The Redevelopment of Toronto
“It takes 40 or 50 years to update an industrial landscape. We want to speed that up,” says Sidewalk Labs’ urban planner. After disrupting our online activities, Google’s parent company now wants to disrupt how cities work. Rohit Aggarwala, head of urban systems at Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs, spoke about the company as they gear up...
Design / Design Concepts / Environmental Management / Garden and Public Art / Landscape / Landscape Architecture / Landscape Construction / Landscape Design / Landscape Structures / Street and Outdoor Furniture / Water Features
The Public Space Moment
Public spaces are having a moment. People from outside the field of urban planning are beginning to notice the vital contributions they make to our quality of life: inserting nature and cultural memory into the everyday, reminding us of our collective responsibilities, supporting democratic expression. People are also beginning to notice the subtle ways in...
Design / Garden and Public Art / Landscape / Landscape Structures / Street & Outdoor Furniture / Street and Outdoor Furniture / Water Features
The Popularity of the Parklet
While readily embraced by many countries overseas, the parklet has only recently become a popular ‘street-activation’ of choice for city planners across Australia A UNSW Lecturer asks why? As councils across Australia strive to enhance their liveability, parklets are proving popular among city communities. A poll of 300-plus citizens gathered for the inaugural Perth City Summit...
Walkable Urban Neighbourhoods
I have lived in neighbourhoods where you can walk around, to a store, a movie, a restaurant, for 40 years, counting my college days. I grew up in a ranch house with a driveway, but came to adulthood in foot-based parts of cities. Others have also rediscovered the joys and benefits of walkable places. They...
Are We Underutilising Our Rooftops?
As our cities increase in density, new thoughts are emerging regarding how we configure our urban spaces and the best way to capitalise on our best resource for space – our rooftops. With the increasing density of our cities, Australians are starting to rethink how our urban space is configured. With space at such a...
Urban Spaces for All Ages
It’s no secret that people in inner urban areas of Australia’s cities are getting very comfortable with the idea of dense vertical living. Visiting Brisbane with my young family last month, I was blown away by the diversity of open space in the inner city, and the new night-time economy that had taken over areas...
Dementia Village Offers New Aged-Care Model
The dementia village concept is designed as a community, to be domestic and feel familiar to patients. Patients can shop, get their hair done or see a movie – safely. As our ageing population brings increasing challenges to the global healthcare system, this model could serve as example for a range of senior support facilities particularly those...
Crowdfunding Revolutionising Public-Space Project Funding
Crowdfunding now represents a ‘huge opportunity’ for architects looking to get public projects off the ground. “A lot of people see the potential of crowdfunding to get the public involved in a project the public will use,” said Sophie Paton, part of the team behind the Thames Deckway project. “It’s a trend that will keep on...
The First Living Building in Texas?
The Betty and Clint Josey Pavilion, one of Texas’ most eco-friendly structures, is nestled in an unassuming native prairie landscape near Decatur. The self-sufficient 502m2 open-air pavilion is 100 percent powered by solar, uses zero air conditioning, harvests rainwater and treats all wastewater on-site. San Antonio-based firm Lake|Flato Architects designed the award-winning pavilion to meet the standards of...
Innovative Parks to Add to Your Bucket List
Innovative park design and public space reclamation have combined to become one of the latest green trends to emerge in contrast against the urban concrete jungle. These green trends have enjoyed such massive success in the public eye that developers around the world are scrambling to innovate and replicate, with projects ranging from public rooftop...
Picnic Table with Power
There’s a big green roof on top of the Williamsburg offices of Vice in NYC. There is what looks like a picnic table with a solar panel sunshade nestled in the planting which designer Matt Kovaleski describes as “a space for urbanites to relax in the shade while charging whatever they need off clean energy.” This humble...
Solar Sphere Man Cave
When it comes to personal DIY projects most people might be happy with building a deck or a shed – not Jono Williams, a Plastics Engineer and Graphic Designer from New Zealand. After shooting the breeze with a mate one night, this Kiwi inventor committed to building the ultimate app-controlled treehouse. After working on the...
