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Don’t Forget: Bike To Work Day Is Friday, May 21!
Bike to Work Day 2009 mapped (Courtesy Metro Public Works)
Don’t forget to ride your bike to work this Friday, May 21 for Bike to Work Day. The event is going to be taking place rain or shine and you can choose your own route or meet up with groups of cyclists at three locations: Iroquois Park, Seneca Park, and Shawnee Park. The group rides will leave at 7:00 AM and there’s parking available if you need it. Group riders must wear helmets. You can get more info on these Meet & Ride routes at Bike Louisville. You can also plan your own route using an online utility such as Ride the City Louisville.
Here are some highlights of what else is planned for Bike to Work Day 2010:
- Don’t forget to register for Bike to Work Day 2010 over at the Bike Louisville web site. According to the city, 600 people registered last year and 200 of those were first time riders, so there’s no need to worry that you won’t fit in. Bike commuting by no means you need to break out the spandex, although I suppose you could if you wanted to. This year, the city set a goal of 800 registered riders and 300 first time bike commuters. Registration ends on May 20 at noon.
- Pick up a free cup of coffee at any Heine Brothers Coffee or Java Brewing Company location if you commute by bike on Bike to Work Day!
- New Louisville Bike Maps available at the Bike to Work Day celebration at 4th Street Live. Bike Louisville and WFPK 91.9 will be gathering at noon on Bike to Work Day for a celebration of all things bicycle-related. Meet fellow cyclists, learn more about bike commuting, and talk with bike-related vendors. They will also be giving away a Trek 7000 bike complete with packs and rack to some lucky cyclist.
- Check out that nifty map posted above and below showing the starting and ending points of registered cyclists from Bike to Work Day 2009. It looks like there was a good deal of cycling going on across the city. Hat tip to CART for finding the map.
- A new Facebook group hoping to draft Mayor Abramson to ride his bike this Friday has formed, although the Mayor will be out of town for the big day. The group page says the Mayor deserves thanks for helping to make Louisville more bike friendly. Chris Poynter with Abramson’s office says another ride will be scheduled soon for those interested in cycling with the Mayor. I’ll let you know when the new date is.
- F*** Gas informs us that a new Street Sense commercial aimed at increasing cycling safety and awareness will be filmed on Bike to Work Day. To participate in the video shoot, show up at the Gazebo on top of Dog Hill in Cherokee Park at 6:45 PM. There’s a Facebook page for the event as well and a ride through the park planned after the shoot. (I also posted another recent bike safety video from the city last week.)
Still think you can’t commute to work? Metro Louisville has a handy guide to squash your “I can’t commute by bike” excuses. Check it out here.
Bike to Work Day 2009 mapped (Courtesy Metro Public Works)
PrintProjectors Turn Architecture Into Public Art
A group from the Netherlands called NuFormer Digital Media has created a powerful projection system that interfaces dynamic and playful graphics with architecture. We’ve already seen how cool projected art can be when the interactive dog “Sniff” was projected onto the storefront of an East Market Street building. Imagine a building or even an entirre city that comes alive after nightfall. The temporal nature of such an installation is interesting on an urban level as well as it gets people onto the streets at night and provides a great benefit to actually living in the city (assuming the lights don’t keep you up). (via GOOD)
Apparently, projection art has really come a long way in recent years, besides the example above and Sniff, another group in Austria has created a sort of “digital wallpaper” that adds interest to the evening sidewalk-scape. See the video over here (via NotCot).
With Light Up Louisville just around the corner, how great would City Hall and Metro Hall look with such an installation? It’s not too late for 2010.
Find Louisville On A Map Showing Only Streets
U.S. map showing only roads (used with permission of Ben Fry)
I’ve been meaning to get this one online for a while. Visualizer Ben Fry of Cambridge, Mass. has created a map of the contiguous United States using only streets. All 26 million of them. It’s fascinating as the streets reveal complex geographies such as mountain ranges and show the general development of the country. No other data was used in the map, only streets, so cities become dark dots with lighter areas representing rural or undeveloped terrain. Geography becomes clear since most roads follow the contours of the land.
Louisville can be seen as the lower vertex of a triangle (with Indy & Cincy) directly below Michigan. A white patch under Louisville represents Fort Knox where there are few roads. Frankfort and Lexington can also be seen in the larger map (after the click) directly east of Louisville.
Click through to see a blown-up map of the Midwest and Appalachian region where Louisville can be seen in more detail and be sure to check out Ben Fry’s All Streets project page for more regional maps of the U.S.
- Ben Fry: All Streets (Official Site)
Broken Sidewalk News
As you have probably noticed, posting was a little slow last week. As you are now also likely noticing, the site looks a little different. We spent the better part of last week updating Broken Sidewalk’s design, all the way down to the core architecture. Hopefully the site should run faster, look cleaner, and offer more. If you’re reading this from an RSS reader, we invite you to stop on over and take a look around.
Here’s a rundown of some of the changes to the site:
- We’ve created a new branding identity which you can see up top in the header. There’s also a rotating series of panoramic photos from across the Louisville region that replace the static header of versions prior.
- The site design has been streamlined to push content farther to the top, reduce clutter, and create a more readible page. The general layout remains the same, but there are new, subtle design changes here and there. Despite the similar layout, the entire site was re-coded to run a little faster.
- The Twitter bar is gone. Broken Sidewalk still tweets, but we’re admittedly not very good at it. If you would like to see our Twitter feed, click the icon at the top of the page.
- Existing features are now improved. We finally started to make that “Map” tab up top actually do something. Right now, you can click on a neighborhood on the map and read our articles about the neighborhood. We’re working to get more information on the map soon.
- Your ability to filter posts is now fully functional. You can sort our articles by clicking on the links at the top of the page.
- Now you can learn more about Broken Sidewalk. The “About” tab up top has been re-worked to provide updated, more useful information.
- That’s the gist of the changes. There are more here and there, and several we’re finishing up as you read this. They’ll come online when they’re done.
If you find a bug, please tell us about it by e.mailing bs@brokensidewalk.com. We checked the site against the major browsers on a PC and don’t expect any major problems, but there may be one you find that we didn’t. If you have any suggestions for new features, please tell us about those, too. We want to create the best Broken Sidewalk we can.
Lastly, I will be back in Louisville next week updating the site with up-to-date information daily. An abstract itinerary is already in place and I’m excited to report the changes I see around town. Again, sorry for the slow posting last week, but Broken Sidewalk should pick up dramatically from here on out.
Checking In With Louisville’s Wild Side At The Zoo
Rendering of Glacier Run Exhibt (Courtesy Louisville Zoo)
The Louisville Zoo continues to move forward with its Glacier Run exhibit area. Initial phases have already opened, including a splash park, but the most exciting portions are slated to come online in the next year or two. Glacier Run is set to transform the way we interact with wildlife at the Louisville Zoo and will transform the Louisville institution into a world leader in exhibit design.
The next phases of the project, Glacier Run Village, broke ground last September. The first part of the exhibit, opening in the spring of 2010, will be home to seals and sea lions. A second signature portion housing polar bears will open in 2011. Future phases for Steller’s sea eagles, sea otters, and an animal outreach center will be completed after the main exhibit opens.
Fundraising efforts gained momentum recently with $2 million in additional funding provided by the James Graham Brown Foundation, bringing the total amount raised to $20.2 million. The Louisville Zoo still needs $8.9 million more to complete the entire project and establish an endowment. Once complete, the new Glacier Run exhibit is expected to provide $33.6 million in local economic impact while providing 400 new jobs.
Glacier Run is leading the way toward innovative 21st century zoo exhibit design. The Village of Glacier Run is an old mining town set on the edge of the Arctic wilderness. The design reflects the changing shape of the human and wild environment and offers lessons on how to live in conjunction with nature. Wildlife in the exhibit is experienced in this transition zone as polar bears cross catwalks in the town and immerse the viewer in the juxtaposed human and wild habitat. According to Louisville Zoo Director John Walczak:
“The Louisville Zoo is known for its award-winning, innovative exhibits and Glacier Run will continue that tradition. Not only will it communicate one of the most relevant conservation issues of our time, global climate change, it will also be the high quality, exciting experience that our visitors and community have come to expect.”
This exhibit marks a shift between the pristine exhibits of the 20th century displaying animals in a simulacra of their natural habitat untouched by humans. The trend has been catching on worldwide as exhibits strive to connect animals and viewers in a more realistic and personal level.
In Vienna at the Schönbrunn Zoo, artists Cristoph Steinbrener and Rainer Dempf have created an installation that takes this notion a little further. Called “Trouble in Paradise,” the installation inserts human components in stark contrast to the natural environment. Buffalo graze over railroad tracks, a rhino lounges in a pool with a submerged car, and penguins play at the foot of an oil well.
Steinbrener/Dempf wanted to confront the typical notion of “paradisical nature” to draw emphasis on the relationship between humans and the natural world. Their purpose is confrontational; to evoke a reaction from the viewer that demonstrates the sometimes stark contrast of clashing worlds. According to the artists:
“Present-day conceptions of zoological gardens aim at the presentation of animals in an idyllic and apparently natural environment, untouched by civilization. But this is a contemporary conception, since courtly menageries and kennels were adapted to the exposure of animals as decorative objects. Until the early years of the 20th century, animals were part of a preferably spectacular and exotic staging, to the entertainment and amazement of the public. The artificial and the sensational were foregrounded, without creating a realistic setting of the natural environment of the animals.”
The Vienna installation is only temporary and runs through mid October. The groundbreaking work at the Louisville Zoo is helping, as well, to redefine the way the public views and interacts with the natural world in transition. The innovative exhibit is sure to be a great hit when it opens in a couple years. Glacier Run at the Louisville Zoo was designed by Peckham, Guyton, Albers, & Viets of St. Louis and Arrasmith, Judd, Rapp, Chovan, Inc. of Louisville.
- Louisville Zoo (Official Site)
- Steinbrenner/Dempf (Official Site) (h/t Pruned)
Click through for Glacier Run renderings and photos of the Vienna Zoo.
Share Your Sparks Of Creative Genius At Mid-City Mall
Aha Moments Film Studio
Next week, a 34-foot silver Airstream mobile film studio will pull into Mid City Mall’s parking lot on Bardstown Road. The trailer has been touring the country on an “Aha Moment Campaign” and they want you to stop by and share your own “aha moment.”
What’ exactly is an aha moment? Good question; here’s some info from the group’s web site:
“Aha moments are powerful. More than an idea, or an epiphany, aha moments demand attention and action. Deciding on a new career. Jumping out of an airplane. Launching an international philanthropy, or becoming a fire dancer.
“In 2004, researchers at Northwestern University wanted to discover the physiological responses that lead to the breakthrough moments known as aha moments. What they discovered was that a split — second before having an aha moment, we experience a burst of electrical brain activity… kind of like a big light bulb going off in your brain.
“Another study in 2006 by the same research team found that aha moments tend to occur more often in the “prepared mind.” In short, if we’re open to change and maybe even looking for some kind of change — an aha moment is more likely to happen.
“Aha moments come in all shapes and sizes. We know from the real people featured on this site and with those to whom we continue to speak, that aha moments are personal. They have been described as, “magic,” “enlightenment,” and, “that moment of clarity when all the pieces fall into place.” They’ve told us that having an aha moment is like, “getting hit by a bus,” and that it just “hits you.”
“So, what is an aha moment? You’ll know when you have one.”
If you’re interested in sitting down and sharing your story, stop by Bardstown Road July 13 or 14 (Mon. or Tues.) between noon and 8:00pm. Videos will be shared online. The event is sponsored by Mutual of Omaha.
Strangely Possible Campaign Found In England
For better or for worse, we’re the Possibility City. But has a new campaign emerging in England via a student competition risen to challenge the supremacy of our possibility title? It’s possible.
Students Alex Katz, Borja Diego, and Javier Iñiguez de Onzoño Martín of Miami Ad School in Madrid have won an award for integrated communication from D&AD. Their concept appears to be a marketing campaign for a British bank called The Co-Operative and features Possi-ville with slogans such as “Anything is possible in Possi Ville.”
They came up with some clever material including a one-way ticket to Possi-Ville because it “is a place you want to visit and never want to leave.” Other ideas included guerilla marketing and a video game trailer seen above.
So does this spark the first trans-Atlantic Possibility-Feud? It’s possible. But the original Possibility City recently had some fun of its own with the video below featuring Broken Sidewalk reader, developer, and advertising extraordinaire Pip Pullen. Take a look at Louisville’s beautiful built environment as two “Brits” (aka “The Possibilitators”) tour around Limeyville.
Thoughts?
Happy Independence Day
Have a great Independence Day. It’s not quite fireworks, but here’s a choreographed video of bridges blowing up put together by the Virginia Department of Transportation. It’s a little repetitive, but still worth a watch. It’s set to an operatic score, too. More explosions over here. [ via Infrastructurist ]
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