although this tree is being chopped down again and again, its keeping on sprouting in this courtyard next to a friend's studio in Vienna. urban ubiquists make the best designs.
vienna hinterhof niche
although this tree is being chopped down again and again, its keeping on sprouting in this courtyard next to a friend's studio in Vienna. urban ubiquists make the best designs.
lake houhai in Beijing
look over lake houhai, beijing towards north. you can see the drum tower on the horizon right from the center. the locals love to poke holes in the ice for fishing (which is actually forbidden). this day before chinese new years day was clear and sunny.
click to enlarge ;)
click to enlarge ;)
to be 'smarter than car' in Beijing, China.
im curious about 'smarter the car' (STC) a great project initiated by ines (runs natooke bike shop in dongcheng, beijing) and shannon to promote biking (again) in beijing, china. starting off, they organize bike rides for beijingers to (re)discover beijing by bike, experiencing a clever way to commute in a city notoriously jammed by traffic.
as ines and shannon describe STC in their last newsletter:
"STC (Smarter Than Car) is a Beijing based group which promotes the use of the bicycle in Beijing. With car ownership in the city going through the roof and the subsequent traffic congestion there has never been a better time to get on the bike and move around the city faster and with more freedom. Our group aims to promote cycling in the city as an enjoyable, healthy and sustainable activity and a much smarter alternative to driving a car or taking taxis."
this months TLFR (the last friday ride) will focus on architecture and traditional hutong settlements. if you are in beijing this friday you may join in the ride, see invitation below. if not, enjoy the fliers and think about how your city could improve through more cycling. ;)
btw. in January STC called for a FYTO*ride (freeze your t…s off*ride).
as ines and shannon describe STC in their last newsletter:"STC (Smarter Than Car) is a Beijing based group which promotes the use of the bicycle in Beijing. With car ownership in the city going through the roof and the subsequent traffic congestion there has never been a better time to get on the bike and move around the city faster and with more freedom. Our group aims to promote cycling in the city as an enjoyable, healthy and sustainable activity and a much smarter alternative to driving a car or taking taxis."
this months TLFR (the last friday ride) will focus on architecture and traditional hutong settlements. if you are in beijing this friday you may join in the ride, see invitation below. if not, enjoy the fliers and think about how your city could improve through more cycling. ;)
btw. in January STC called for a FYTO*ride (freeze your t…s off*ride).
sinking world (concepts) in dubai
while the big reflection process about economical paradigms is still ongoing in dubai, the sea seems busy getting back what boom and bust tried to claim from her. the newly landscaped world is disappearing into the the ocean again, even faster than sea level rise would have been doing the job.
dubai may provide a stark learning lesson: mankind cannot develop cities (and maintain societies) without an 'ecological thought'.
cities may rather be conceptualized as tradin places, places of intensified negotiation and exchange, 'parliaments of things' which are interconnected by networks of the 'living'.
a city in which some sort of financial imperialism is celebrated to the cost of modern slavery is not such a place.
more on the story at, and picture taken from: dailymail.co.uk
dubai may provide a stark learning lesson: mankind cannot develop cities (and maintain societies) without an 'ecological thought'.cities may rather be conceptualized as tradin places, places of intensified negotiation and exchange, 'parliaments of things' which are interconnected by networks of the 'living'.
a city in which some sort of financial imperialism is celebrated to the cost of modern slavery is not such a place.
more on the story at, and picture taken from: dailymail.co.uk
Talk: 'Creating Bioenergy Landscapes: An Ecological Perspective' at HKU
I will give a guest lecture on next Tuesday, 9th of February at the Division of Landscape Architecture in the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Hong Kong. The talk will elaborate on bioenergy as design strategy within landscape architecture practice.
Synopsis
Society increasingly seeks to address climate change, energy security and peak oil by using biomass as ‘biofuels’ for energy production. This has created ambivalent reactions from both scientists and environmentalists. Landscape architects are still underrepresented in this discourse, but may create bioenergy landscapes as multiple-use green spaces, infrastructure areas or on temporarily unused land. Bioenergy promises like green house gas savings, ‘clean’ energy or environmental sustainability will have to be considered by landscape architects with an informed and critical mind, to be able to truly assess bioenergy potentials of any given site.
This talk will therefore present benchmarks for bioenergy landscapes in terms of ecological functioning, energy
efficiency and possible green house gas savings. A review of landscape projects addressing bioenergy shall stimulate the discussion about landscape architecture practice in the context of bioenergy production. Finally, perspectives will be presented for bioenergy landscapes to become a vital element of landscape architecture projects.
Society increasingly seeks to address climate change, energy security and peak oil by using biomass as ‘biofuels’ for energy production. This has created ambivalent reactions from both scientists and environmentalists. Landscape architects are still underrepresented in this discourse, but may create bioenergy landscapes as multiple-use green spaces, infrastructure areas or on temporarily unused land. Bioenergy promises like green house gas savings, ‘clean’ energy or environmental sustainability will have to be considered by landscape architects with an informed and critical mind, to be able to truly assess bioenergy potentials of any given site.
This talk will therefore present benchmarks for bioenergy landscapes in terms of ecological functioning, energy
efficiency and possible green house gas savings. A review of landscape projects addressing bioenergy shall stimulate the discussion about landscape architecture practice in the context of bioenergy production. Finally, perspectives will be presented for bioenergy landscapes to become a vital element of landscape architecture projects.
Ecological Urbanism - Harvard GSD; documentation
this is kind of a reminder:
although finding the synopsis of last years ecological urbanism conference at harvard GSD quite intriguing;
"The conference was organized around the premise that an ecological approach is urgently needed both as a remedial device for the contemporary city and an organizing principle for new cities. An ecological urbanism represents a more holistic approach than is generally the case with urbanism today, demanding alternative ways of thinking and designing."
me, and maybe one or two other interested landscape architects, urbanists, architects etc., were not able to come to Harvard GSD.
BUT:
you may check podcasts of the conference proceedings, or may expand your bookshelf by the forthcoming publication on ecological urbanism
although finding the synopsis of last years ecological urbanism conference at harvard GSD quite intriguing;
"The conference was organized around the premise that an ecological approach is urgently needed both as a remedial device for the contemporary city and an organizing principle for new cities. An ecological urbanism represents a more holistic approach than is generally the case with urbanism today, demanding alternative ways of thinking and designing."
me, and maybe one or two other interested landscape architects, urbanists, architects etc., were not able to come to Harvard GSD.
BUT:
you may check podcasts of the conference proceedings, or may expand your bookshelf by the forthcoming publication on ecological urbanism
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