Paris. Does any other city conjure such images of beauty, romance and nostalgia? The Times’ former Frugal Traveler Matt Gross has an amazing post on getting lost in the city:
It was as if Paris itself knew why I had come. Or maybe I was finally seeing Paris for what it really was: a marvelous open-air cinema where the filmstrips of our memories flicker ceaselessly, even as we shoot new scenes. (NYT)
In a fun activity, he assigned a group of international high school students to get “lost” in Central Park. (World Matt)
Okay, so maybe New York rivals the City of Lights for imagery.
Density, livability, and social equity could redefine New York for the 21st century.
(NY Mag) And it’s refreshing to see New York City’s municipal architecture embracing 21st century urban planning ideals and new architects. (NYT) In Queens, PS1 and the Noguchi Museum look to Long Island City’s future with new master plans. (Urban Omnibus)
But great design isn’t limited to New York — this week DesignPhiladelphia celebrates urban life (Flying Kite Media). Much of Philadelphia’s regeneration could be attributed to Paul Levy, the head of the powerful Center City District, with a budget of $20 million. (City Paper).
Fiftieth anniversaries for the Cherry Hill Mall — which was intriguingly originally planned to be like a pedestrian mall in the suburbs (Philly.com) — and for Washington D.C.’s underutilized RFK Stadium (WP).
Progressive Field's Snow Park in Cleveland. / Image via Atlantic Cities, Progressive Field.
Neighborhood regeneration could come from:
-Winter use of ballparks like in Cleveland (Atlantic Cities).
-Designing with poor people instead of for them, as a Cooper-Hewitt curated exhibit shows. (Atlantic Cities)
-Improving mass transit, as in Atlanta’s BeltLine Plan and the watered-down Grand Paris plan.
-A great seaside resort, like Blackpool, England. (BBC)
San Fracisco Scale Model in 1940. / Image via Atlantic Cities/National Archives.
Finally — who doesn’t get excited about scale models of cities? San Francisco’s from 1940 was just discovered! (Atlantic Cities)
Urban Fabric 