Frei Otto is probably most famous for the Munich Olympic Stadium tenting that he designed/engineered for the 1972 Olympics. Which is highlighted in the below video: He also wrote a handful of books, including a tiny book entitled “Occupying and Connecting: Thoughts on Territories and Spheres of Influence with Particular Reference to Human Settlement.” It [...]
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Paradise as a Garden - Al-Hambra, Spain
In April of 2012, I was in Spain, driving through towns and cities. It was a journey I was planning for some time, the list of places to see was long; from Toledo to Alcazar in Seville, from Cordoba to Al-Hambra, and from Valencia to the city of Gaudi, Barcelona. However, Alhambra was one place [...]
NYCC and Proposed Convention Center
On October 11-14 the Javits center in Manhattan hosted the NYC Comic Con. I asked participants what they thought of the current convention venue at the Javits center, and what they think about Andrew Cuomos’ new proposed convention center/casino at the Aquaduct in Queens.
If you haven’t heard of it it’s okay…. most of them hadn’t either.
Smellscapes
If one travels a lot, you start to realize that places have certain unique smells. Whether it be suffocating smog in New Delhi or blissful Jasmine in Florence, places often leave particular olfactory memories. Working in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in the late 1990′s, we were beset with a confusing melange of the pancakey delightful smell from [...]
So, you want to build a new civilization? 50 DIY tools to help you build your perfect [insert place/thing here]
In 2011, I watched an epic TED Talk video, given by physicist Marcin Jakubowski about his team’s “open-sourced blueprints for civilization.” No, it has nothing to do with a political system, the string theory, a new religion, or even a stellar community-based plan. Rather he tried to break down modern civilization into 50 objects: 50 [...]
Creative Little Garden - East Village, NY
Recently I was in the East Village and stumbled upon this beautiful little garden, tucked away between two five story buildings on East 6th Street (530 East 6 Street). This little slice of paradise is aptly named Creative Little Garden. The garden is planted with ornamental trees and shrubs with several small alcoves where people were sitting [...]
The National Mall Design Competition
The National Mall is a mile long stretch of open space between the Lincoln Memorial and the US Capital building in Washington DC. The Mall is flanked by museums and other monuments and is the most popular tourist destination in the United States. More than 24 million people visited the Mall last year. The Trust for [...]
What does a library say about its community?
In a previous post I wrote about an upcoming book and event series that discusses open spaces and what the Occupy Wall Street Movement has taught us about the utilization of spaces during times of protest. Whether one agrees with the politics of the movement or not, there are many potential lessons learned from it. [...]
What Makes Paris Look Like Paris?
Recently on this blog we have talked about the cognitive mapping of a city, exploring how individuals see and record their own neighborhoods. As I write this I can’t help but recall Kevin Lynch’s The Image of the City. He analyzed the organization of cities and subsequently pointed out the way we navigate through these spaces. [...]
Château de Chenonceau, France
The Château de Chenonceau located outside Tours, France is probably one of the smallest of chateaus in France, but what it lacks in size it makes up in its beautiful location. It spans the River Cher in the Loire Valley. It was built in the early 15th century as a small manor house, and then was expanded [...]
