Friday night... And thinking of you guys. Awww. Anyway I just saw this project by EDAW and in addition to dreams of moving to London I found it to be one of the best examples of what this studio is about. The graphics are a little corny to say the least but it captures the whole idea: a dramatic strategy with imagery that sells it from the human scale.  

Reinvening America's Cities

Includes a look at New Orleans, Buffalo, LA and The Bronx.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/arts/design/29ouro.html?ref=design

Real Life Regreening -from ArchitectureWeek

i do not know how long this will be up since it is a "free sample" kind of article, but it provides a lot of great precedents for our projects.

http://www.architectureweek.com/2009/0304/culture_1-2.html

the ArchWkly article is excerpted from Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs by Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson

goodbye mall

Here is a brief article about the decline of the shopping mall and the ensuing redevelopment.


Dead Malls - Sustainable Industries, 2009.0302
http://www.sustainableindustries.com/greenbuilding/40449337.html

Only three enclosed shopping malls have been built in the United States since 2005...

"...there is still a lot of opportunity to blaze a trail toward more sustainable mixed-use developments. Good designs today integrate site use and walkability, locate near transit centers and connect with nearby street grids making them much more sustainable than suburbs of yore, she says. But she says there is still room for improvement, including incorporating greater access to transit and reducing parking ratios."

Mexico City BRT

Here is a link for a video about the bus system in Mexico city. We are exploring some similar options for Fl Blvd and I would love any input. Just watch for 2 minutes starting at abt 5min 30 sec.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVRriKqXaIs

Shared Spaces

This links to 3 interesting articles discussing traffic, pedestrians, the street and who is it's rightful owner.

http://www.landliving.com/articles/0000001142.aspx

Following up on Tom's discussion of the closing of Times Square in NY to car traffic here is an interesting debate from the New York Times.