Talking Point #45 - Depave

When not PARK(ing) you can "depave".
Depave.org has been created to inspire and promote the removal of unnecessary concrete and asphalt from this earth.

It advocates "the removal of pavement allows for the revegetation of land with trees and plants.

The benefits of urban vegetation include:

Cooling of homes and offices by shading the sun’s rays and the protection against harsh winds

Ambient cooling from evapotranspiration of rain on the leaves

Aesthetic enhancement to areas and psychosocial benefits associated with greenery

Enhancing air quality by removing particulate pollutants and carbon dioxide from the air while producing oxygen

Visual privacy and reduction of noise from the street

Traffic calming when trees are planted along urban streets

Restoration of local habitat for birds, insects and other wildlife

And if the previously-paved land is used for farming, this provides food and nutrition for local residents."

Talking Point #44: FarmLab

What is Farmlab?

The team behind the Not A Cornfield project in Downtown Los Angeles has become Farmlab, a short-term multi-disciplinary investigation of land use issues that are related to sustainability, livability, and health.

“Not A Cornfield" (2005) was a living art sculpture in the form of a field of corn. The California Department of Parks and Recreation was designing the historical park this site will become, but having taken several years so far and a difficult process with limited funding, the Not A Cornfield process (reclaim/planting) was a way to bring attention to this site and also bring forth many questions about the nature of urban public space.

Farmlab now do all sort of interesting things, as they continue to serve as a catalyst for community involvement and change through the development of art actions, projects, and otherwise. Farmlab is dedicated to the preservation and perpetuity of all living things.

Talking Point #43 - Reimagining Cities

"Reimagining Cities: Urban Design After the Age of Oil"
November 6-8 , 2008 @ University of Pennsylvania
http://www.upenn.edu/penniur/afteroil/home.html

This ground-breaking symposium has been organized to address the role of urban design in the face of one of the most profound and important challenges facing global society: the need to re-imagine and rethink how cities are designed and organized in a future without the plentiful and abundant oil upon which prosperous urban economies have been built.

The event marks the 50th Anniversary of the 1958 University of Pennsylvania/Rockefeller Foundation “Conference on Urban Design Criticism,” whose participants included Jane Jacobs, Louis Kahn, Kevin Lynch, Ian McHarg, Lewis Mumford, and I.M. Pei. That historic conference helped shape the new field of urban design in the 20th Century. Now, we hope you will participate in this critical exploration of new directions for 21st Century urban design.

Talking Point #42 - Parking Revolution

More than 100 teams from around the world submitted entries to the Integrating Habitats design competition that prove every space in which we live, work, shop and play can create places for both people and nature in designs we can build today. The competition was based in Portland, Oregon (no surprise really...one of those cities that gets consistently held up by planners as a model city).

"Urban Ecotones: Transitional Spaces for Commerce and Culture" was the winner of Category 2 and "provides a vision for how innovative home building centers can thrive economically, adapt to anticipated future city conditions, and provide a model for regenerating critical habitat corridors at a city-wide scale. We assert that the major challenge to current and future big box developments will be their reliance on fossil fuels, and generic, non-site specific land development."

It included ideas about a Parking (Re)evolution which shows the future conversion of car park spaces into other uses.

Talking Point #41 -Streets become parks in NYC

Putting the Park in Park Avenue

Editorial, New York Times
Published: August 11, 2008

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has not had an easy time trying to unclog New York City's gridlocked streets. Most notably, he lost a high-profile political battle a few months ago over congestion pricing. Now, though, the mayor has found a clever way to free at least some of the city's streets some of the time.

Last weekend, Mr. Bloomberg and his commissioner of transportation, Janette Sadik-Khan, unveiled an innovative program called Summer Streets. Nearly seven miles of Manhattan streets, from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park at East 72nd Street in Manhattan, including a large stretch of Park Avenue, were shut off to car traffic for six hours on Saturday. They will be
car-free again for the next two Saturdays this month.

Without honking horns and speeding taxis, the streets became serene parks, open to throngs of cyclists, in-line skaters and strollers. Yoga and fitness classes added to the therapeutic feel. Cyclists and walkers mostly seemed to respect each other, and people found themselves doing something decidedly un-New York: meandering.

Rerouted cars, meanwhile, did not seem to be terribly inconvenienced. Hundreds of police officers were on hand to direct them around the impromptu park.

New York is not the first city to temporarily transform its traffic-clogged streets. It has been tried, with great success, in Bogotá, Colombia, where car-free Sundays and holidays are called Ciclovía, and in Paris. Mayor Bloomberg has said that if these early experiments with Summer Streets are a success, he would like to do it again, and perhaps extend it to other parts of the city. If Saturday was any indication, New Yorkers are voting with their feet, in favor of more chances to displace the cars, trucks and taxis for a day, and go for a stroll.

Design Ideas (#22) Work never was so fun

Why is it we too often we separate 'work' from 'play' in our minds? PARK-Fi was a park with Wi-Fi internet by TPL Office, San Francisco (2007)

Grab your workplace to create a PARK.
Consider it
a) team bonding for staff,
b) a way to promote your workplace,
c) a fun experience for your customers/clients
d) a really unique venue for meetings and doing work

The "work-play balance" of PARK(ing) which is that mix between serious professional issues and fun expression is one of the very reason why I personally love the concept. Funnily enough, mixing "work" and "play" activities together in a physical land use and urban design sense is also related to sustainable cities, urban consolidation and vibrant public realm.

Talking Point #40 - Healthy Spaces & Places

The link between people's health and urban planning is a whole lot more than where we put our hospitals.
The Australian Local Government Association, the Heart Foundation and the Planning Institute of Australia are collaborating in 'Healthy Spaces and Places" to expand the relationship between people’s health and the built environment towards a national planning guide. The Draft for Discussion (online) shows some interesting trends and case studies.

Our daily choices including how we travel, the foods we eat and what we do in our spare time are all decisions that affect our health and wellbeing. Of course the built environment is only one component that influences these decisions - but I guess I wouldn't be an urban planner without believing it can be a really powerful influence. The design of our neighbourhoods and cities can be significantly barriers or support to these decisions. Some key urban form characteristics that tend to be associated with healthy outcomes, include:
• mixed land use and urban/housing density
• good provision of walking and cycling facilities (footpaths and cycle ways)
• facilities for physical activity (e.g. swimming pools, open space)
• street connectivity and design
• transport infrastructure and systems

The link between health and sustainable cities is already recognised by QLD Health (read general information docs)

Talking Point (#39) : Signature Brisbane

PARK(ing) brings together art and environmental issues. It embraces creativity, community and it celebrates Brisbane.

"Signature Brisbane" holds up similar ideals. It is an initiative of City of Brisbane Arts and Environment Ltd. The aim "to initiate and foster cultural and environmental signature concepts and projects unique to Greater Brisbane"

This exciting initiative will boost the personality of the city by promoting the characteristics that make Brisbane unique. Residents will benefit from the increased attention paid to Brisbane's artistic and environmental health.

Donate to this cause, apply for grants and nominate for awards.

Talking Point #38 - Global Cities

2007 is the first year that the earth’s population has balanced 50/50 between rural and urban, and the exhibition "Global Cities" at the Tate Modern, London explored some of the world’s great cities under the headings of size, speed, form, density and diversity.

This fascinating exhibition came out of the 2006 Venice Biennale.

REBAR are proud to announce that they will participate in the 2008 Venice Biennale.

1) PARK(ing) Day will be included in the "Out There: Architecture Beyond Building" exhibition in the Italian Pavilion, curated by Aaron Betsky.
2) The Panhandle Bandshell, built by The Finch Mob, REBAR, and CMG Landscape Architecture, will represent the United States in the "Into the Open: Positioning Practice" exhibition in the American Pavilion, organized by William Menking.

The Venice Architecture Biennale runs from September 14 through November 24th, 2008.

Talking Point (#37) Finest Streets

Project for Public Spaces have named some of the world's finest streets in Paris, London, Melbourne. These are the streets that define the city and that residents and tourists both love.

What's your favourite Brisbane street to spend time in?

I bet there are PARKs happening on it. Brisbane's most popular streets like Park Rd, James St, Boundary St, Oxford St, Latrobe Tce, Stanley St are all naturally attracting PARKs.

PARK(ing) Day celebrates these popular locations, the good urban design principles that make them work, and the community that value them.

Talking Point (#36): Snap Shot City

Snap-Shot-City is a photographic treasure hunt happening worldwide (including Brisbane) on 6th September 2008. http://www.snap-shot-city.com

This how it works -
Step 1) You get clue words/themes to creatively interpret
Step 2) You take photos of Brisbane based on those clues
Step 3) You share Brisbane and global photos online

eg. The image is NYC under the theme "life in the fast lane"

It actually has some really strong similarities with PARK(ing) as it's based on same following ideas -

• Community engagement is a vital part of what makes cities great. This is an opportunity to challenge people to engage in new ways with their cities. And with cities all over the world.
• Community engagement is recognized by the United Nations through the Declaration endorsed at the 2005 Brisbane UN sponsored Community engagement conference
• A top opportunity for great parties.
• Great international database of personalized city experiences
• Celebration of how people experience their cities.
• An opportunity to be an artist for a day. Snap-Shot-City empowers people who wouldn’t normally feel comfortable expressing themselves creatively to become artists and explore their creativity.

Talking Point (#35) Jane Jacobs Medal

In 1st year uni, confronted with a random list of names to research for an assignment, I picked the name Jane Jacobs just because I liked the initials JJ. She ended up turning into one of my heros.

The Rockfeller Foundation celebrated her contributions to urban design by establishing the Jane Jacobs Medal in 2006.

The award celebrates those who uphold the "Jacobsean principles", which encompass the following values and ideas:

• Make New York City a place of hope and expectation that attracts new people and new ideas
• Challenge traditional assumptions and conventional thinking
• Promote dynamism, density and diversity
• Generate new principles for the way we think about development and preservation in New York City
• Take a common sense approach to complex problems
• Provide leadership in solving common problems
• Respect neighborhood knowledge
• Generate creative use of the urban environment

I'd like to think in its own way PARK(ing) is a bit Jacobsean.

Related Events: Child Friendly Cities - FREE event

Child Friendly Cities Symposium
12-13 June
QPAC

QPAC, Museum of Brisbane and Griffith University present a series of seminars about creative approaches to parenting, policy and cultural and community development in child friendly cities. An opportunity for parents, teachers, carers and other decision makers whose responsibilities include a duty of care for children to explore key issues and engage in conversions about developing creative, child friendly cities. This event is FREE. For more information and to book tickets.

PS.
The City of Greater Bendigo (VIC) is the first Australian city to participate in UNICEF’s Child Friendly City program. Some of the UNICEF "kid principles" are for every child to "Walk safely in the streets on their own• Meet friends and play• Have green spaces for plants and animals". It is no coincidence that a city for children also happens to be a sustainable city for everyone.

Also check out Walk Bendigo program of pedestrian improvements which includes what is apparently Australia's first shared space (the Hans Monderman model, that creates low speed zones by removing all traffic management). This space is being researched by Monash.

Talking Point (#34) ANAT Synapse

Australian Network of Art and Technology is doing brilliant things to support the ideas that "collaboration between the arts and sciences has the potential to create new knowledge, ideas and processes beneficial to both fields. Artists and scientists approach creativity, exploration and research in different ways and from different perspectives; when working together they open up new ways of seeing, experiencing and interpreting the world around us"

Their Synapse database highlights some really interesting works about art and 'traditional' sciences but also urban planning (as it crosses over with social sciences and environmental sciences). PARK(ing) similarly brings together these 'creative' industries and the perceived 'non-creative' industries.


According to wikipedia - Creativity (or "creativeness") is a mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts.

Sometimes creativity is too popularly associated with artistic expression but if creativity is considered a way of thinking it is in every industry and profession. Across the city there are people all working separately to the same aspiration of more vibrant, sustainable cities and making theses new creative mental and community links in PARK(ing) hopefully is a step towards more collaborative, creative thinking and innovation.

Talking Point (#33) Version Festival

"Version" is a festival focused on emerging art, technology, and social activism that happens in Chicago.

In 2006, "Version:Parallel Cities" had a "Urban Gardening and Exterior Decorating" program that like PARK(ing) explored
"How can urban environments become areas for personal and ideological transformations? How can artists create charged public space? (They considered) public space in urban environments as a forum for change, and explore, visually, ways of altering and reclaiming our surroundings."

In 2008: "Version: Dark Matter'' continued similar themes and included transforming an 1850m2 urban spaces into a "Field of Dream" (public art garden)

See the other 'Versions' through Lumpen.

Talking Point (#32) Re:Connect

"The character of a neighbourhood is a reflection of the people who live there. When people feel connected to a place, they feel more connected to one another."

Re:Connect is the latest Re:Vision Competition which is seeking visionary ideas that enhance community connections. You have few days to enter - closes 2nd June. Also check out the creative ideas in the lastest Re:Store competition (about local business)

By participating in PARK(ing) you are already "Re:Connecting", with your fellow PARKers and eventually connecting with those who experience your spaces.

Talking Point (#31) Power to the Pedal

Design 21's lastest competition "Power to the Pedal' called for products that would encourage more people to make biking their primary means of transport – more convenient, more enjoyable, safer and more integrated into daily lifestyles. The winner was the "Pedal Power Pack" which is a portable power source that could be used in disaster relief or everyday use. There's over 200 clever bike-related entries you can browse through.

The push for bicycle use is gaining global relevance not just as a leisure activity, but as a solution to a range of problems like pollution, congestion, rising gas prices and issues surrounding community health. BCC are certainly pushing this cycling agenda with bike-hire schemes.

Talking Point (#30) European Public Space Awards

The Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona recognises the important links between public spaces and the culture of cities. They have a stunning design archive of public spaces and each year they award the European Prize for Public Space. The 2008 winner is London's "Barking Town Square" which is part of the Mayor's 100 public spaces programme (an initiative to create or upgrade 100 public spaces in London by 2012. Download the phase 3 pdf). Designed by 'Muf architecture and art' one of the cool features in Barking Square is 80m long arcade with 13 oversized candalabras suspended overhead.

Talking Point (#29) Jan Gehl & Sydney 2030

The Sustainable Sydney 2030 plan was officially launched earlier this month setting key directions for the city centre in terms of public transport, public space, new development etc. The website is jammed packed of ideas, images, documents and talks.

One of the important pieces of work behind the 2030 plan is "Public Spaces Public Life by Gehl Architects" which calls for more pedestrian and bike friendly streets, new public spaces and even the demolition of the Cahill Expressway. Jan Gehl is a bit of an urban design godfather and while he's not saying anything completely different to Australian urban designers, for some reason it takes the honesty and charisma of an international expert to get politicians to listen. Melbourne took on his ideas years ago, now Sydney and at the PIA Congress he joked that Brisbane should look out because he'll get us next. ....somehow I don't think we would complain.

Talking Point (#28) Metroplis@ Kiln

via www.streeteditors.com:
"Brisbane’s most treasured and eclectic suburbs inspired seven up-and-coming local artists to explore the city’s life through a wide variety of styles and subject matter. Kiln Gallery at the Paddington Substation presents Metropolis, which takes the viewer down a nostalgic path of romantic rooftops in Paddington, to mysterious side streets in the city’s centre. The Fortitude Valley, Red Hill and Paddington feature heavily and artists have incorporated their unique styles with luscious cityscapes, nightlife and dark sides to capture the ever-changing face of Brisbane."

Kiln Gallery April 24–May 18 Open from 10:00am – 4:00pm Wednesday – Sunday

Since car parks define parts of our urban landscapes, it's not entirely surprising to see them depicted in Nick Olsen's "Urban Temple" and Phil Bazzo's "A Way Out".