The surrounding low-density suburbs are about one-third Black and a quarter Hispanic. The strip malls are filled with ethnic businesses. Although not walkable, “by providing places for immigrants to get ahead, the cheap, ugly, car-oriented strip malls of suburban Florida are already doing what cities are supposed to do.”

Yet highrise, mixed-use redevelopment is becoming an international norm, so the article is right to question whether it can deliver real social, architectural, and historical diversity. It is similar to the “new urbanism” trend, but with a higher density. Also, one wonders if the danger of overdevelopment might make some of these ersatz downtowns suffer from high vacancy rates if the market is not profitable, since it is built so quickly. Naturally it is easier to assemble large parcels. but this kind of development makes cities look so much the same, and certainly not very diverse! 

Full article:  The Economist (30 April 2016)

[nextcityorg]

This Transportation Engineer Won’t Give Up on Moving New York City

With legislation based on his ideas introduced last month, “Gridlock Sam” Schwartz’s plan to combat the very thing he’s nicknamed for is inching closer to reality.

The front closet in the New York City offices of Sam Schwartz Engineering is full of bike helmets. Lined up like turtle shells along the top shelf, they’re one of many visible signs of the company’s pro-city, pro-movement ethos. Traffic signs plaster the reception area, including the famous “DON’T EVEN THINK OF PARKING HERE,” which made its debut on New York City streets in 1982, when founder Sam Schwartz was traffic commissioner. The conference rooms bear the names “Change” and “Progress.” Repurposed bicycle wheels serve as light fixtures.

Looking around, it’s no wonder that this office serves as the neural center of a revolutionary plan to change the way New York City moves. For decades, Schwartz has been sketching what’s now known as the “Move NY Fair Plan” aimed at mitigating traffic congestion and improving transportation. In late March, legislation modeled after his ideas was introduced into the New York State Assembly. Borrowing key Schwartz elements, the bill promises to raise $1.35 billion per year in new revenue and $12.5 billion in bonds, much-needed money that will go to the repair and expansion of New York City’s fast-failing transit infrastructure.

Continue reading…

[designcityla]

PBS Takes on Urban Planning, Good and Bad,  with '10 Towns' Special

SpecialBeginning with the first U.S. planned urban development, St. Augustine, Fla., and ending with one of  Portland's newest neighborhoods, the Pearl District, host Geoffrey Baer takes us through ten developments that left their mark, for better or worse.

The 'Go By Streetcar' sign that is located high on the building on the corner of NW 11th and Lovejoy is one of the first things you see as you enter the Pearl District from the Broadway bridge. Flickr

http://www.pbs.org/program/ten-that-changed-america/10-towns-changed-america/

[designcityla]

The more we drive, the poorer we get...

[designcityla]

The Simplest Way to Avoid Bad Street Design: Copy the Ones That Work

Models matter. Let’s design more streets like the streets we already love.

http://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2016/04/street-design-models/479343/

[designcityla]

very  very good news... our national nightmare of car obsession might be nearing an end. We might be past peak car now.....

[lastreetsblog]

Pretty much explains it all…

[designcityla]

6 Innovative Projects That Are Making Cities Better--That Other Cities Should Steal

The Knight Cities Challenge just gave out $5 million to winning ideas from civic innovators to help 26 particular American cities, from Detroit to Macon, Georgia. But there's no reason these ideas can't be used elsewhere. Here are six of the 37 winning projects that other cities might want to steal.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/3058461/6-innovative-projects-that-are-making-cities-better-that-other-cities-should-steal

[designcityla]

The Absurd Primacy of the Automobile in American Life

Considering the constant fatalities, rampant pollution, and exorbitant costs of ownership, there is no better word to characterize the car’s dominance than insane.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/04/absurd-primacy-of-the-car-in-american-life/476346/