Sensual Streets - 7 Senses Streets

Residential streets are public spaces, at our front door. We engage with them throughout the day - commuting to work, afternoon walks with the dog, putting the bins out. Yet for most of us this space remains a placeholder between the traffic channel and our front fence. It's time to convert them into usable, inspiring place.

The above picture shows how the street is transformed into a tree-lined play and exploration zone, incorporating a sensory garden, community gathering space and improved connections between the street and the parklands that meet the cul-de-sac.


Here's the link to the article written by Tobias Volbert, a Landscape Architect and Project Development Manager at Playscape Creations.
http://www.placefocus.com/Blog/

Book Recommendation

Don't Shoot, One Man, a Street Fellowship, and The End of Violence inInner City America

By David Kennedy  

A recent book by David Kennedy titled Don't Shoot, One Man, a Street Fellowship, and The End of Violence in Inner City America puts a new face on the fight against urban drug and gun violence. In the book, Kennedy discusses his new approach for combating such violence, which he notes has been implemented in cities such as Boston, Cincinnati, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The approach to violent crime detailed in this book involves identifying a small group of worst offenders, arresting the worst of those, usually with Federal assistance, and then holding community dialogue with the rest and informing them that if they do not stop their acts of violence they will meet a similar fate.

Kennedy notes that when these methods, since given the name “Ceasefire”, were enacted, the type of crime targeted dropped noticeably and swiftly.

In addition, he notes that the presence of so much violent crime for so long has severely damaged urban neighbourhoods, both economically and socially. Kennedy points out that none of the economic, social, or racial problems affecting these communities can be addressed until the crime that permeates them is controlled in a lasting manner. However, he does not give any indication of when a community might be ready to move on to those tasks.

The book points out that the structure of violent activity is the same from city to city, regardless of the size, number, or ethnic makeup of gangs. Kennedy details how the majority of violent activity can be directly traced to a small group of core gang members, the most violent of these members can be targeted with policing in cooperation with federal authorities, and the rest can then be targeted with community outreach. Kennedy describes how round-table meetings were held with local, state, and federal police, prosecutors, community activists, and gang members. In these meetings, authorities explained to the gang members the gravity of the charges that could be brought against them if their actions continued, which, he noted, many offenders were unaware of. Community organisers explained the damage that years of criminal activity and accidental killings of children have wrought on communities, and the fear it brings to parents. These meetings also offer support services, such as housing and job opportunities, to replace income from selling drugs or other criminal activities.

Kennedy notes that this approach has been implemented to target various crimes, from shootings to drug markets to domestic violence, in a large number of cities and has been extremely successful. Kennedy's book presents an original perspective on the issue of urban crime, and one which has immediate and significant impact. His book should prove to be pivotal in the fight against crime, and a starting point in rebuilding communities and making urban areas more attractive places to live. 

Buy this book on Amazon

Book Recommendation

Made in Australia: The Future of Australian Cities

By Richard Weller and Julian Bolleter

How do you creatively plan for a population of 62 million by 2100? Australia’s current major city planning frameworks only account for an additional 5.5 million people. Whether we want a ‘Big Australia’ or not, Australia’s 21st century is likely to see rapid and continual growth — and if we want liveable, high functioning cities and regional centres we need to think outside the box. 

Of course, many things could change between now and then but for the purposes of planning we think it is prudent to take this figure seriously. So what does this big number mean? It means we would need to house an extra 40 million Australians over the course of the next 87 years. This means building the equivalent of an extra 10 Sydneys – one every 9 years!

Richard Weller and Julian Bolleter (from the Australian Urban Design Research Centre) offer optimistic and creative solutions for the future with one imperative: what we build this century will make or break our country. The authors explore where these people might live so that Australia remains ecologically resilient, socially amenable and economically productive.

• Part 1 – Big Cities, Big Ideas, Big Australia: Australia; Visionary Cities; and Visionary Infrastructure.
• Part 2 – Australian Cities 2012–56: Sydney; Brisbane and SEQ; Melbourne; Perth; Adelaide; Canberra; Hobart; Darwin; and Growing Pains.
• Part 3 – Australian Cities 2101?: Australian Megaregions and New Cities; The East Coast Megaregion (ECM); The West Coast Megaregion (WCM); and Darwin – The New North.
• Part 4 – Essays: Living with the Land; Back to the Future; Urban Resilience & Adaptation; Urban Metabolism: A way to make Australian cities more efficient?; Infrastructure: Now and then; New Settlements on the Fringe: Understanding contemporary peri-urbanisation; And now for the good news…; Cities as Water Catchments; Coding the City; and Follow the Money.
• Part 5 – Designs: Boyd’s Error: Planning’s curse; Infill Precincts; Mean Streets; A National Green Network for Australia.

 Buy it now from Amazon

How Copenhagen is responding to climate change

In late 2012 I travelled to Denmark for five weeks on a Rotary Foundation Group Study Exchange (GSE). GSE is an opportunity for young professionals to travel to another country, experience the culture and institutions and see how their vocations are practised abroad.

There is no real ‘climate change debate’ in Denmark, as most people simply accept that it is a reality, and one for which they are earnestly planning. In 2008 the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen, embarked upon the ambitious goal of becoming the first city in the world to be carbon neutral by 2025. As a result, Copenhagen is an emerging centre for new green technologies and is cultivating partnerships between government and private enterprise to put them into action.

There are a number of ways in which they are planning to reduce their emissions, including retrofitting existing buildings, increasing the already common use of bicycles and other sustainable transport, increasing production of wind energy, and extending their relatively ‘green’ district heating and cooling systems.

I was fortunate that my vocational visits included getting to experience some of these initiatives first hand.

District Heating
In my first week I met with Jacob Andersen, an advisor with the Centre for Urban Development with the City of Copenhagen. Jacob explained that around 95% of Copenhagen’s heating needs are powered by district heating. Copenhagen’s system involves a small number of large plants such as Vestforbrænding creating either steam or heated water which are passed through underground pipes and converted to household heating systems. I visited one of the waste incineration plants that provides a large proportion of the heat for the district heating system; it was one of many opportunities to don a hard hat on this trip!

Wind Turbines
Denmark has established wind turbine cooperatives, whereby families who buy shares (and therefore generate their own electricity) receive tax exemptions. In Samsø, around 4000 private citizens have erected over 20 community-owned wind turbines in urban areas. In addition, the government is focusing on off-shore wind farms. Some of these, in cooperation between the City of Copenhagen and private shareholders, are just 2km off the coast and can be seen from the city centre, including atop the historic Rundetaarn. Denmark is a leading exporter of wind technology; in fact Vestas recently won a contract to supply turbines in North West Tasmania.

Cycling Superhighways and Sustainable Transport
The City of Copenhagen has been so successful at encouraging people to ride on cycle paths that many are now affected by bicycle traffic congestion. This has led to the planning of 26 ‘cycling superhighways’ designed purely for higher speed cycling into the city centre from the suburbs (at least 5km out). There will be few stops along the way, air pump stations at various intervals, and traffic lights will be adjusted for cyclists (rather than cars) so that users encounter as many green lights as possible. I visited one of these construction sites with civil engineer Peter Hansen of Pihl Industries, who are building the superhighway between the outer suburbs and the central port area of Nyhavn. At that stage they were constructing a bridge across the canal which would be dedicated to cyclists.

Not only is Copenhagen working to increase cycling, but they also have a pedestrian strategy (“More People to Walk More”); something not very common in Australia! They aim to increase pedestrian activity 20% by 2015 and are also planning to introduce hybrid buses to broaden the range of sustainable transport options in the city. In addition to traffic flows, pedestrianisation has broader planning implications. For example, greater foot traffic means that cityscapes, signage and amenities must be designed at a “human scale.”

Copenhagen is proudly promoting itself as a “test bed for green solutions” and wants to be seen as an international leader. Whilst previous planning initiatives in Denmark may have made some of the current solutions easier (such as the early installation of cycle paths, pedestrian-only streets, and district heating infrastructure), Copenhagen is certainly also taking new risks and making substantial changes in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Australia could no doubt learn some important lessons from Denmark, not least that climate change and adaption to it presents an opportunity for innovation and leadership if we choose.

What Burning Man Can Teach Us About Reinventing Society

The world is currently on the cusp of a creative renaissance fueled by technology and human ingenuity. Increasingly, we see new opportunities for personal expression driven by urban planning: spaces for citizen action, the arts, and entrepreneurship. Tech culture has blended with grassroots art culture to form new possibilities. At the heart of this atomic collision is an unlikely force: celebration. 

 

 

Urban Planning and the Christchurch Recovery

“To hell with resilience, more action, please.”

These words of a disgruntled, uncited local have restrained me from writing an anticipated article on Christchurch’s ‘urban resilience’. While resilience might well be urbanism’s most prevalent buzzword since ‘sustainability’ itself, I feel I must honour the above-quoted, unnamed radio personality who rhetorically asked: “can we please stop patronising people by gushing about their resilience?”

Indeed Cantabrians, being those who hail from the Canterbury region in which Christchurch City is located, dealt and are dealing with the earthquakes of 2010 to present remarkably well. But people are resilient. It’s what we do. Notwithstanding how fantastically adaptable humans are, this article instead considers the positive urban planning outcomes which have come out of Christchurch’s preliminary recovery.

The Effects of Natural Disaster on Community Resilience

There are many factors that can impact on the ability of a community to handle external and internal stressors, though arguably none so much as natural disasters. In the wake of the 2011 Queensland floods, numerous studies on social cohesion, wellbeing, and adaptation have taken the opportunity to explore the link between these important benchmarks of community resilience, and how they have been impacted by this devastating natural disaster.

International Society of City and Regional Planners Annual Congress

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNERS ANNUAL CONGRESS | BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA | OCTOBER 2013

The International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) is hosting its international congress in Brisbane from 1 – 4 October, 2013 at the rejuvenated Royal International Convention Centre at the RNA. Details on this unique opportunity to take advantage of renowned international presenters are provided below, but with specific regard to the value of this event to Young Planners, you may consider the following benefits:

• exceptional low cost for such a high-calibre international congress;
• opportunity to immerse yourself in international dialogue of best practice planning theories and projects;
• access to an international planning conference in Australia, negating expensive travel and accommodation costs;
• opportunities to rub shoulders with 300-400 accomplished planning professionals from Australia and abroad; and
• network and gain connections in relevant fields of planning.

Keynote Speakers include Vanessa Watson, Professor of City Planning in the School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics at the University of Cape Town and Amos Brandeis, Chairman of Israel Planners Association (2006-2012) and Ambassador for the International River Foundation.

More than 150 papers have been accepted with speakers from more than 30 countries. A showcase of contemporary Australian and international planning will feature PIA national and state award winning projects. The Congress will provide an opportunity to network with more than 400 planning professionals from around the world. More information at the congress website.

Be in it!

Book Recommendation

The Endless City 

By The London School of Economics and Deutsche Bank's Alfred Herrhausen Society

At the turn of the twenty-first century, the world is faced with an unprecedented challenge. It must address a fundamental shift in the world’s population towards the cities, and away from mankind’s rural roots. The book’s foundation statistic is that in 1900, 10 percent of the population lived in cities. Today, that figure has edged over 50 percent and by 2050, within the career span of many of today’s urban design practitioners, 75 percent of the world’s population will be urbanites. This means serious change.

The book is the outcome of two years of investigation into six different cities: New York, Shanghai, London, Mexico City, Johannesburg and Berlin. The cities chosen give a broad description of the shades of global urban change, yet because the book is so good, even after five hundred-odd pages it still feels as though there could have been room for a few more cities to really complete the picture.

The book’s power is in making vast quantities of data accessible and interesting to the coffee table browser, while its essays have enough depth to appeal to the professional urbanist. Definitely a worthy browse, even for the pretty graphics.

Book Recommendation

Welcome to the greatest young planner book review page! Here we'll scourer the interweb in search of the best books out there and what better way to start off with one of the seminal books that changed the way people view cities, none other than Jane Jacobs' "Death and Life of Great American Cities".

"Death and Life of Great American Cities" 
By Jane Jacobs

Jacobs challenged conventional modern city planning and city architectural design. In the opening sentence, Jacobs declares war on the major schools of urban planning:

“This book is an attack on current city planning and rebuilding. It is also, and mostly, an attempt to introduce new principles of city planning and rebuilding, different and even opposite from those now taught in everything from schools of architecture and planning to the Sunday supplements and women’s magazines.”

Conventional planning, she noticed, did not seem to create vibrant, livable neighborhoods but rather killed whatever good had once been present. Looking into how cities actually work, rather than how they should work according to urban designers and planners, Jacobs effectively describes the real factors affecting cities, and recommends strategies to enhance actual city performance.

"Death and Life" made four recommendations for creating municipal diversity:

1. A street or district must serve several primary functions.

2. Blocks must be short.

3. Buildings must vary in age, condition, use and rentals.

4. Population must be dense.

These seemingly simple notions represented a major rethinking of modern planning. They were coupled with fierce condemnations of the writings of the planners Sir Patrick Geddes and Ebenezer Howard, as well as those of the architect Le Corbusier and Lewis Mumford, who championed their ideal of graceful towers rising over exquisite open spaces.

Some critics, a few of whom had an axe to grind, such as Mumford, the eminent critic and social historian, wrote the following reply in a New Yorker article: "Like a construction gang bulldozing a site clean of all habitations, good or bad, she bulldozes out of existence every desirable innovation in urban planning during the last century, and every competing idea, without even a pretense of critical evaluation."

The book achieved a remarkably wide readership, perhaps because it's such a rare joy to read a book about cities written by someone who actually seems to appreciate what makes them fun to live in. Planners began to think about networks rather than grids; to whisper about pedestrians rather than motorists; to talk openly about urban infill rather than suburban sprawl; to speak out boldly on behalf of mixed-use buildings and diverse, self-governing neighbourhoods.

Jacobs’ ideas have been the foundation for the New Urbanism movement in an effort to promote social interaction by incorporating such Jacobean features as ground-floor retail in suburban developments.

You can get the 50^th anniversary edition on amazon for a mere 17.60 clamshells!! LINK