The urban planning disasters of the 1960s in Britain. We think we have learned from them, but have we?

Start watching the video at 14:00 if you don’t want to watch the whole documentary, which is a sort of myth-busting look at the 60s in England.

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The post Have we learned nothing from the 60s UK demolitions? appeared first on Ouno Design.

This post is for Vancouverites who are either new to the city, or who are urban or civic politics nerds but aren’t acquainted with the early historical roots of the local civic political party that is known—somewhat hilariously—as the Non Partisan Association (NPA).

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Orange Cars Powell, 1973, Photo reprinted by kind permission of Equinox Gallery and Fred Herzog. (Contact the gallery if you’re interested in purchasing one of this edition of 20.)

The Ming Sun Building is still standing.

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The post Update on the Ming Sun Building – low-income housing in Vancouver’s boomtown architecture threatened appeared first on Ouno Design.

Vancouver artist Ken Lum took the opportunity of a Pecha Kucha appearance to talk about the his city, its history and its habits, and its demolition and disappearance. Though he said little about his own work, none of the concerns or ethic of his art were missing.

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It is hard not to view this frozen waterfall as an artwork, but it only functions as art inadvertently. Its effect is quietly visceral, though, a response I don’t have to art often enough.

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Interesting article from The Walrus magazine on Northrop Frye’s look at the condominium form and its effects on our attitudes, particularly in the context of Canadian history and our “garrison mentality.” I’d be interested in people’s reactions to this.

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The post Of Culture and Condos – Northrop Frye on condo mentality/garrison mentality appeared first on Ouno Design.

When I was in India in February, I stayed with a designer friend in Mumbai. He has lived for 20 years in a beautiful heritage building that was originally built as an orphanage.

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The post Mumbai, Vancouver, same complaints appeared first on Ouno Design.

What follows is the Preface of Don Gutstein’s 1975 book Vancouver Ltd., a thorough—and, as it turns out, prescient—analysis of the way in which Vancouver fell into the hands of real estate developers and realtors.

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UPDATE: This disastrous, precedent-setting development was passed by our City Council, dominated by supposedly “green” Vision Vancouver, in a 9-1 vote.  It was not sent back to design; only vague requests to the developer to make it smaller and less ugly were uttered.

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The post On Rize (Or Forcing A Luxury Highrise On A Neighbourhood That Really Doesn’t Want It) appeared first on Ouno Design.

McCabe & Mrs. Miller, released in 1971, was one of Robert Altman’s earliest feature films (after M*A*S*H*, That Cold Day in the Park, and Brewster  McCloud).

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The post McCabe & Mrs. Miller by Robert Altman: shot in Vancouver, soundtrack by Leonard Cohen appeared first on Ouno Design.