Fifty years ago the Rockefeller Foundation sponsored a small conference on urban design at the University of Pennsylvania sparked a revolution in urban planning and changed the face of our cities. Yet somehow I doubt that newsboys were screaming that post headline from street-corners the next day. It took time for the lessons of the conference to be digested, disseminated and for a young woman who certainly wasn’t the star of that conference to put it all together over the next few years
That young woman was Jane Jacobs, and the book in question “The Death and Life of Great American Cities“.
This past week the Rockefeller Foundation sponsored the follow up: Re-imagining Cities, Urban Design After the Age of Oil. Maybe the sudden drop in the price of oil over the last few days dissipated the sense of urgency that the organizers of the conference had hoped for, but as Lloyd Alter reports the conference was a sequel to the various debates about climate change that have taken place in other forums over the last few years. Very little was done to propose solutions. It would seem that the average citizen was far [...]
Courtesy dynamosquito @ Flickr
Rocamadour, was built on a rock wall at a point were the body of an old ermit was discovered mummified. At these middle age-old times, people thought it was a miracle. [...] Registered as UNESCO’s world heritage list as a step on the Way of St. James.
The Economist is already calling the US election: Obama. I seriously hope The Economist is right. The result of this election is decided by a very small percentage of the people who are affected by its outcome and I’m certain the consensus around the world is that it is time for a change.
Here is my list of what Global Culture needs from the next president of the United States:
The US has some of the most successful cities in the world. Over the next decade that model needs to be replicated throughout America, creating new magnets for talent and investors.
The size of economic rescue that will be needed over the next few years can only be accomplished by creating entire new industries; let it be that of the cities of the future: sustainable, energy-efficient, less dependent of non-renewable resources, able to produce only the necessary goods and doing good through a well educated workforce.
After years of catastrophic diplomatic efforts, realize that your best ambassadors may be those US global citizens that are ready to embrace other cultures. Baby boomers may find their retirement funds will do better in other currencies.
Leverage [...]
Via GOOD/blog by Cliff Kuang I found the report “MetroNation: How U.S. Metropolitan Areas Fuel American Prosperity” produced by Brookings University.
Rhythm of the Metropolis by Thomas Hawk
The report explores some of the challenges facing the U.S. and states that metropolitan areas are the key to American properity, yet policy inhibits further productivity levels.
The 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas contain 65 percent of the nation’s population and 68 percent of its jobs, but gather even larger shares of innovative activity (78 percent of U.S. patent activity), educated workers (75 percent of graduate degree holders), and critical infrastructure (79 percent of U.S. air cargo). As such, they generate three-quarters of U.S. gross domestic product. Their successes, and those of the nation’s smaller metro and rural areas, are inextricably linked.
The close relationship between innovation and urban centres is the subject of my previous post urban innovation. In fact, the data strongly suggests that such innovation is a requirement to fuel sustained growth.
The report builds a case for a new federal approach that allows cities to react more effectively to economic and demographic changes. Such an approach is badly needed as indicated by the following trends:
After increasing [...]
Every weekend I’ll be scouting the world for the quintessential town or village that has preserved its timeless lifestyle despite the advance of urban sprawl elsewhere. Not only it will balance this otherwise idea-charged blog, but will also provide a great opportunity to explore the anti-thesis of the modern city.
Courtesy nbaddour @ PlanetEye
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