Inspiration, Processes, Technology, Trends

New Urban Realities – AR & VR

Technology is the great economic and societal disruptor, and Virtual Reality (VR) is one of its latest incarnations. What mostly started as a means to create more immerse gaming experiences has since expanded into other fields such as medicine, engineering, architecture, construction and, more recently, urban planning and design. VR is soon to explode in our collective imaginations with the upcoming Spielberg movie Ready Player … Continue reading New Urban Realities – AR & VR

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Inspiration, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design, Urban Planning

‘Rising’ Seafronts – climate change and human landscapes

I must confess that I have a morbid fascination for dystopian urban environments and fantasy architecture, even when I would rather not have to live in these imagined spaces. But there is a strong possibility that many of us will actually experience a ‘seismic shift’ in the built form of our towns and cities as result of climate change and its scion, sea level rise. … Continue reading ‘Rising’ Seafronts – climate change and human landscapes

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Landscape Architecture, Trends

Sensors, people & the Smart City

In 2014 friend and I entered the Park to Pacific competition to design a parklet (i.e. a pocket park or very small green space) for a street in Sydney. We called our proposal Coogee Community Cultivation. The development of our idea is telling of how thinking has evolved in terms of how technology is, or can be, used to improve our lives. It is worth reflecting upon the impact … Continue reading Sensors, people & the Smart City

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Uncategorized

The Urban Legacy of Modern Spain – creativity & technique 02

Nowhere has the transformation that occurred during this period being more noticeable than in Spain’s large cities. They have become the greatest symbol of a nation emerging from 50 years of malaise. In cities the political forces, the labour, the skill and the financial capital all merged to give rise to initiatives, projects and transformations that have reshaped these cities. The now classic example is … Continue reading The Urban Legacy of Modern Spain – creativity & technique 02

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Architecture, Inspiration, Urban Design, Urban Planning

The Urban Legacy of Modern Spain – creativity & technique 01

Setting the scene – 2008 Author’s note: this post will be part one of my reflexions on the urban changes in Spain in post GFC world. Part two will delve into the responses to the crises, mostly from built environment professionals. Finally part three will attempt to critically frame the changes in light of emerging transformative trends. We know the numbers, the magnitude, we may … Continue reading The Urban Legacy of Modern Spain – creativity & technique 01

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Architecture, Inspiration, Urban Design, Urban Planning

Relation between building typologies & density

The result of the UK’s Urban Task Force‘s endeavours was the much lauded, amongst built environment professionals and urban theorists, Towards and Urban Renaissance which was published in 1999 and despite the intervening 16 years it still has messages that are relevant to us today. Its aim was to investigate how to accommodate a growing tide of housing without dismantling the rural-urban planning framework that the United … Continue reading Relation between building typologies & density

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Architecture, Urban Design, Urban Planning

Dizengoff – vibrant summer in Tel Aviv

The ‘White City’ in Tel Aviv probably boast the largest collection of Bauhaus buildings anywhere in the world, but, more importantly, it is vibrant heart to an energetic city that never sleeps and is always creating. At the heart of this city one can find the Dizengoff Square. This square is steep in architectural distinction: An original public open space included in Patrick Geddes plan. … Continue reading Dizengoff – vibrant summer in Tel Aviv

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Processes

The economic dynamics of cities – Jane Jacobs

I have just finished re-reading one of the final chapters in Jane Jacobs’ seminal work The Death and Life of Great American Cities. As everybody even vaguely interested in the dynamics of our cities knows it is probably the single most influential work in the field of urbanism.It marks a before and after in the conceptualisation of how cities work and the benefits of city … Continue reading The economic dynamics of cities – Jane Jacobs

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Trends, Urban Design

Living underground

Over the last few decades it seems that humans have, in ever increasing numbers and in ever more places, decided to inhabit underground spaces or fully enclosed cave like structures. It would seem that this trend has three separate but related reasons: improved climate / temperature control, the requirement to fit transport infrastructure in our denser urban environments and the increasing commercial / privatisation of … Continue reading Living underground

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