Post industrial detritus.
One of the Seven Wharves. This was once the main gateway, via barges, to the rest of the North.
Chard Landing. I suppose this is organization.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The Archaeolgy of Fort McMurray
Post industrial detritus.
One of the Seven Wharves. This was once the main gateway, via barges, to the rest of the North.
Chard Landing. I suppose this is organization.
The Geology of Fort McMurray
Oil Sands just layin' 'round waitin' to be processed. "If God didn't intend for us to burn oil, he wouldn't have invented it!" or "What the hell do they mean? We're taking the oil and bad stuff out-of-the-ground, not putting it in."
The Anthrolpogy of Fort McMurray
Fort McMurray, Alberta. Everyone's Plan B. The End of Civilization. This is both a chance to start over, a chance to try again and a great option. This is like a previous generation's Manaus; it is at the end of the road and we create a culture here. A hard dark substance earns great profits as it commands the world's attention.
Poor Parking, Abasands
Previously I was in a somewhat similar place, but so different. Abu Dhabi and Dubai were places design professionals wished to be for the wages and, especially for Europeans, an accesible 'America with no Americans'. Opportunity was boundless, so it seemed, and the economy there absorbed thousands of Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers. Here, I am very alone. There, the working class was downtrodden and disregarded. Here, this is a place where the labourers & the technicians swagger, leaving their cars running whilst poorly parked.
Alone in Cold, Fort McMurray
This is the great refuge. This is the Good Old Days; the only place left where we can all make a buck and live indiscriminately.
Poor Parking, Abasands
Previously I was in a somewhat similar place, but so different. Abu Dhabi and Dubai were places design professionals wished to be for the wages and, especially for Europeans, an accesible 'America with no Americans'. Opportunity was boundless, so it seemed, and the economy there absorbed thousands of Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers. Here, I am very alone. There, the working class was downtrodden and disregarded. Here, this is a place where the labourers & the technicians swagger, leaving their cars running whilst poorly parked.
Alone in Cold, Fort McMurray
This is the great refuge. This is the Good Old Days; the only place left where we can all make a buck and live indiscriminately.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Sustainability & the Sense of Place
Sustainability has been co-opted. It now means ....n'importe quoi....it has been green-washed.
Typically, Sustainability can be a matter of registering the decrease in emissions from municipal buildings, increasing the number of public transit buses, growing more food close to home, not using plastic bags for shopping and volunteering to plant more trees in one's yard. All the effects of these activities may add up to an amelioration of the urban environment, and certainly a better collective feeling of participating in a societal project.
However there is a deeper layer of meaning and project which has to be undertaken if we are to be satisfied citizens in our new less carbon intensive lives. Sustainability has an aesthetic measure which forms both an iconic and quotidian sense of place and livelihood. Recognising and building on these latent measures will, if not help define sustainability, at least help define a sensibly better way of living with the world.
A cobbled street in Palermo, Buenos Aires, where everything one may need lays within a block or two of home.
When we begin to really think about and feel what is local and special and contextual we can begin to see how the distances we walk help or hinder our daily life, the shelters we stand under in the dripping rain or burning sun, or how the plants which line the street add or decrease a sense of authenticity. How the planning of the new commercial area close to home is outwardly accessible by foot and circulated within by foot and if it is visually open with opportunities to sit; all these matter.
It is why any one Large Sized Store is easily forgotten while particular neighbourhoods, or even whole cities, are memorable.
Anywhere
The measure of Urban form which you can recognise with your eyes, your feet, your nose is as equal to any other measure of 'sustainability' yet devised. Sustainability has little to do with purchasing and a lot more to do with appreciation of the good in our towns, cities and megalopolis' we have now inherited.
This has nothing to do with nostalgia and everything with simply designing urban space with the users in mind.
Paris, a very large city with many intimate places
Typically, Sustainability can be a matter of registering the decrease in emissions from municipal buildings, increasing the number of public transit buses, growing more food close to home, not using plastic bags for shopping and volunteering to plant more trees in one's yard. All the effects of these activities may add up to an amelioration of the urban environment, and certainly a better collective feeling of participating in a societal project.
However there is a deeper layer of meaning and project which has to be undertaken if we are to be satisfied citizens in our new less carbon intensive lives. Sustainability has an aesthetic measure which forms both an iconic and quotidian sense of place and livelihood. Recognising and building on these latent measures will, if not help define sustainability, at least help define a sensibly better way of living with the world.
A cobbled street in Palermo, Buenos Aires, where everything one may need lays within a block or two of home.
When we begin to really think about and feel what is local and special and contextual we can begin to see how the distances we walk help or hinder our daily life, the shelters we stand under in the dripping rain or burning sun, or how the plants which line the street add or decrease a sense of authenticity. How the planning of the new commercial area close to home is outwardly accessible by foot and circulated within by foot and if it is visually open with opportunities to sit; all these matter.
It is why any one Large Sized Store is easily forgotten while particular neighbourhoods, or even whole cities, are memorable.
Anywhere
The measure of Urban form which you can recognise with your eyes, your feet, your nose is as equal to any other measure of 'sustainability' yet devised. Sustainability has little to do with purchasing and a lot more to do with appreciation of the good in our towns, cities and megalopolis' we have now inherited.
This has nothing to do with nostalgia and everything with simply designing urban space with the users in mind.
Paris, a very large city with many intimate places
Friday, July 10, 2009
Sustainability and just good design...
http://smartercities.nrdc.org/rankings/large
I came across this website (above) last night and it shows a very interesting approach to evaluating a cities Sustainability Index. The only issue I take with this measure is that so many of these things evaluated are not 'sensed' (taste, feel, smell) as they are city wide or regional aspects.
A London Tube Station
The physicality of the day to day usefulness of this level of Sustainability is not always something appreciable by the woman or man on the street. That, the perceptible appreciable 'incentives' for sustainability, is the level I wish to understand; where the bike tire hits a curb, when the tree provides shade and habitat, and where the bus stop is actually pleasant. There are so many reasons why a place will work or not, aside from the initial aesthetic design, which leads a person to want to take public transit over drive their automobile.
How do we create incentives to then reinforce supportive urban form? By being sure to encourage, by providing the zoning and bylaws to create the atmosphere where these things may be designed and built.
Often, when the idea of creating "sustainability" conjures Utopian new cities in the sky images by some. However, by expensively 'build all new' scenarios which are high reliant on vast financial arrangements there can be meltdowns and bland cost cutting which weakens the product. Rather a city must simply encourage incremental and organic densification as the markets catch up to policy. This is in many senses of the word more sustainable and likely to succeed.
My matrix
I came across this website (above) last night and it shows a very interesting approach to evaluating a cities Sustainability Index. The only issue I take with this measure is that so many of these things evaluated are not 'sensed' (taste, feel, smell) as they are city wide or regional aspects.
A London Tube Station
The physicality of the day to day usefulness of this level of Sustainability is not always something appreciable by the woman or man on the street. That, the perceptible appreciable 'incentives' for sustainability, is the level I wish to understand; where the bike tire hits a curb, when the tree provides shade and habitat, and where the bus stop is actually pleasant. There are so many reasons why a place will work or not, aside from the initial aesthetic design, which leads a person to want to take public transit over drive their automobile.
How do we create incentives to then reinforce supportive urban form? By being sure to encourage, by providing the zoning and bylaws to create the atmosphere where these things may be designed and built.
Often, when the idea of creating "sustainability" conjures Utopian new cities in the sky images by some. However, by expensively 'build all new' scenarios which are high reliant on vast financial arrangements there can be meltdowns and bland cost cutting which weakens the product. Rather a city must simply encourage incremental and organic densification as the markets catch up to policy. This is in many senses of the word more sustainable and likely to succeed.
My matrix
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Masdar City
MASDAR is being built.
While Masdar is making smaller streets and it will be car free, it is a campus/business park; not a genuine City. As such, is it is not a model which is an option for most of the world (who has Billions to spend as they do?) or as a social/economic/ecological network space which is what a city is.
Abu Dhabi, and the rest of the worlds cities, should build within what they have built already, retrofitting and renovating and upgrading what they already have. For example: install solar and wind generators everywhere, grow food everywhere and most importantly increase the connectivity of streets at grade so that trams, pedestrians and bicycles can share the space with slow moving vehicles.
If Abu Dhabi were to invest all those billions into its existing grid of roads and infrastructure all the lessons of the research and new technology will be far more instructive and applicable to China, India, and anywhere which is faced with a highway engineered and automobile-centered way of life.
I believe it will be far better to fix what we have rather than to try to buy a new utopia. However, as MASDAR is to be an campus and business park which is of a much finer detail and deliberate sense of purpose, it will be a great example of what is achievable if we put our resources to work.
While Masdar is making smaller streets and it will be car free, it is a campus/business park; not a genuine City. As such, is it is not a model which is an option for most of the world (who has Billions to spend as they do?) or as a social/economic/ecological network space which is what a city is.
Abu Dhabi, and the rest of the worlds cities, should build within what they have built already, retrofitting and renovating and upgrading what they already have. For example: install solar and wind generators everywhere, grow food everywhere and most importantly increase the connectivity of streets at grade so that trams, pedestrians and bicycles can share the space with slow moving vehicles.
If Abu Dhabi were to invest all those billions into its existing grid of roads and infrastructure all the lessons of the research and new technology will be far more instructive and applicable to China, India, and anywhere which is faced with a highway engineered and automobile-centered way of life.
I believe it will be far better to fix what we have rather than to try to buy a new utopia. However, as MASDAR is to be an campus and business park which is of a much finer detail and deliberate sense of purpose, it will be a great example of what is achievable if we put our resources to work.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Pedal Power
Pedal power to the people - ride on!
By Leah McLean in the Globe and Mail: May 4, 2009
As it stands, there is only one convenient way of getting around the modern urban landscape, and that is the almighty bicycle.
By Leah McLean in the Globe and Mail: May 4, 2009
As it stands, there is only one convenient way of getting around the modern urban landscape, and that is the almighty bicycle.
Hopping on a bike is cheaper, faster, healthier, more pleasant and more environmentally sound than any other mode of transportation known to humankind. Old-fashioned as it might seem, cycling is the way of the future.
No need for initiatives or incentives here. People are way ahead of their governments on this one. The recent numbers are astonishing. Last year, the New York City department of transportation reported that, in 2007-08, bicycle commuting went up by 35 per cent. London is reporting a similar increase in the wake of the inner-city traffic congestion charge that was introduced a couple of years ago. Today, an estimated quarter of a million Londoners travel to and from work by bike.
Toronto - a city without the benefit of a year-round bike-friendly climate - is also on the upswing. Statistics Canada reported a 32-per-cent increase in pedal-pushers on the roads from 2001 to 2006 - and that was before the downturn.
As a committed lifelong cyclist, it's heartening to see so many people finally coming around to the same obvious conclusion. If you care about your health, the environment and your bank account and are physically able, biking just makes sense, full stop.
And yet in spite of its increased popularity, there are still a puzzling number of people who are resistant to cycling on the grounds that it's dangerous or impractical. In fact, though, London statistics show that the number of biking accidents actually goes down as the number of cyclists goes up.
In Germany, where bike riding is part of the normal culture, people are 10 times more likely to ride a bike than Americans and three times less likely to get hurt while doing so.
The problem with cycling in North America and Britain (as opposed to, say, the Netherlands or Japan) is that it's treated like a recreational sport rather than a normal way of getting around. Instead of increasing bike lanes, North American governments prefer to pass mandatory helmet laws. The irony is, of course, that cycling accident rates in continental Europe, where helmets are almost unheard of, are generally much lower.
The lesson here is simple: The more stylish cycling becomes, the safer and more practical it will be.
Luckily, cycling culture is in the midst of a much-needed makeover. The days of middle-aged sportos spinning to work in spandex crotch pads and clip-in shoes are all but over, replaced by a new generation of smartly dressed Audrey Hepburns, trundling along with terriers tucked into their baskets.
In New York, meanwhile, the classic Dutch bicycle - a black metal, old-school cruiser - was recently heralded in The New York Times as "the first status symbol of the Great Downturn."Abu Dhabi Streets
Abu Dhabi seeks sense of direction
From the Globe and Mail, May 4, 2009This bustling city operates on an unofficial jerry-rigged system of landmarks, colloquial street names and post office box numbers that residents, businesses, courier companies and postal services rely on to operate smoothly.
But those days are numbered, as the municipality is expected to unveil a new addressing plan in the coming months, designed to accompany the centre's ambitious expansion goals to accommodate a population that is expected to triple to more than three million people by 2030.
Although Abu Dhabi already has an addressing system in place, one that operates on properly numbered streets, sectors and zones, it is not one with which most cab drivers are acquainted.
Asking for a lift to Sheikh Zayed the First Street will most often be met with a quizzical expression. Mention Electra, which is not on maps and does not appear to be referred to in any way on the street itself, and the driver will smile, nod, and hit the gas.
Calls to emergency services are handled the same way, which is why the U.S. Overseas Security Advisory Council advises that those who move to the city prepare a set of workable directions that can be kept by the phone, and that they make sure the emergency operator fully understands them. (Mail is delivered to post-office boxes, and many people use their work addresses.) All that could soon change as Abu Dhabi implements a new addressing system. The city has hired Norwegian city-planning consultancy Norplan, in a two-year, $3.3-million contract that has involved borrowing elements from major metropolitan centres including Toronto, Manhattan, Paris and Doha, to come up with a plan that works. Dubai, 90 minutes down the road, is working on a similar plan and has already asked its residents for input on new street names.
For now, though, most expatriates just muddle through until they get it right.
When this reporter makes an order for takeout food, it is directed to “the water tank area, new white building, near the White Cat Laundry, above White Wave Furniture, between Muroor and Airport Road.”
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Streets not roads.
Rouen, France
From:
http://blog.islandpress.org/325/peter-newmans-resilient-cities-the-sustainable-transport-city
Peter Newman:
"The variations in private transport fuel use across 84 cities shows that there is a very large difference in how cities use cars and petroleum fuels. Through a number of studies it has been shown that these variations have little to do with climate, culture or politics, and even income is very poorly correlated, but they have a lot to do with the physical planning decisions that are made in those cities. There is debate about the relative importance of urban planning parameters though within the profession there is increasing awareness that sustainable transport will only happen if there is an emphasis on urban form and density; infrastructure priorities especially the relative commitment to public transport compared to cars; and, street planning especially the provision for pedestrians and cyclists as part of sustainable mobility management."
Really, the way we live was descided by someone or by many someones responding to the best information they had. What we need to do is provide better analysis of the problems and draw much better scenarios for the future. If we can focus on the many small things which take part in our daily lives, such as walking to the local store, we can create a much improved urbanity.
Portland, Oregon
"Sustainable mobility management is about “streets not roads”, whereby the streets are used for a multiplicity of purposes, not just maximising vehicle flow."
"If cities build freeways then car dependence quickly follows. This is because the extra speed of freeways means that the city can quickly spread outwards into lower density land uses as the freeway rapidly becomes the preferred option. If on the other hand a city does not build freeways but prefers to emphasise transit it can enable its streets to become an important part of the sustainable transport system. Streets can be designed to favour pedestrians and cyclists and wherever this is done, cities invariably become surprised at how much more attractive and business-friendly it becomes – see the many projects and publications from Jan Gehl."
Put Back Paradise !!
From:
http://www.architectmagazine.com/content.asp?articleID=652494§ionID=1006
Question: How would you spend the $1.6 trillion on infrastucture in the US of A?
Depave the Parking Lot and Put Back Paradise
http://www.architectmagazine.com/content.asp?articleID=652494§ionID=1006
Question: How would you spend the $1.6 trillion on infrastucture in the US of A?
Depave the Parking Lot and Put Back Paradise
We would spend less time fixing and more time dismantling America's infrastructure. The 50-year suburban experiment in car culture is untenable in the face of climate change and projections of peak oil. Urbanism needs to embrace ecology, and urbanists need to recapture the exuberance of visionaries from Charles Fourier to Buckminster Fuller in the creation of new models for sustainable and localized communities.
We would spend the $1.6 trillion on five important eco-urbanist projects. First, a systematic study of the suburbs identifying those which can be densified as new cities and those which can be returned to farmland: There is no middle ground in Ecotopia.
Second, the reconstruction of a national rail network for people and goods and the elimination of trucking.
Third, a massive investment in ecological infrastructure, from solar fields to town-scaled water-filtering living machines.
Fourth, the expansion of farming universities; working land organically will become the future's (more satisfying) version of working at Wal-Mart.
Lastly, the re-establishment of the Jeffersonian grid as a national priority. Ban the cul-de-sac.
The final plea is something no money can buy: To abandon small ideas, banality in design, and the clinging to historicism in order to recapture a nonexistent past—and instead to channel courage, optimism, and humanism in the search for big and forward-looking solutions to contemporary issues.
—Dan Wood and Amale Andraos
Principals, WORK Architecture, New York
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Pedestrian Crossings in UAE Currently
Click on image to enlarge
Currently, there are underwater bars being built, islands in the shape of other things, the worlds tallest tower by far and the worlds only carbon nuetral city in the UAE. All this, but no cycle paths or pedestrian facilities such as at grade pedestrian priority cross walks or the dreaded ( by me) pedestrian overpasses. Instead, all that some* have to live, or die, with is a hole in the fence.
Under the fence, over the gas line past the sign saying "danger, no tresspassing" and under another fence, over the two rows of Jersey Barriers, 'quickly now' over 4 lanes of traffic rolling at 120- 140 km/hr...then onto the planted median... 4 more lanes of traffic..whew!!! then just the 3 lanes of service road and then!!! Then..the grocery store is at hand. This is really not a stroll to the local shop and hardly all that could be accomplished here. Ah, but look at the next post.
Abu Dhabi pedestrians to get 32 air-conditioned overbridges
By Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter Last updated: January 24, 2009, 23:55
Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Municipality will construct 32 state-of-the-art air-conditioned pedestrian over- bridges with escalators all over the city, aiming to reduce the number of accidents involving pedestrians, a senior official told Gulf News.
"I cannot mention a time frame for the completion of the project at this stage," the official said.
Asked to comment on the complaints from residents about the long walk over the existing, lengthy pedestrian subways and over-bridges, he said air-conditioning and elevators in the new over-bridges will help put an end to all such complaints.
"Those comfortable facilities will attract pedestrians to use the over-bridges rather than risking their lives by jaywalking," he said.
"It must be a comprehensive solution to help pedestrian and vehicular traffic movement," he explained.
Residents welcomed the latest initiative. "Many people used to complain that our streets were not pedestrian-friendly," said Mohammad Al Hosani, an Emirati businessman.
"Pedestrians will [now] feel secure and comfortable with the new bridges, while drivers will not need to worry about jaywalkers at crowded places," he added.
Statistics
200 - Pedestrians killed in the capital between March and November 2008
8,262- Pedestrians fined for jaywalking from March to November 2008
91 - Pedestrian deaths were reported in 2007
647 - Pedestrians were involved in road accidents in 2007.
This is an excellent idea from the authorities and I believe it will lessen the number of accidents involving pedestrians. I also think that putting a fence at the side of the road, which would prevent pedestrians from crossing the road, will force people to use the air conditioned bridges. Francis Belisario Abu Dhabi,UAE Posted: January 25, 2009, 16:22
It's not always the driver's fault. Have you seen some of the people crossing the street that just run directly without looking left or right? Just like headless chicken! So, safety should start from every corner all. Jey Abu Dhabi,UAE Posted: January 25, 2009, 16:00
I appreciate the move by the authorities to introduce these overbridge crossings. Sajan Varghese Abu Dhabi, UAE Posted: January 25, 2009, 15:03
This would be a great idea for Dubai too. Crossing Shaikh Zayed Road is impossible for pedestrians. More pedestrians paths would help reduce some of the traffic and make walking a nicer experience. Ben Dubai,UAE Posted: January 25, 2009, 13:33
Pedestrian Bridges will ruin the view of the city. The problem is with the people who don't follow the city rules and regulations and will blame the authorities for it. John Abu Dhabi,UAE Posted: January 25, 2009, 10:59
Great idea! But, the bridges need to be located not too far apart otherwise they will not be used. At a maximum, say, 500 metres apart. They need to be located near residential areas, shopping areas, and parks. It would also be useful to bring them together with bus stops. Furthermore, the locations of the bridges need to be clearly signed in several languages, with direction arrows. What about cyclists? Cycling is a great way to curbing obesity and diabetes. The Salam Street development needs to include cycle tracks and foot bridges/underpasses as a must. Several are required on the Airport Road, and the 100km/hr Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street(30th), and without doubt the Shaikh Maktoum Highway in the area of Raha Beach where there have been fatal accidents, too. Roger Swainson Abu Dhabi,UAE Posted: January 25, 2009, 10:31
I would to suggest that the taxi stand in Abu Dhabi needs to have a pedestrian brigde. People just crossing and running all across the roads, not using the pedestrian crossing. Eufrocina Bunag Abu Dhabi,UAE
Dubai to build cycling and pedestrian tracks
By Ashfaq Ahmed Chief ReporterLast updated: January 25, 2009,
Dubai: Dubai will have some 580 kilometres of cycling and walking tracks on various roads in a bid to encourage people cover short distances without using private cars.
The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has already completed a 14.6-kilometre walkway and cycling track on Jumeirah Beach as part of its plans to encourage walking and cycling culture in the city.
"The walkways have been designed to link pedestrian crossings and metro stations with nearby buildings. Majority of the walkways within the congested parts of the city and commercial areas will be air-conditioned to enable people to use them even during extreme hot weather conditions," said Abdul Mohsen Ebrahim, Chief Executive Officer of the RTA's Strategic and Corporate Governance Sector.
He said the pedestrian walkways would be connected to one another to facilitate pedestrians walk from one area to the other with ease. "We are working on plans to make Dubai as a pedestrian-friendly city and it will have a total of 72 pedestrian crossings by the first quarter of 2010," he added.
The RTA is also working on plans to improve the existing walkways by widening the current footpaths for safety of the pedestrians in the city.
"We considered walking one of the safest transport modes with great benefits. The objective of the RTA is to reduce the dependency of the residents on vehicles for short-distance travels," said Ebrahim.
The RTA has reviewed the available facilities for cyclists in the city and has decided to have parking spaces for cycles in addition to dedicated lanes for cyclists in some parts of the city, especially in the crowded Central Business Districts of Deira and Bur Dubai.
It will also help reduce traffic congestion in busy areas in addition to providing a healthy activity to residents.
The RTA is planning to devise ways to encourage malls, entertainment clubs, schools, colleges, hospitals and other companies in both the public and private sector to provide parking spaces for cyclists according to specified standards.
"We will seek to devise a comprehensive plan for the development of the cycling network that will include laying cycling tracks, providing the requisite facilities and framing guidelines and legislations for the use of bicycles," said the official.
He said the pedestrian walkways would be connected to one another to facilitate pedestrians walk from one area to the other with ease. "We are working on plans to make Dubai as a pedestrian-friendly city and it will have a total of 72 pedestrian crossings by the first quarter of 2010," he added.
The RTA is also working on plans to improve the existing walkways by widening the current footpaths for safety of the pedestrians in the city.
"We considered walking one of the safest transport modes with great benefits. The objective of the RTA is to reduce the dependency of the residents on vehicles for short-distance travels," said Ebrahim.
The RTA has reviewed the available facilities for cyclists in the city and has decided to have parking spaces for cycles in addition to dedicated lanes for cyclists in some parts of the city, especially in the crowded Central Business Districts of Deira and Bur Dubai.
It will also help reduce traffic congestion in busy areas in addition to providing a healthy activity to residents.
The RTA is planning to devise ways to encourage malls, entertainment clubs, schools, colleges, hospitals and other companies in both the public and private sector to provide parking spaces for cyclists according to specified standards.
"We will seek to devise a comprehensive plan for the development of the cycling network that will include laying cycling tracks, providing the requisite facilities and framing guidelines and legislations for the use of bicycles," said the official.
Accoerding to RTA figures, there are more than 100,000 bicycles used in city mainly in commercial business districts of Deira and Bur Dubai areas as well as in labour camps
Most bicycles are used as a means of transportation while the remainder is used for purposes of exercise and entertainment.
COMMENTS:
The second best thing that the city has been blessed with. After the metro, cycle tracks will make certain pockets in the city extremely accessible. It has the potential to be successful, as a major section of the working population is not able to use bicycles due to the lack of regulations, parking and tracks. With close to seven months of cyclable weather, Dubai certainly needed a well regulated system of cycle tracks before anything. Congratulations to Dubai and the Roads and Transport Authority. Manupriam Dubai,UAE
The second best thing that the city has been blessed with. After the metro, cycle tracks will make certain pockets in the city extremely accessible. It has the potential to be successful, as a major section of the working population is not able to use bicycles due to the lack of regulations, parking and tracks. With close to seven months of cyclable weather, Dubai certainly needed a well regulated system of cycle tracks before anything. Congratulations to Dubai and the Roads and Transport Authority. Manupriam Dubai,UAE
We live quite close to my husband's workplace, but not close enough for him to walk to it. If the cycling tracks are introduced then it would save him a lot to time that is wasted on the congested roads. Sids Dubai,UAE Posted: January 25, 2009
Cycling tracks are very important in Dubai, especially near Labour Camps. The residents save time and money. Mohammad Afzal Al Deen Dubai,UAE Posted: January 25, 2009, 11:45
Public needs a pedestrian crossing on Port Saeed ERoad from Garhoud to Deira City Centre. In the mornings and evenings there are plenty of people who try to cross that road and its very dangerous.From A Reader Dubai,UAE Posted: January 25, 2009, 10:21
Thank goodness for this! In an era of climate change, obesity and decreasing fossil fuel supplies, pedestrian and cycle paths are a must for any modern, forward-thinking city. My dependence on taxis and being unable to walk or ride outside of the area I live in have been the main downsides to living in Dubai and as a cycling enthusiast I've longed to be able to get out there and cycle without fearing for my life. When I do cycle, my clothes end up smelling like petrol fumes so I hate to think what's going into my lungs. Let's hope the RTA makes a big effort to promote both walking and cycling and educates arrogant drivers about the presence of pedestrians and cyclists. (And teach them how to use their indicator lights while they're at it) :)Deb Dubai,UAE Posted: January 25, 2009, 10:11
This is the best decision. It will resolve a lot of issues related to traffic- like depression caused from waiting in traffic, quality time loss etc. shine Sharjah,UAE Posted: January 25, 2009, 09:02
Great plan. It will be useful for middle income group. Using cycles will help avoid traffic congestion and pollution to environment. Mahesh babu Nagarajan Chennai,India Posted: January 25, 2009,
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Iconic Buildings: Iconic Cities
Coming soon, Saadiyat Island with a Guggenheim by Frank Gehry, a Maritime Museum by Tadeo Ando, a Performance Centre by Zaha Hadid and a branch of the Louvre (why not) by Jean Nouvel. This will all be connected by a bridge (..or two along with a Metro Line) into downtown Abu Dhabi.
Tadeo Ando's Maritime Museum in the foreground.
Jean Nouvel 's Louvre.
Al Raha Beach Development, where I work.
Above: A shot from a helicopter of the site of the new city as it sits now, under construction. And below, what it will look sort of like from the scale model of the entire site.
Aldar Development Corporation's new headquarters at Al Raha Beach. Yes, it is a large disk. Under Construction.
What it will look like from in context with several other buildings and a marina from a larger scale model of the 'Al Dana' precinct.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Al Mena Plant Market
Al Mena market is at the end of the long Cornich Drive in the harbour along side the fishing boats and Iranian Souk. There are many purveyors of plants staring Bougainvillea, Ficus, Jasmine, and Agave but then moving rapidly into unknown, to me, plant physignomy and nomenclature.
Very Temporary Spaces
Water tank and structure with fence.
In the UAE it is quite possible to leave the coastal cities so well known for their newness and brashness as much as their heat and traffic and depart for the desert. The desert of Lawrence: "I like the desert because it is clean" and in Asterix: "This Desert is crazy!" (Obelix).
The tenuousness of human habitation is made even more clear when the desert looms. We design things to perform a function and then we move on, or it moves on, or our interests change, or the sands shift and so we have to create anew. In the desert this relationship is paramount and quick.
A camel ranch
We had a picnic, but of the Livingston and Stanley sort in which absolutely everything was brought along, for extreme comfort. We created a place within a vast space, but only for a short while.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Al-Ain: a mostly traditional city.
The summer hill station / oasis of Al-Ain sits beside mountains on the Oman border. The city has a strong urban fabric, with far too many traffic circles however (really now...not another one), very walkable and clean and very well maintained streets, with wonderful street side shopping along with many street trees, a real functioning oasis and just perfectly utilitarian open air markets. In many ways the required needs of a Gulf city are present here and is very instructive.
The question I ask then is where and why did the city building projects here in the Gulf try to emulate Pheonix or Dallas instead of the appropriate sort of urban fabric suited to the climate and culture? Yes, the private automobile was going to have to be accomodated, but who said the complete obliteration of 'street' was a good idea? We can be happy that at least Al Ain sits as an example to refer back to.
For example:
Tunis: old city above and new city below. Even the new city responded, in a french colonial way, at least to the climate if not the culture. Why were the french, in building new cities in a very warm climate able to remember a simple means of shading and creating active space by means of the arcades running along the streets...while currently new cities of the Gulf cannot.
Raining on Dubai!
No pun really intended, but recently there has been rain falling on Dubai's Parade. The slowdown in available credit for those who had bought into the real estate market no longer can continue to recieve more credit or make payments. Especially if they are holding onto second mortgages on rapidly depreciating homes in the UK or USA which had paid for their castle in the sands, then the market aimed at these people has disappeared as so much water in the desert.
But it did in fact rain in Dubai yesterday. On an urban design note, there is little to no drainage considerations. Not a surprise really, considering it is a desert, but still somewhat strange that no one thinks about details here.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Designed for Abu Dhabi
Many special buildings and spaces exist here. Some are oddly proportioned, many are ordinary, some are short and some are tall, but Abu Dhabi has tended to focus on planning and city building rather than just show. People are given a great deal of high quality well maintained public space. Interestingly, it is much better used at night due to the lower temepratures and very high degree of security; so unlike our North American parks which are closed in the evening.
Dubai, on the other hand, has focused on the single objects (buildings) which are superlative, anti-urban and without supporting infrastructure. Quite shocking to anyone who cares about urban quality.
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