"One cannot make architecture without studying the condition of life in the city"

Aldo Rossi

The city of Chicago will have a new public park on an elevated railway, thanks to a community lead initiative with some planning help from ARUP, Ross Barney Architects, and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. The park is 3 miles (5 km), making it  twice as long as the High Line Prokject. The park is mainly being funded by  Federal transportation funds; the first phase is scheduled to open in 2014, 

The city of Chicago will have a new public park on an elevated railway, thanks to a community lead initiative with some planning help from ARUP, Ross Barney Architects, and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. The park is 3 miles (5 km), making it  twice as long as the High Line Prokject. The park is mainly being funded by  Federal transportation funds; the first phase is scheduled to open in 2014, 

New York City officials broke ground on Phase 1 of the new Governors Island Park. The first two built sections will be Hammock Grove, and Liggett Terrace.

New York City officials broke ground on Phase 1 of the new Governors Island Park. The first two built sections will be Hammock Grove, and Liggett Terrace.

Florian Riviere is an urban hacktivist who reorganizes the city for fun. For his take on how cities are for people, read the interview here. Also take a look at the Venice Biennials program on Spontaneous Intervention

Florian Riviere is an urban hacktivist who reorganizes the city for fun. For his take on how cities are for people, read the interview here.

Also take a look at the Venice Biennials program on Spontaneous Intervention

Larrisa Fassler’s work uses different conventions of maquettes, plans, sections, elevation and projections to map the most banal and unimaginative areas through the practices of every day life. She also aims to undermine the rationality of architectural measure by re-working units of data with of length and height with “number of footsteps” or “me+arm+hand”. Fassler maps cities into new systems of connections and networks that trace relationships rather than geographical location, to emphasize topological over topographical information

Larrisa Fassler’s work uses different conventions of maquettes, plans, sections, elevation and projections to map the most banal and unimaginative areas through the practices of every day life. She also aims to undermine the rationality of architectural measure by re-working units of data with of length and height with “number of footsteps” or “me+arm+hand”. Fassler maps cities into new systems of connections and networks that trace relationships rather than geographical location, to emphasize topological over topographical information

Read about a nice example of citizens reclaiming and improving a heavily neglected public space. Even more at their blog

Read about a nice example of citizens reclaiming and improving a heavily neglected public space. Even more at their blog

The Red Stair Amphitheater project in Melbourne, gives the public space a new quality for an open space. It creates curiosity and is able to establish a new hot spot close to the waterfront. The Red Stair Amphitheater had been realized by Marcus O’Reilly Architects.

The Red Stair Amphitheater project in Melbourne, gives the public space a new quality for an open space. It creates curiosity and is able to establish a new hot spot close to the waterfront. The Red Stair Amphitheater had been realized by Marcus O’Reilly Architects.


How to reclaim open public space and create a temporary park in an inexpensive way? Rebar from San Francisco were trying to transform those spaces into urban laboratories. 

Eric Fischer  creates an urban geography of free speech and communication, using mapping data to represent cities in an imaginative graphical way. Check his flickr for methods of mapping where he uses tourist vs local, race and ethnicity, or geotagging from mobile devices.

Eric Fischer  creates an urban geography of free speech and communication, using mapping data to represent cities in an imaginative graphical way. Check his flickr for methods of mapping where he uses tourist vs local, race and ethnicity, or geotagging from mobile devices.

 This video quickly shows s the evolution of Portland’s bikeways from 1980 to the present, a reminder that biking infrastructure takes a great deal of planning and effort to make it efficient. 

Conceptual Devices  are a design firm in Zurich started by Antonio Scarponi. “ Design should not be based on formal principles – but always on an idea of society.” GLOBE / HEDRON is a bamboo greenhouse designed to organically grow fish and vegetables on top of generic flat roofs.

Conceptual Devices  are a design firm in Zurich started by Antonio Scarponi. “ Design should not be based on formal principles – but always on an idea of society.” GLOBE / HEDRON is a bamboo greenhouse designed to organically grow fish and vegetables on top of generic flat roofs.