URBANOCEROS @urbanoceros - Tumblr Blog

Transit maps are often worshiped by transit geeks and dismissed by everyone else. But they really are important! Transit maps need to be useful; they need to be easy to read, give a ton of information and be used as a symbol for the system. But what differentiates a good map from a bad one?

Good #transit maps matter, dang it! Why not take #bus and #train maps (especially bus maps) more seriously?

#transit #map #Maps #Train #Bus #City

rickinmar

Bicycle Shop. Salem. 1880s

Would your city allow this street to be built today?

#city #cities #urbanism #parking #regualtion #manhattan #boulder #urban #explore

yournextdestination

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame from Cleveland’s North Coast Harbor [6000x4000] [OC]

aruskin

Utterly flattened by US bombing during the Korean war, Pyongyang was rebuilt from scratch from 1953 onwards. Although many of the early structures borrow heavily from Stalinist neo-classicism, they also have a distinctly Korean air. The result is a highly theatrical city, where every vista is carefully framed

edgeperspectives

Augmented Urban Reality

If the automobile caused us to disperse, the information age seems, paradoxically, to be drawing us back together

webentity

Tokyo-ized cities… #city #art #architecture

thenorthwestlens-deactivated201

By now, you've no doubt heard about the insane phenomenon that is Pokemon Go, the first time the beloved gaming/anime/disturbing fan art property has been brought to smartphones. Pokemon Go is no mere free-to-play licensed revenue stream, though –– it's an augmented reality free-to-play licensed revenue stream. Augmented reality is the process by which virtual…

Pokemon Go uses this technology to let players chase the various animal denizens of the Pokemon universe around the real world, allowing you to, say, visit the local coffee shop, a famous art museum, or the United States Strategic Helium Reserve to snag the Charmander you’ve always wanted, so that you may then force it to compete in captive animal combat.

I wrote a thing about Pokemon Go and urban design for the Fort Worth Weekly. Check it out!

lovinghk

These so-called “in-between” spaces often hold decades-old shops that have borne witness to the city’s urbanization.

very good read.

great photos revealing the wonder of hong kong’s back alleys.

(source: citylab.com @ 15july 2016)

furtho

René Burri’s photograph of the rebuilding of the outskirts of the city, Paris, 1962 (via estpeyrolles)

hclib

Lawrence Irvin, Reimagining Minneapolis

A constant hub of citizen activity, downtown Minneapolis is ever-improving. Nicollet Mall’s current rejuvenation project carries on the tradition of public-private partnerships led by the City of Minneapolis and the Downtown Council. An advocate for wide spread involvement in comprehensive city planning, Lawrence M. Irvin was key to the successful creation of the thriving center of Nicollet Mall.

Irvin became the Minneapolis City Planner in 1958 and stood at the forefront of innovative planning for twenty-three years. His skill and keen sense for continuous development is credited for the urban elegance of Nicollet Mall and the Skyway System. City planners and architects from around the world sought inspiration and advice from Irvin and his accomplished team. He played a significant role in the planning and development projects of Cedar Riverside, City Center, and Loring Park. Nationally recognized for their award winning merit, three of his comprehensive city plans shaped Minneapolis through 1990.

In addition to planning for future city development, Irvin sought to preserve its historic past. While serving on the Rotary Club Community Service Committee in 1981, prior to his retirement, he contributed to the initial steps in a joint project between the Rotary Club and the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission. The project sought to honor downtown buildings that were designated as significant by the National Register of Historic Places with the placement of bronze plaques. In 1983 the first of the plaques, which were designed by Rotary Club member Mike Black, was placed on the old Farmers & Mechanics Bank building (115 4th St.), then home of the popular Schiek’s restaurant. That same year plaques were to be placed at the Minneapolis Grain Exchange and the former Flour Exchange buildings. More would follow.

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This post was researched and written by Hennepin County Library Special Collections intern Wendy Guerra. Wendy processed the Lawrence Irvin Collection, added material to the Model City Collection, and worked with the Minneapolis Planning Department Collection. The updated finding aids will be available later this summer.