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.

Quebec City, successful lo-rise/high density combination

This short essay by Richard Florida in Atlantic Cities magazine has been making the rounds.

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The post The Limits of Density appeared first on Ouno Design.

Heard those lyrics over the car radio last week. I did not know that the Emerald City was close enough to hell that you could actually see it from there, but that whole geography sounds a lot like Vancouver.

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The post “I’ve been told that the tallest building in hell has an awesome view of the emerald city” 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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The post Vancouver Ltd. by Don Gutstein appeared first on Ouno Design.

Melbourne, now deemed the most livable city in the world, has bumped Vancouver from top spot. Never having believed Vancouver deserved that spot, I’m happy the designation has gone to a city that probably does.

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The post Melbourne – now the most livable city in the world – and its cycling Director of Design, Rob Adams appeared first on Ouno Design.

[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.

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The post The End of the Age of Tall Buildings appeared first on Ouno Design.

(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.

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The post Condos and highrise buildings, New York vs Vancouver appeared first on Ouno Design.

“Hockey’s over-the-top fandom (and the same could be said for the Olympics) seems a frantic expression of what the post-modern metropolis and its high-rise ghettos lack and even deliberately negate — a human-scale community in which individuals feel purposeful and acknowledged.”

“In the absence of any shared collective progressive principles, the BC elite longed for a new solidarity forged from of this “fighting collectivity” of Canucks fans.

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The post “We are all Canucks” until we riot, apparently. Then it’s the work of a “handful.” appeared first on Ouno Design.

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The post Plea for low-rise density & lament for Chinatown appeared first on Ouno Design.