http://www.urbanism.org Urban news [almost] daily. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:17:18 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en When we speak of the identity of a place, we express a recognition of the patterns formed around us. We may not be conscious of them to the point of being able to draw them back with precision like Stephen Wiltshire, but we can remember them in the abstract, and ... http://www.urbanism.org/urban-design/the-patterns-of-place/ Sharon Zukin had come to Greenwich Village and the Shrine of St. Jane not as a pilgrim but to wax sardonic. Ms. Zukin, a Brooklyn College sociology professor, stared at the modest red-brick town house on Hudson Street that once was home to Jane Jacobs, whose 1961 book, “The Death and ... http://www.urbanism.org/gentrification/a-contrarian%e2%80%99s-lament-in-a-blitz-of-gentrification/ Merging complex systems science and ecology, resilience scientists have broken new ground on understanding—and preserving—natural ecosystems. Now, as more and more people move into urban hubs, they are bringing this novel science to the city. More... http://www.urbanism.org/ecocities/urban-resilience/ At the newly unveiled Web site Shape Vancouver 2050, users are given a digital model of the Vancouver skyline, the ability to extrude buildings upwards, and a visual gauge of the resulting effects on the city’s downtown. As the user drags the digital towers higher and population density increases, meters ... http://www.urbanism.org/tall-buildings/skyline-by-committee/ Skyscrapers, then, are the physical embodiment of "irrational exuberance" in the markets. The rule is that if there's enough money sloshing around to pay for one, then don't be surprised if, by the time the purple ribbon's cut, the scissors have to be on hire purchase. More... http://www.urbanism.org/tall-buildings/when-skyscrapers-signal-a-downturn/ Lower Manhattan, specifically Greenwich South, which is bordered by the Financial District, the World Trade Center site, Battery Park, and Battery Park City. This urban plan to reinvigorate the neighborhood is based on five overarching principles to improve connectivity and resident and business retention. From this plan emerged a ... http://www.urbanism.org/creative-cities/five-principles-for-greenwich-south-a-model-for-lower-manhattan/ Advanced community design models are emerging to provide some of the greatest opportunities for reducing fossil fuel use, climate-disrupting emissions and traffic congestion, while also offering affordable, high-quality lifestyles. Envision living in a community that offers an abundance of local shopping, services and entertainment. The community is focused on a mobility ... http://www.urbanism.org/end-of-cheap-oil/new-energy-hubs-transit-oriented-development-meets-district-energy/ A few hours after the public launch of the Active Design Guidelines here in New York, President Obama gave his first State of the Union Address. In an aside which drew the evening’s loudest applause, the President took a moment to acknowledge the First Lady’s new public health campaign to ... http://www.urbanism.org/health/active-design-guidelines-a-new-definition-for-sustainable-cities/ A few weeks ago in San Francisco, a number of urban farmers opened a gate in a chain-link fence at Laguna Street, between Oak and Fell Streets, and entered an overgrown lot that has been unused for nearly two decades. The farmers brought with them steaming piles of mulch, which ... http://www.urbanism.org/urban-actions/building-a-farm-where-a-freeway-used-to-be/ Over the past couple of years, coworking has been gaining momentum and attention. It is bringing a new and more flexible way of working to cities by helping people to take advantage of the benefits of interaction and collaboration. Breakout! is taking coworking a step further - pushing people to ... http://www.urbanism.org/urban-actions/bringing-co-working-to-the-streets/