Broken Sidewalk Archives
Archive for the Urbanism Category
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Category Archives: Urbanism
Video: Multi-Modal Streets In Turn Of The Century San Francisco
Check out this video of Market Street in San Francisco in 1905, just before the city was destroyed by the famous 1906 earthquake set to a relaxing Air soundtrack. What’s really great about the footage, taken from the front of a streetcar, is that you can find just about every type of transportation available.
Pedestrians are everywhere, including elegantly dressed ladies, delivery men, and some children running in front of trolleys and cars. Horses and wagons, early cars, bikes, cable cars, and trolleys are also plentiful. Note as well how slow traffic moves on such a wide and busy thoroughfare. Pedestrians don’t cross at crosswalks or run for their lives across the middle of the street. Also interesting is how the street apparently functions in chaos without any real rules.
PrintVideo: Tilt-Shift Boston
Tilt-shift. Time-lapse. Boston. Enjoy.
[ Sketches of Boston Traffic by Patrick Johnson via Digital Urban. ]
Tilt-Shift Berlin
Yesterday we saw a great tilt-shift video of Dresden, and today we get an even better tilt-shift video of Berlin by Pilpop. Who is going to step up and finally make one of these for Louisville? Any takers?
[ Hat tip Today & Tomorrow. ]
New York Trades Parking For Pedestrian Space
Sidewalk dining space created from parking (Broken Sidewalk)
New York has become famous for carving out pedestrian spaces from busy streets across the city, taming traffic and creating much needed plaza space. The city’s newest innovation replaces five parallel parking spaces in the Financial District with a wooden deck to accommodate al fresco dining.
Tilt-Shift Dresden
Another great tilt-shift and time-lapse video of Dresden, Germany by MoritzHL. This stuff never gets old. [ Hat tip Digital Urban ]
How Does A Heat Wave Affect Your Use Of Public Space?
So everyone can agree it’s been ridiculously hot this summer. In fact, June was a record-breaking month for temperatures.
The NY Times’ City Room recently discussed how the heat is counter-intuitively hurting business for ice cream trucks around New York. Drivers are reporting the streets to be largely deserted as people are seeking relief at swimming pools or staying indoors in air-conditioning.
Heat-induced deserted streets are an interesting phenomenon and can really change how we use the city. What have your observations been this summer during the heat wave? What are your own personal behaviors? Do you lock yourself in the air-conditioning or go out for a bike ride? What does it all mean for the street life of the cit? Discuss in the comments.
Also interesting: The Filson Historical Society just issued a series of postcards depicting scenes from its special collections of locals enjoying summers past in an age without air conditioning. (Hat tip to my old neighborhood blog EV Grieve for the video. )
Video: Time Lapse London
Here’s another time lapse video like the one from Tokyo a couple days ago. This time, we’re in London. (via Digital Urban)
Ideal City Conference Starts Tomorrow
The University of Louisville’s School of Urban & Public Affairs is hosting the Ideal City Conference beginning tomorrow, July 22 and running through the weekend – and you’re invited. Beginning each day at 8:30 AM, Professor John Gilderbloom has arranged for an international panel to tackle the challenges facing cities today and into the future.
While the conference isn’t free, if you mention Broken Sidewalk at registration, you can get a discounted rate of $99 for the entire conference (that’s down from $350!). The entire schedule is posted after the click, but some of the featured speakers include Bill Weyland, Steve Wiser, Tom Owen, and many other local and national notables.
The topics cover cities in general and many use Louisville as a prime example covering issues such as sustainability, equitable development, urban landscape and biodiversity, urban design, and many more. This sounds like an excellent opportunity to catch up with some leading urban thinkers to discuss the future of Louisville and the American city.
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