Archive for Social Spaces
What Would Geoff Have Drawn?
If we had chosen the Alberta native Geoff McFetridge to illustrate the Olympic mascots…what would they have looked like?
What would happen if you assign an artist to a job they would otherwise try to subvert?
Jose Gonzalez
Jose Gonzalez, originally uploaded by MacEwen.
I was fortunate to see this very small show at Zulu Records on Saturday.
Advertising in the Urban Landscape.
Quicksliver has or had some adds up that, depending on your point of view, make an awesome contribution to the city scape. Of the series, my fave is the bus-stop 1/4, makes you want to get your Tony Hawk on, firstlife style.
In all seriousness though it raises some questions about fun in an urban context. Our cities take themselves too seriously. What if there were little slides for kids spread throughout the city? Instead of relegating skate parks to certain areas why couldn’t we just have a ramp here and there? I’d like to see a city that encourages exploration and interaction. Wouldn’t it be interesting if Bentall got a density bonus for putting a 1/4 up the side of the building! Or how about just not capping the benches…maybe we should start with that.
The New Museum
Contemporary art museum going up in the Bowery. Site is definitely worth a look…up to the minute image captures of constructuion etc.
Curtain Wall.
(from here)
Wow this is cool. I could see this working alright in a warm low wind climate somewhere, if that exists. More than anything though I just love the theory of eliminating walls & glass and setting the rooms so intimately with their surroundings. In Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Pirsig writes a great comparison between traveling in a car and on a bike that fits perfectly here:
“In a car you’re always in a compartment, and because you’re used to it you don’t realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You’re a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame.
“On a cycle the frame is gone. You’re completely in contact with it all. You’re in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming.”
I beleive that the biggest challenge of urban architecture is the conflict between desire for open spaces and the desire for insulation…be it from the weather or neighbours. Great to see a desginer commit fully to one side and bring a new perspective to potential buidings.
(check out the inhabitat post)
Fares up.
Bus fares are going up $0.25 if you’re paying cash. At first I balk at this, but as Stephen points out it’s not entirely unjustified. Clearly the Canada Line and other expansions aren’t free and add value to the price of a ticket, but I wonder how much energy costs play into this decision? What has the price of gas done to the costs of operation? Ferry prices are up because of it…why not transit?
I support the idea of taxing single occupancy vehicles and subsidising public transit for the good of the environment, congestion and equal opportunity. So initially a fare hike spooks me. Paying $2.50 to get accross town seems a little steep…I’d love to see a breakdown on average cost/rider of a bus at capacity.