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Now:

Three days from now:

Check out this park and landscape in Prague. I have mixed feelings about modernist architecture. It always looks amazing in photography but often is bleak and imposing from the ground level. More recent construction like this, however, re-writes the perspective on a human scale. It looks very functional, almost inviting.

(via bad banana blog)

I read with some interest i09’s assessment of Clinton era Sci-Fi. Never really thought about it but the 90’s did have some great Sci-Fi.

The Obama election has to be hugely significant for people of my generation. Specifically those around 30 years of age. The first election I was able to vote in 2000 saw a great amount of quashed optimism. The second election in 2004 was sort of confusing and frustrating at the same time. No question we weren’t happy about Bush but at the same time there wasn’t a solid candidate to rally behind.

This year was different.

The night of the election an assembly of poor hipsters gathered at the Orphanage (our aptly named Bed-stuy home) and there were those who simply refused to believe that anything good could come of the election — even though they were fervent Obama supporters. My roommate turned to one and said “Just because we’re used to being disappointed doesn’t mean we can’t be happy for a bit.”

Indeed it is a bit bizarre to be even cautiously optimistic about politics for once. Obama is like a touchtone icon for America’s hope and promise for a better future. He also seems refreshingly (at least for now) like a unifying figure after eight years of the country within and world outside wedging itself apart. Perhaps it’s simply the fact that I’ve only ever lived in blue states but I can’t ever remember seeing pictures of our president (elect) posted up in corner stores and apartment windows. Daily online you’ll find ridiculous but hopeful headlines about the future utopia to come.

Here are a few to ponder over: Does an Obama Win Mean a Dark Knight Oscar? Can Obama Save the Auto Industry by Greening it on Day One?

The best and most all encompassing has to be Kottke’s When Obama Wins which randomizes promises of a better future with Obama.

If you find any other overly optimistic headlines about Obama’s presidency post them in the comments.

The passage of Prop 1a is a great opportunity and for me somewhat surprising given this is the first time I’ve voted in a major election outside of California. (As is of course the disappointing passage of Prop 8). The California High Speed Rail Blog has published an excellent list of Next Steps concerning where to go from here to support the High Speed Rail system. In my mind the biggest thing on that list as far as forward thinking planning has to support of current infrastructure (point 6). However, supporting existing rail infrastructure alone is simply one piece of the puzzle. A drastic restructuring of zoning and city planning must simultaneously occur to not only ensure the success of the system but to restructure California to absorb the overwhelming population growth expected in the coming decades.

To be sure, California is going to grow larger and the High Speed Rail project is a landmark affirmation for focusing that growth in existing urban centers in the state. However, the cities themselves need to act resolutely to capitalize on the significant investment to enact change. While in the past several decades urban centers across the state have been financing transit infrastructure improvements — the latest and most notable being Los Angeles county’s Measure R; what has lagged in the state is significant rewriting of archaic (more…)

John King has an article about Jan Gehl, an urban designer who was brought in to consult with San Francisco about the Fisherman’s Wharf area. Not my favorite part of the city but I like his suggestions about how to improve the area. Perhaps if they’re implemented I’ll be more apt to visit the area.

an excerpt
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Every city has its own topography and ambiance, says Jan Gehl, author of such urban design studies as 1971s “Life Between Buildings.” But he also says there are rules of thumb to keep in mind when crafting plans and reviving neighborhoods. Here are four:

Rein in the automobile. “For 50 years we were completely obsessed with making room for cars,” Gehl says. “We need to show respect for people who are moving about on foot or by bicycle.”

Accentuate the positive. “Celebrate the things that give a place its special character - views of mountains or water, historic buildings. If its nice for the locals, visitors will love to come there also.”

Emphasize the out-of-doors. “We do almost all our work indoors; we need to move in our leisure time. People want to walk, run, bicycle - or sit and enjoy the setting, have a cappuccino.”

Design for all ages. “Various groups in the population have various needs,” Gehl says. For instance, fold active playgrounds into a district - but put them where parents can relax with a glass of wine while children let off steam.

John King reviews ‘Atlas of the Real World’ concluding it puts us in our place

Seeing these pics just makes me long for San Francisco a little.

(via Inhabitat)

Yes yes yes yes!! This article by yahoo news (I know! wow.) enumerates a number of issues I’ve been meaning to gather into a thoughtful, drawn-out post. Basically the public subsidy of cars is destroying any possibility for modern American cities to develop more walkable, transit-friendly neighborhoods.

Even though there is tremendous support for transit and ridership has been improving in most states (especially the west) in the last decade development patterns simply haven’t kept up. Easements on parking requirements definitely make sense especially in neighborhoods well serviced by transit. Rather than hurting property values I believe it will be a boon to development as more and more odd-lots are able to be built upon.

Think of the car issue as a running fountain. Basically the more spots you have in a neighborhood the more cars therefore the greater necessity for streets to pipe them further down the line necessitating vast freeways and on and on. The net result is a loss of usable space, robbed from people and given to traffic.

Don’t just listen to me though. Check out this video:
The City is not a Problem It’s a Solution from urbanplanningblog.com.

Basically all I’m saying is that the city is like a turtle and we don’t want to break his back.

Apparently its not completely possible. This lengthy but interesting (and pic filled) story from Dark Roasted Blend details the many many reasons why attempting such a trip is not only very challenging but nearly suicidal.

A section of Southern Panama called the Darien Gap is not only roadless but filled with all kinds of impedance such as bandits, critters, poor terrain, unnavigable streams among many other things generally considered unfavorable for travel.

Check out an excerpt:
“If you ever wondered what’s like to be kidnapped in the Darien Gap by Colombian Death Squad, here is an account:

National Geographic Adventure contributing editor Robert Young Pelton and two American backpackers were kidnapped there in 2003 and held for 10 days; here is what he has to say (once they got out of there alive) -

‘The Darien Gap is one of the last—not only unexplored—but one of the last places people really hesitate to venture to… It’s also one of the most rugged places. The basic problem of the Darien Gap is that it’s one of the toughest hikes there is. It’s an absolute pristine jungle but it’s got some nasty sections with thorns, wasps, snakes, thieves, criminals, you name it. Everything that’s bad for you is in there.’”
(via Dark Roasted Blend)