This is a reading response for the course Urban Design Theory given by David Monteyne at the University of Calgary.
Reading Hodge’s chapter [1] on the Modern history of Canadian city design, I wonder whether planning for a longer term is actually possible. Past planners couldn’t anticipate subsequent developments—like automobiles, urban expansions, and suburbanization—and I am not sure if we can approximate socio-economic and transportation developments over the next years. However, today’s planning decisions will have significant impact on how the cities of the future look, feel, and live like. Read the rest of this entry »
This is a reading response for the course Urban Desgin Theory given by David Monteyne at the University of Calgary.
The main theme throughout the readings for me was the significance and the divergent interpretation of open streets and squares as public spaces. It was particularly interesting to read how Baudelaire (as discussed by Berman [4]) sees Paris’ boulevards as a place where people of different classes would eventually come together again, whereas Engels understood Manchester’s thoroughfares as a “hypocritical plan” to hide the misery and poverty present in workers’ districts [1]. What troubled me reading this, is that his description of how Manchester is structured along class divisions, still applies to most cities of the world. People living in gated/suburban communities and those living in poorer neighbourhoods are not really bumping into each other on great common boulevards—instead, they probably stand bumper to bumper separated by steel, glass, fumes and noise. Read the rest of this entry »
Please, excuse if this blog comes down to a place of personal ranting, however, dear readership, as an auto-therapeutic practice preventing further harm or damage i need to share my frustration about the website of Calgary’s transportation company with you. I have written it all up as a customer feedback email, that i actually sent them.
Dear web team of Calgary Transit,
I value very much the existence of public transport, even when there may be some service irregularities, and I think Calgary Transit is a valuable part of the city’s life. However the CT website has very fundamental shortcomings. In fact, looking up connections and bus schedules on the CT website is an extraordinarily frustrating experience. Being forced to enter bus stops or road names in a specific way and even when entered correctly being told that there are technical difficulties is just not acceptable. Furthermore the site is very slow and it is not possible to bookmark certain connections or bus stops. There are many other things I could mention, but I am certainly not the first one to complain. I just don’t understand how Calgary Transit - the transport company of such an economically thriving city - gets by with this kind of service. What are the plans? When will this problem be solved? Would you consider putting the route data on Google Transit? I would really appreciate any clarifying answers on this. Thank you.
Web comics are a great way to escape the dullness of work for a moment. If you’re just starting to read a comic that has been around for some time, it is actually possible to spend an afternoon enjoying the development of characters’ personalities and the comic artists’ drawing skills while clicking through hundreds of comic strips. For the geeks, bicycling aficionados, and hip indie rockers among my dear readership, i can heartily suggest taking a look at xkcd, Yehuda Moon, and Questionable Content. Take your time.
Yesterday we took our bikes and left all concrete behind to have a picknick along the river of the city we inhabit. Although windy and cloudy at first, it turned into an enjoyable evening. The girls and social scientists teams won in Boule against the teams of the boys and engineers–if you permit fuzzy borders and some overlap. Thanks everybody for joining in. Uwe found it to be a paradise-like place and took some beautiful photos.
Yesterday a lonely bicyclist had an unpleasant encounter with a slippery curb that didn’t want him to get onto the bicycle path. He fell and later felt severe pain in his knee. Now he can’t really bend it, but the doc said it aint broken – just a bit bruised. The irony is that just two minutes before the lonely bicycle commuter had his tragic fall, a police officer yelled out of the car and demanded that he used the [non-mandatory] bike path - which the bicyclist refused first knowing that it was not mandatory… Well, he is working diligently again on his diplom thesis, but once in a while he procrastinates away, e.g., by reading the first bike shop web comic that has all the necessary cyclist tragic, bike lane content, and car contempt.
Eigentlich weise ich nicht noch einmal auf Kommentare hin, weil es hier normalerweise auch nicht so viele davon gibt. Das ist hier ja nur eine kleine Insel verschrobener Gedanken oder so. Aber: in der Diskussion mit Holodoc zu den Helden auf Fahrrädern hat sich I was born under a wandering star zu Wort gemeldet und triftige Gründe zusammengetragen, warum es sich lohnt Fahrrad zu fahren. Ich zitiere diese hier, damit sie nicht untergehen:
Liebe Skeptiker, es geht beim Retten der Erde nicht alleine ums CO2, auch wenn das jetzt gerade mal besonders häufig in den Medien besprochen wird, sondern um Umweltschutz allgemein:
um die Faktoren, wie Anarchitect schon angesprochen hat (lokale Produkte konsumieren usw.)
um erheblich verringerte Energie- und Materialmengen in der Produktion eines Fahrrades im Vergleich zum Automobil
um die Verhinderung des weiteren Zubetonierens von Landschaft zum Füttern des Mobilitätsgötzen “motorisierter Individualverkehr”
darum zu verhindern, dass millionen von Tier- und Pflanzenarten ausgelöscht werden
um die Verhinderung von Kriegen um den Energieträger Erdöl
um Gesundheitsaspekte: wer sich den ganzen Tag nicht bewegt und dann abends mit dem PKW nachhause fährt, lebt ungesünder und denkt weniger klar und benötigt vermutlich später im Alter einen teuren und energieaufwändigen Fuhrpark, um seine eingeschlafenenen Lebensfunktionen zu reanimieren
um das Bewusstsein, dass man sich auch im näheren Lebensumfeld gesund bewegen kann und nicht erst (überspitzt geschrieben) mit dem Flieger nach Tibet fliegen muss (hohe C02-Emission!), um sich dann im Himalaya auszupowern
um eine Wertschätzung der eigenen Lebensenergie und der Ressourcen des Umfeldes: kein großkotziges “Think Big”-Gehabe. Ein dicker Schlitten allein macht noch keine Persönlichkeit
u.v.m.
Kurz: durch Radfahren und die Bewegung an der (dann wieder verstärkt) frischen Luft wird der Tunnelblick des PKW-Fahrers geweitet…
The British Cyclists’ Touring Club (CTC) is advertising the bicycle (high res version) as the suitable means for facing climate change for the rest of us: “You don’t have to be a superhero to save the planet”. More info on the campaign website.
D’Arcy Norman writes about his bicycling experience in Calgary. Interesting observation among others that i’d like to second:
The likelihood of a vehicle displaying a yellow “support our troops” sticker/ribbon seems to be directly proportional to the size of the vehicle. I haven’t seen one on a Prius.
This is also a good occasion to point out that there is a monthly Critical Mass ride in Calgary every last Friday 5:30 pm at Eau Claire Plaza. I have attended the last one and met quite a few friendly people – on bikes.
Instead of over-regulating urban traffic the Dutch concept “shared space” argues for giving the responsibility back to all traffic participants. Instead of scattering traffic signs, traffic lights, and marker lines all over, the design of the public space itself is considered to have the most influence on how car drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians behave. Basic tools are roundabouts, small bumps, and street contractions using water fountains or flower tubs (Wikipedia):
Safety, congestion, economic vitality and community severance can be effectively tackled in streets and other public spaces if they are designed and managed to allow traffic to be fully integrated with other human activity, not separated from it. A major characteristic of a street designed to this philosophy is the absence of traditional road markings, signs, traffic signals and the distinction between “road” and “pavement”. User behaviour becomes influenced and controlled by natural human interactions rather than by artificial regulation.
Also check out the examples from German towns Haslach and Wolfach. Very interesting i think …
