Étiquette : English
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How to protect a building against the noise: Croisset Student House in Paris
The Croisset Student House is a good example of how to protect a building from the noise of a motorway and give at the same time a public image to the building. The complex is made of 3 residential blocks, oriented perpendicularly to the motorway, and a continuous screen which runs between the blocks and…
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How to create a private space without using fences
This image (Geneva, square Pradier, via Microsoft Virtual Earth) shows how to create a calm square and give privacy to a block without using fences. The four external buildings act as a screen and separate the square from the through traffic of the surrounding roads. Access to the backside of the external buildings is…
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Welcome to Ligerz
If you like trains, go to Ligerz. This little village on the Bielersee lies next to the only single-track stretch of the Jura Railway line: Everyday, 250 trains pass through this little village, and only 30 of them stop here. L’Association Seeland Biel/Bienne is asking for a double-track tunnel at the place of the…
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Bikes for all needs
(video: conference bike) As car sales drop and bike sales skyrocket, more and more bike models are launched. Pedal Pub (source image) After the conference bike and the pedal pub, it’s time for family bikes! Here’s a list of the most interesting ones (tips on other models are always welcome): Bella bike The Dutch…
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Public space and human nature
If we think, like Le Corbusier, that human nature is bad, social interactions can only lead us away from the Truth, thus shall be discouraged. A « bad human nature city » will have freeways with no sidewalk, windows on nature, shopping centers with security guards preventing unwanted behaviours… If we think, like Jane Jacobs, that human…
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Lausanne metro: new ticket office opens
The opening of Lausanne metro line 2 gets closer and closer, and the first buildings related to the new line are already opening. On August 4, the new ticket office (designed by Merlini & Ventura architects) opened in the station Flon, where a connection with the existing M1 and LEB lines will be provided. The…
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Transit needs some creativity
Today, on All About Cities, I found an interesting post on improvements in public transports. What if people with longer commutes could sit in a luxury coach, fully stocked with amenities, including: Wireless internet (like the google bus in San Francisco) A personal TV with a variety of programs (as on many airlines, especially in…
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Brasilia: the evolution of a modernist masterpiece
In 1956, when Brasilia was conceived, cars were the transportation system of the future. « Adapter la Ville à la Voiture » (adapt the city to cars) was the mainstream credo in the 50’s: as Brasilia was the symbol of Brazil as a modern and avanced country, the city was planned around cars. The town was built along two motorways,…
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Small towns and smart growth
Till now, it seemed that small towns were doomed to be the victims of urban sprawl: the only future waiting for them was made of single-family houses, shopping malls, office parks and highways. Even when bigger towns started to develop their downtown, smaller cities thought that this was not their business, because there were not…
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Google maps now gives walking directions.
Look at the google map above here. Don’t you see something different? Yes, it’s true: something has changed. The « walk until … » direction has turned into something more precise and more similar to the driving instructions. More things are still to be implemented, but, just like Walkscore some days ago, this is the sign of…
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Smart growth goes to western Lausanne: Les jardins de Prélaz
Once victim of urban sprawl, western Lausanne is organizing its growth with the principles of New Urbanism and Smart Growth. An example of this trend is the « jardins de Prélaz » complex. Built on the site of a former bus depot, the complex is made of different buildings, designed by different architects, and can be divided…
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Milan S-bahn arrives to Rogoredo
On july 15, a new section of Milan S-bahn has opened. From now on, trains from lines S1, S2, S6 and S10 will have their sout-eastern terminal in Milano Rogoredo instead of Milano Porta Vittoria. (source: ferrovie.it, urban rail)
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The best new neighborhoods in Europe
Yesterday I showed you an example of smart growth in Spain. Today, we’ll have an overview of what’s happening all over europe, with the winners of the 2008 Philippe Rotthier European Prize. Here they are: Best Operation of Urban Renaissance in a suburban city – Plessis-Robinson, France Best New City – Val d’Europe,…
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Smart Growth goes to Spain
On 19th century, Spain was one of the leaders in urban development. In almost all towns, a grid-shaped extension (Ensanche) was planned, and in almost all towns, the Ensanche is one of the most vibrant districts. 150 jears later, Spain still follows the same model. Since 1992, almost all towns in Spain started…
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How walkable is your neighborhood?
Among the choices influencing our lifestyle, the choice of the place to live is one of the most powerful. Depending on the location in which we decide to settle down, we’ll be more or less able to walk, drive, cycle and ride public transports, and we’ll have more or less jobs and business opportunities. Real estate companies are…
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Lake Parade
Last saturday, the city of Geneva turned into an immense disco for the lake parade. Some arterial roads (including the Pont du Mont Blanc) were closed to cars from 4PM to 3AM and hosted a huge party, with 250,000 people dancing and having fun on geneva lakefront. For those who missed it, see you in Zurich for the street…
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A short history of America
Some posts ago, we saw the first steps that gave birth to a road. Here is the rest of the story (by R. Crumb) (source: carfree)
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A guidebook for subway parties
More and more people want the city to change, from an anonymous grid to a big playground, In order to help people to make this change, New Mind Space has publied Metromorphosis, a guidebook about throwing a street party or subway party. Enjoy!
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Sunday street in Bogotà: la Ciclovia
In the last year, Colombia has become one of the leading examples in urban planning and social inclusion: one of the examples of last years’ improvements is Bogotà’s sunday street, the famous « Ciclovia ». (source: streetfilms)
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inflatable street art
Do you remember this scene from « The Seven Year Itch »? Artist Joshua allen Harris’s took inspiration from this scene for its sculptures. Most of the time, Harris’s artworks look like pieces of garbage left on the road, but whenever a train pass under the grate, they turn alive!
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Amaro Ramazzotti: the celebration of Urban Life
I just read some posts about Milan (here, here and here), and my mind came back to one of the most famous ads who celebrated urban life. The scene is set in Milan, but it could easily be set in New York, Paris or any other global city. (sources: Jane Jacobs, Nazione Indiana, GaWK, spot80)
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Retrofitting urban sprawl: Learning from Monte Sacro
As gas prices rise, lots of people are wondering what will be the future of suburbia. Will it be able to recycle itself into more dense and pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods, or will it decay and turn into XXI century slums? A visit of Monte Sacro (Rome, italy) can be useful. In the 20’s Monte Sacro was…
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The birth of a Road
In this video, you can see the first step that will lead, year after year, to the birth of a road. Then, little by little, activities and houses will come, and a downtown will grow.
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Dirty Car Art
Some posts ago, I was talking about Green Graffiti. Another example of the same style can be found here. (source: urban prankster)
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Roma – Pantano: Closed!
It’s gone! From yesterday morning, the outer section of Roma-Pantano Light Rail has been put out of service between Giardinetti and Pantano. As an hommage to this line and its history, here are some videos of the rolling stock, passing in Porta Maggiore, the only transfer station on the line. (source: tramvetti.blogspot.com)
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Casilina Express
When I’m asked about Rome, people often are surprised of how much my description of the city differs from the traditional image portrayed by tourist guides and postcards. They don’t know that behind the famous Ethernal City lies another town, maybe less scenic, but still very interesting. One of the landmark of this hidden Rome…
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Green Graffiti
Graffiti are one of the most controversial phenomena that characterize the urban environment. Street art for somebody, vandalism for somebody else, they continue to be a big argument of debate. In this debate, Green Graffiti adds a new and different point of view. As a form of viral marketing, they make graffiti with…
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City review: Morges
With its 15.000 inhabitants, Morges is growing up as a major downtown in Lausanne metropolitan area. Its position, next to Lausanne and Lausanne University, and the developping opportunities, make the town an interesting place in which to relocate and to invest. ENVIRONMENT Morges lies on the shores of Lake Geneva, and offers lots of different…
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New York Times forgets bike parking
Riding a bike is a pleasant, cheap and environmentally friendly way to move around the city, but has its own things to worry about. One of the main issues is parking your bike in a safe way. A good solution would be providing indoor (and controlled) bike parking, an option that architects and developpers often…
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Free hugs campaign: a good example of the Flash Mob test
This video shows a classic of flash mobs, the Free Hugs Campaign, and shows us how the flash mob test reveals the different visions of public space carried by different actors: police officers viewed it just as a circulation space, while users viewed it as a place to meet and as an informal stage. It’s…
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Where the hell is Matt?
Here is another example of flash mob, from various locations around the world. (source: where the hell is matt?, urban prankster)
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Rome: Recently opened light rail extension closes again
On july 7, 2008, the recently-reopened section of the Roma-Pantano light rail will close again between the stations Giardinetti and Pantano after only two years of operation. Once part of an extensive network covering all the eastern part of Lazio (including the towns of Frascati, Palestrina, Fiuggi, Alatri and Frosinone), Roma-Pantano light rail had heavily suffered…
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Nightbus network opens in Turin
From june 27, 10 new nightbus lines link Turin city center (piazza Vittorio Veneto) with its surrounding suburbs. The new lines will run every Friday and Saturday night, from 1.00 AM to 5.00 AM. Buses will run every 20 minutes on the Star Notte Line, and every hour on the other lines. A…
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car sales drop 20%
May it be the rise of gas prices and of raw materials, may it be the shift of trends from goods possession to good use, car sales are dropping dramatically. Reports talk about a 20% drop in the last year. On realated articles, business analysts look for new solutions to face the crisis: more ecological…
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cargo tram: the solution for deliveries within the city?
Cargo trams were born in Dresden, and, ironically, they were conceived in order to supply components to volkswagen car factory. And little by little the idea is spreading all over the world. Wherever the narrow streets of a town are blocked by delivery trucks, cargo trams are seen as the solution. Zürich has adopted cargo…
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Fast-charging electric buses
(video: a supercapacitor bus recharges in Shanghai) As gas prices are getting higher and higher, the need to find other alternatives to gas-powered buses becomes more and more urgent. High frequency bus lines have no problem in this conversion, as they can be turned into trolleybus lines without excessive cost, but this reconversion can be…
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sheer cycling pleasure
Yesterday we saw an example of transit pleasure, today it’s time for cycling pleasure. As we can see, every form of transportation has its own fun! (source: copenhagen cycle chic)
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Commuter party on the train back home
For the last three years, Noemie commuted by train from Lausanne to Geneva everyday. Yesterday she took a new job in Lausanne and celebrated her last day as a commuter with a party on the train back home. She reserved the last carriage of the 18.45 train and invited all her travelmates to buy a…
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Sheer transit pleasure
(video: BMW commercial – note the « sheer driving pleasure » logo at the end) Public transport has always been seen as the poor alternative to cars. While cars are always pictured as a way to get pleasure and new sensations, public transports are always seen as a way to go from a point to another,…
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Events on a pedestrian street: the flash mob test
A well designed pedestrian street can host lots of different events. There can be official events, sponsored by the city hall, and improvised events, organized by street users. An example of unofficial event is the flash mob: (video: thierryweber.com) A Flash mob is a good test to check the status of a space. If the…
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Sunday street
If your town is still not able to match the criteria for a successful pedestrian street, another option is the Sunday street. 1) Choose a street long enough to be covered by bike in about 45 mins. (3 to 6 km) 2) Close the street for a day (Sunday) 3) Advertise the event in order…
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Car efficiency: just like light bulbs and washing machines
We are now used to check the energy efficiency label on washing machines and light bulbs. For all those who want to choose a car following the same principle, Touring Club Suisse published a guide, downloadable from here. It’s intresting to note that, while almost all light bulbs or a washing machines that can be…
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Gland slows down to 30 km/h
Halfway between Geneva and Lausanne, the city of Gland is experiencing a massive growth, which is changing the image of the town. Now, another step towards the transformation of the city in a full downtown is taking place. All the northern part of Gland will be traffic-calmed: car speed will be reduced to 30 km/h,…
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Aigle: new multiplex opens downtown
After the depart of the Migros Chablais in the industrial zone, downtown Aigle was left without a major commercial structure. Now the situation has improved, with the opening of the Cosmopolis multiplex, right next to the railway station and the old town. The new cinema will have 3 screens and will be able to host 452…
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Pedestrian streets
One of the element which can be used to create a downtown is the pedestrian street. A pedestrian street has some characteristic features. Here we can start to explore them: 1) A significant amount of housing all around the street 2) A big attractor (i.e. an university, or some office building) along the…
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Nuit Blanche
A lively community must show itself from time to time, in order to catch the attention of people from the outside world. A good way to fill this purpose can be the organization of a « Nuit Blanche », a night in which the city becomes a big stage for actors, musicians, dancers, sportsmen… In the organization…
La Ville Nouvelle, Atelier d'Architectes 