Geoffrey West: The surprising math of cities and corporations. How come it’s so hard to kill a city?
There is an interesting discussion of West’s idea in the NYT.
Geoffrey West: The surprising math of cities and corporations
October 22, 2011
Uncategorised
Occupy Vancouver
October 15, 2011
The sign above bears a quote from philosopher Bertrand Russell: “Advocates of capitalism are very apt to appeal to the sacred principle of liberty, which can be embodied in one maxim, “the fortunate must not be restrained in their tyranny over the unfortunate”.”
Occupy Vancouver had a promising start on a warm, beautiful fall day.
Tags:
#OccupyVancouver
#OWS
1%
99%
Adbusters
bankers
banks
corporatism
corporatocracy
gap between rich and poor
Greenpeace
income gap
Kalle Lasn
Occupy Vancouver
politics
protest signs
raw logs
tents
wealth gap
Categories:
British Columbia,
Canadian design,
cities,
DIY,
favourite,
humour,
politics,
Uncategorised,
urban planning,
Vancouver,
video
The End of the Age of Tall Buildings
October 12, 2011
Vancouver towers from Wikimedia Commons
[Update: see post on this topic on the Vancouver Lights blog. Also see this critique of glass highrises by Lisa Rochon in the Globe and Mail.]
Apologies that this is such a long post.
Categories:
architect,
architecture,
British Columbia,
Canadian design,
cities,
design,
politics,
Uncategorised,
urban planning,
Vancouver
You Know Things are Messed Up When Librarians Start Marching
October 5, 2011
Most of the photos here were taken by a friend of mine, Canadian filmmaker Velcrow Ripper, at Occupy Wall Street. Reproduced here with permission. See his whole gallery of Occupy Wall Street photos.
Paul Merrick House, West Vancouver
October 4, 2011
A classic piece of westcoast modern architecture is back on the market again.West Vancouver—which actually lies north of the rest of the city and on the other side of the harbour—holds most of the city’s best modern architecture.
Categories:
architect,
architecture,
British Columbia,
Canadian design,
design,
interiors,
landscaping,
Uncategorised,
Vancouver
Hiyao Miyazaki and Spirited Away
September 28, 2011
Hiyao Miyazaki, one of my favourite filmmakers, is the Japanese director of the animated movies Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and Totoro. Of all his films these three are favourite, probably because they are the most Japanese in their aesthetic.
Brilliant urban design by Enrique Peñalosa in Bogotá, Colombia
September 14, 2011
It’s worth watching the video below: Streetfilms-Lessons from Bogotá (and click on the image above). Bogotá’s innovative, visionary mayor Enrique Peñalosa has transformed the city in ways that have made him a sort of rock star in international planning circles.
Condos and highrise buildings, New York vs Vancouver
September 13, 2011
(All photos here are of New York. Photos of Vancouver to be appended later.)
The building at left is by Gehry. Shot is taken from the Highline promenade.
Stumbling upon NY Fashion Week by accident
September 12, 2011
I was there by accident. These people were not.
Apparently it’s “anything goes” in fashion right now, but that’s been true for a while. Anyway, it’s never really “anything goes” – there are always those weird, arbitrarily-imposed rules.
Tall mural, NYC
September 7, 2011
I love this tall mural in NYC, near NYU. Deceptively simple, fixes a somewhat dreary block, and artful enough that it won’t instantly become tiresome (as many murals do). See also painted buildings here and this mural.
