tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973997027824252612023-11-15T22:58:33.846-08:00oakland space academyLECTURES AND DISCUSSIONS ON SPACE IN AND AROUND OAKLAND CALIFORNIAUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-4155856255713878382012-03-15T12:50:00.002-07:002012-03-15T13:39:35.028-07:00Gentrification and its Discontents<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdKiINZq4pY8xF6mjs4YCYLHcv5EPwqyIb2V1aU2jGxFQ6OO-NdRXy9s561T0pvSL567YJRdDxcznYje57Fp0xgVFOL1JndWXQnR8sYvrBgbyEHaIiqmnJ-xXw_IPC6JoLUzdkgPyrvc/s1600/photo%25281%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdKiINZq4pY8xF6mjs4YCYLHcv5EPwqyIb2V1aU2jGxFQ6OO-NdRXy9s561T0pvSL567YJRdDxcznYje57Fp0xgVFOL1JndWXQnR8sYvrBgbyEHaIiqmnJ-xXw_IPC6JoLUzdkgPyrvc/s400/photo%25281%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719665401527338770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">(New Development in East Lorin Neighborhood of Oakland | Author Image)</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A recent <a href="http://oaklandnorth.net/2012/03/12/you-tell-us-are-gentrification-and-media-attention-good-for-oakland/" target="_blank">essay at Oakland North by Jessica Nowlan</a> has me amazed at how confused most people are about what gentrification actually is. Even commenter Len Raphael, who understands urban economics better than most, thinks we should 'force the burbs and surrounding cities to build their share of affordable housing.' Nothing of the sort is needed, Oakland simply needs to allow abundant housing, though this may (and should, that's where people want to live!) shade Mr. Raphael's heirloom tomatoes in Temescal.<br /><br />Gentrification is the result of the restricting of housing supply (and commercial spaces) such that prices rise in the face of increased demand, as people (re)discover weather, restaurants, bungalows, easy commutes, etc. Because gentrification encompasses some increases in supply (but not enough), many people wrongly assume new development causes it. But gentrification actually occurs when supply is not allowed to increase as much as demand, raising prices. The primary solution is to increase the supply of housing (and commercial spaces) enough to capture fully the increased demand. If we did so, prices would stabilize, marginal businesses would be able to exist alongside thriving ones, and struggling folks would be able to live amongst prosperous ones, albeit in smaller, lower-quality dwellings.<br /><br />I am sorry Ms. Knowlan was pushed out of San Francisco, and now feels threatened in Oakland, but this must be understood as a public policy decision (and failure!) sought by incumbent landowners to limit the supply of habitable urban space (through zoning and height restrictions, parking minimums, etc.), thereby pushing up prices to their benefit but to the detriment of the rest of us. Ms. Knowlan seems to blame developers, however they are actually helping ameliorate the problem, not exacerbate it. We should be doing more to support and make easier their good work, in which denser development is good for the environment, good for the economy, and good for people throughout the country (and world!) who would like to move to Oakland but can't afford it.<br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-62053172962774568632012-03-13T23:00:00.005-07:002012-03-14T10:28:54.719-07:00Stirring the Ballpark<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://newballpark.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/VictoryCourt.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 354px;" src="http://newballpark.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/VictoryCourt.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">(Victory Court | New A's Ballpark)</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">At this point it is hard to say if any of it is true, but we now have <a href="http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_20158856/lew-wolff-denies-team-sale" target="_blank">owner Lew Wolff denying the Oakland A's are for sale in the Oakland Tribune</a>, stemming from a <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/12/BAAV1NIOMK.DTL" target="_blank">piece by Mattier & Ross in yesterday's SF Chronicle</a>. <a href="http://newballpark.org/2012/03/12/two-groups-express-interest-in-as/" target="_blank">New A's Ballpark has a rundown on some ins and outs beyond me</a>. Regardless, I like the pressure this puts on Lew Wolff, and on baseball commissioner Bud Selig to make a decision regarding territorial rights. And after <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/08/SP8N1NHEKP.DTL" target="_blank">Mr. Wolff seemed to call Mr. Selig a liar in public by claiming that territorial rights don't exist</a>, the very thing Mr. Selig has been spending the last 3 years deciding, I am hopeful of this perhaps resolving in Oakland's favor. Hearing in the Oakland Tribune piece that Mayor Jean Quan is putting Victory Court (pictured above) back on the table, by far the best of the current A's ballpark options, is icing on the cake.<br /></div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-30963613201577269662012-03-08T00:34:00.005-08:002012-03-08T02:08:19.102-08:00Blogroll Update<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJaDUleb26JGX7QSg32frns4eCUy06e5w2iHfEn64lbMsjj8U3DhgoJilBMjG0lqZBVZhVXanaf8uNqrFPb5Cl2MoCmLW9vdyh_oGUGj_ruAS-W7-G_ylSaMVOOty7VRhHfAdzBzYfsrs/s1600/IMG_1338.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJaDUleb26JGX7QSg32frns4eCUy06e5w2iHfEn64lbMsjj8U3DhgoJilBMjG0lqZBVZhVXanaf8uNqrFPb5Cl2MoCmLW9vdyh_oGUGj_ruAS-W7-G_ylSaMVOOty7VRhHfAdzBzYfsrs/s400/IMG_1338.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717465109837821954" border="0" /></a>A year ago today one of my favorite Oakland blogs, <a href="http://cityhomestead.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">City Homestead</a>, requested input on updating its blogroll - unfortunately that was the last we have heard. In honor and in hopes of a return, I have updated the <a href="http://oaklandspaceacademy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">OSA</a> blogroll. Let me know if there are any local favorites I missed and should add.<br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-34697435828535810862012-03-07T08:57:00.004-08:002012-03-07T09:54:29.186-08:00Coliseum Dream<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2012/02/07/ba-mandr08_ph_SFC0023252114_part6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 370px; height: 248px;" src="http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2012/02/07/ba-mandr08_ph_SFC0023252114_part6.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">(Darryl Bush | San Francisco Chronicle)</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Last night, according to the SF Chronicle (nowhere to be found in the Oakland Tribune?) <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/07/BAS81NGV7T.DTL" target="_blank">the Oakland City Council approved $3.5 million to develop plans for the area surrounding the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum and Arena</a>. I have a few quick thoughts. Why was part of the planning contract awarded to Forest City, the developer of the just so-so Uptown development? And why hire a developer to do the planning at all? So far there seems to be little mention of housing, which is unfortunate given the vast tract of land and the general shortage of housing in Oakland and the larger Bay Area. Finally, this makes the BART airport connector all the more unfortunate, given that it both won't make stops throughout the eventual development and isn't a well integrated part of the existing BART system.<br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-91616272479387874722012-03-03T21:06:00.011-08:002012-03-03T21:52:22.084-08:00A Call to Blogs<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8LJLu1waXn8oPskTUTp1kg8Gt3LCHj41g6AJ39fbvMywhPAb_r72HxPgxAdcuH1pTeSAFTr21aw-H9388cvZTLO6jROIdk8-EXKJBQFi9eqG0AKo3Zh6P-Q1yR7wY7GWfWgg6HbqH0M/s1600/IMG_0091.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8LJLu1waXn8oPskTUTp1kg8Gt3LCHj41g6AJ39fbvMywhPAb_r72HxPgxAdcuH1pTeSAFTr21aw-H9388cvZTLO6jROIdk8-EXKJBQFi9eqG0AKo3Zh6P-Q1yR7wY7GWfWgg6HbqH0M/s400/IMG_0091.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715913056480434466" border="0" /></a>There was lots of interest in this week's <a href="http://www.eastbayexpress.com/" target="_blank">East Bay Express</a>, including an article on <a href="http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/smart-growth-in-the-burbs/Content?oid=3139367" target="_blank">Concord's plan for a former military base</a>, a lament on the <a href="http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/wither-the-oakland-blogosphere/Content?oid=3139365" target="_blank">whithering of the Oakblogosphere</a>, and an <a href="http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/letters/Content?category=1064093" target="_blank">excellent letter</a> by <a href="http://ruthfm.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">blogger Ruth Miller</a>, imploring us (rightly) in the death of redevelopment not to use Emeryville as a model for the Broadway Auto Row redevelopment, something I've been arguing for years.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-69347860825485680672011-09-15T13:51:00.000-07:002011-09-15T14:27:27.477-07:00Park(ing) Day 2011<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://rebargroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/parking_041-520x347.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 520px; height: 347px;" src="http://rebargroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/parking_041-520x347.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Tomorrow is <a href="http://parkingday.org/" target="_blank">Park(ing) Day</a> 2011. <a href="http://oaklandliving.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/parking-week-in-oakland/#more-3984" target="_blank">Oakland Living has a great writeup</a> of the places and activities happening in Oakland. Be sure to check out the video by the <a href="http://www.greenbelt.org/" target="_blank">Greenbelt Alliance</a> at the end.<br /><br />I only add that <a href="http://rebargroup.org/parking-day/" target="_blank">Park(ing) Day was founded in 2005</a> (image above) by <a href="http://rebargroup.org/" target="_blank">ReBar</a>, "an interdisciplinary studio working at the intersection of art, design and ecology." They have been kind enough to give it to the world.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I have been on leave from the <a href="http://www.arcsine.com/php/arcsine.html" target="_blank">studio</a> I work with for a number of months now, but it doesn't seem that the <a href="http://oaklandspaceacademy.blogspot.com/2011/04/coffee-container.html" target="_blank">Coffee Container</a>, which I hoped would debut tomorrow, has become a reality.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-27385919555870487232011-09-08T10:21:00.001-07:002011-09-08T11:56:02.080-07:00Architecture + The City 2011<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.envelopead.com/proj_images/octaviakl1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 875px; height: 575px;" src="http://www.envelopead.com/proj_images/octaviakl1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>It is already a quarter over, but this month in San Francisco is the <a href="http://www.aiasf.org/Programs/Public_Programs/Architecture_and_the_City.htm" target="_blank">Architecture and the City</a> festival, complete with <a href="http://www.aiasf.org/Programs/Public_Programs/Architecture_and_the_City/film_series.htm" target="_blank">film series</a>, <a href="http://www.aiasf.org/Programs/Public_Programs/Architecture_and_the_City/exhibitions.htm" target="_blank">exhibitions</a>, and <a href="http://www.aiasf.org/Programs/Public_Programs/Architecture_and_the_City/lectures.htm" target="_blank">lectures</a>. Opening tonight at <a href="http://swissnexsanfrancisco.org//" target="_blank">SwissNex</a> is Switzerland's contribution to the 2010 <a href="http://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/index.html" target="_blank">Venice Bienalle</a>, <a href="http://www.aiasf.org/Programs/Public_Programs/Architecture_and_the_City/exhibitions.htm#swissnex" target="_blank">Teaching Architecture: 3 Positions Made in Switzerland</a>. Next Thursday is a half-day symposium at <a href="http://www.spur.org/" target="_blank">SPUR</a> on <a href="http://www.aiasf.org/Programs/Public_Programs/Architecture_and_the_City/lectures.htm#SPUR" target="_blank">The Bay Area's Modern Landscape Legacy</a>. The following week includes Oakland-based architects <a href="http://www.envelopead.com/" target="_blank">envelope A+D</a> in a conversation about <a href="http://www.aiasf.org/Programs/Public_Programs/Architecture_and_the_City/exhibitions.htm#AOC2" target="_blank">Flexible Urbanism</a>, the film <a href="http://www.aiasf.org/Programs/Public_Programs/Architecture_and_the_City/film_series.htm#films3" target="_blank">Revolutionary Wake: Unfinished Spaces</a> about the creation of Cuba's National Art Schools by three young architects following Castro's takeover in 1961, and a panel on the under construction Transbay Transit Center entitled <a href="http://www.aiasf.org/Programs/Public_Programs/Architecture_and_the_City/lectures.htm#transbay" target="_blank">Grand Central of the West</a>.<br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-90946120807256828922011-06-03T10:21:00.001-07:002011-06-03T10:31:43.427-07:00Temescal Street Fair Postponed<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.temescaldistrict.org/image/montage.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 740px; height: 140px;" src="http://www.temescaldistrict.org/image/montage.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Due to a delay in summer, the <a href="http://www.temescaldistrict.org/" target="_blank">Temescal</a> Street Fair has been <a href="http://www.temescaldistrict.org/news/?p=68" target="_blank">postponed until July 10th</a>.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-79137481661276914202011-06-02T13:03:00.000-07:002011-06-02T18:50:45.900-07:00SPUR @ OMCA<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://museumca.org/files/imagecache/400_max/pages/11/About_building.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="http://museumca.org/files/imagecache/400_max/pages/11/About_building.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>This Friday night the <a href="http://www.spur.org/join_or_give/join_individual/young_urbanists" target="_blank">Young Urbanists</a> of the <a href="http://www.spur.org/" target="_blank">San Francisco Planning + Urban Research Association</a> (SPUR), are coming to Oakland for a night at the <a href="http://museumca.org/" target="_blank">Oakland Museum of California</a> (OMCA), which nicely coincides with <a href="http://oaklandartmurmur.org/" target="_blank">Art Murmur</a>. If you don't know anything about it, SPUR is a good government organization with a strong emphasis on quality urban design. Although primarily San Francisco focused, it seems to me they have been <a href="http://www.spur.org/policy/future-of-work" target="_blank">traveling further afield</a> more of late.<br /><br />And if you don't know much about the OMCA, it was reopened about a year ago after being renovated by local architects <a href="http://www.cavagnero.com/" target="_blank">Mark Cavagnero Associates</a>. Originally designed by <a href="http://www.krjda.com/" target="blank">Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates</a>, the OMCA was the first commission for the partnership. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Roche" target="blank">Kevin Roche</a> won the <a href="http://www.pritzkerprize.com/" target="_blank">Pritzker Prize</a>, given yearly to an architect for a significant body of work and one of the profession's highest honors, in 1982. Kevin Roche has gained a renewed interest and following of late for his humanist approach to modernism, as evidenced by the current exhibit <a href="http://www.architecture.yale.edu/drupal/in_the_news/publication-kevin-roche-architecture-environment" target="_blank">Kevin Roche: Architecture as Environment</a>, which was <a href="http://places.designobserver.com/feature/kevin-roche-architecture-as-environment/26558/" target="_blank">recently reviewed at Design Observer</a>.<br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-24237234522553362972011-04-12T21:46:00.000-07:002011-04-12T22:10:00.678-07:00Coffee Container<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqQqf0PRpeMKX78U7XtKlonaQkrFwHAdHg7NC3GAyt7IICM5G1bq1uvilAVTebpxHGitOlj3A9yiLM_89wLsMzopeQ9w-rhP2jTR4PBwc6iNq9lFcRIZwNLUReAopHqBBvLApQ7gxfYku/s1600/reception_flyer_FINAL.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqQqf0PRpeMKX78U7XtKlonaQkrFwHAdHg7NC3GAyt7IICM5G1bq1uvilAVTebpxHGitOlj3A9yiLM_89wLsMzopeQ9w-rhP2jTR4PBwc6iNq9lFcRIZwNLUReAopHqBBvLApQ7gxfYku/s320/reception_flyer_FINAL.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594930417064002242" border="0" /></a>Wednesday night the studio I work for, <a href="http://www.arcsine.com/php/arcsine.html" target="_blank">Arcsine Architecture</a>, has the opening reception for Coffee Container, the design for the transformation of a shipping container into a mobile coffee bar for <a href="http://www.moderncoffeeoakland.com/" target="_blank">Modern Coffee</a>. The hope is for the built reality to be completed in time for <a href="http://oaklandspaceacademy.blogspot.com/2009/09/parking-day-2009.html" target="_blank">Parking Day</a> 2011. Modern Coffee is located at 411 13th Street in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribune_Tower_%28Oakland%29" target="_blank">Oakland Tribune Tower</a>. The reception is from 5:00 - 7:00 pm, see you there!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-88253406576672786542011-04-10T02:24:00.000-07:002011-04-12T22:25:43.203-07:00Pushing Buttons<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwFC_Y82ea3uvcoJt803Miip9dolzzwJrQ6wNYH35CYsXAwOSOXTsuTOXDzZlQNuwaGDuYVtfe1zw6LIiKhkz_EeQr0yMisjJZqkyJk_PCDsRri4Ihrb7QQuRSxroPVy8ocHSo6HeV0A9/s1600/IMG_0530.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwFC_Y82ea3uvcoJt803Miip9dolzzwJrQ6wNYH35CYsXAwOSOXTsuTOXDzZlQNuwaGDuYVtfe1zw6LIiKhkz_EeQr0yMisjJZqkyJk_PCDsRri4Ihrb7QQuRSxroPVy8ocHSo6HeV0A9/s200/IMG_0530.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593885341557923682" border="0" /></a>Why is it that in Oakland, that if you want to cross a street and you are driving you just pull up and wait, but if you are walking, you have to push a button?</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-13091659205088956442011-01-12T18:51:00.000-08:002011-01-12T18:56:04.567-08:00Going Dutch<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/38/113013177_801ffcb75e.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 332px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/38/113013177_801ffcb75e.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Tomorrow at the <a href="http://spur.org/" target="_blank">San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association</a> (SPUR) is a lunchtime forum entitled <a href="http://spur.org/events/calendar/going-dutch-creating-bicycle-dependent-city" target="_blank">Going Dutch: Creating a Bicycle-Dependent City</a>. Leah Shahum, the Executive Director of the <a href="http://www.sfbike.org/" target="_blank">San Francsico Bicycle Coalition</a>, will share lessons learned from her 8-month sabbatical in Amsterdam. SPUR lunchtime forums begin at 12:30, are free to members or $5 for non-members, and are a great way to learn more about current projects and policy initiatives happening throughout the Bay Area.<br /><br />Though San Francisco focused, SPUR more recently seems to be taking a greater interest in the larger region. I highly recommend joining for anyone interested in urban planning and municipal good governance issues. There are usually at least one or two lunchtime forums a week, wonderful special events and awards, and they have a great monthly newsletter, <a href="http://spur.org/publications/urbanist" target="_blank">Urbanist</a>.<br /><br />So grab your lunch, get on your bike, and <a href="http://us.holland.com/e/7772/The+Bicycle+and+Holland.php" _blank="">go Dutch</a>!<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-37097694826698474942011-01-08T07:24:00.000-08:002011-01-08T08:05:13.093-08:00Parking Design<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4654549203_80cc1f9573.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4654549203_80cc1f9573.jpg" alt="" border="0" / ></a>The amount that Oakland doesn't know about automobiles and their storage could fill blogs, and it has. Oakland doesn't know <a href="http://oaklandliving.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/keep-temescal-pedestrian-friendly-help-appeal-the-auto-centric-mcdonalds-redesign/" target="_blank">where to put drive-through lanes</a>. Oakland doesn't know how to <a href="http://futureoakland.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/merchants-are-wrong-about-parking-meter-fees/" target="_blank">price parking</a>. Oakland doesn't know that you <a href="http://transbayblog.com/2009/05/03/in-uptown-grows-a-parking-lot/" target="_blank">shouldn't have surface parking lots downtown</a>.<br /><br />In fact, Oakland knows so little about automobiles and their storage that I often argue that, rather than try to improve it's thinking, maybe Oakland should just think about automobiles and their storage a whole lot less. <a href="http://www.abetteroakland.com/more-parking-coming-soon-to-a-lake-near-you/2010-05-28" target="_"blank"">Or maybe not</a>. But one area I wish they would have thought more and better about is the design and installation of the newish parking kiosks.<br /><br />Aside from the fact that most of the time they just sheared off the old meter heads to create thousands of 2" diameter trash cans that never get emptied, rather than <a href="http://www.transalt.org/newsroom/media/3354" target="_blank">cool bicycle parking</a>. Or that you can't pay with paper money, so you have to use your credit card, carry around tons of change, or actually go into a bank every so often to get a roll of dollar coins. Or that when you are paying for a parking space, the kiosks don't tell how long you can park for, but what time you can park until, but don't tell you what time it is, forcing you to dig into your pocket or bag and find your phone.<br /><br />Aside from all those things, the new parking kiosks are just plain ugly, with tons of different stickers and signs on them because it wasn't very well thought out in advance. But it doesn't have to be that way. <a href="http://sf.streetsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09_03/3831238502_8b32f79956.jpg" target="_blank">San Francisco does it better</a>, and solar powered too! So does Melbourne for their bike parking (image above). <a href="http://bigideasforoakland.blogspot.com/2011/01/creative-freedom-could-encourage.html" target="_blank">Max is right</a>, Oakland can learn a lot from other cities, maybe even about <a href="http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/congestioncharging/" target="_blank">automobiles</a> and their <a href="http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/parking" target="_blank">storage</a>.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-29648025186443557612010-11-18T10:37:00.000-08:002010-11-18T11:36:51.975-08:00Broadway Shuttle on NextBus<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://a3.twimg.com/profile_background_images/148419007/Broadway_Shuttle_Right_Side_Rendering_45_KB.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 448px; height: 159px;" src="http://a3.twimg.com/profile_background_images/148419007/Broadway_Shuttle_Right_Side_Rendering_45_KB.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Via <a href="http://twitter.com/Vsmoothe" target="_blank">ABO's twitter feed</a>, I learned that finally the <a href="http://www.nextbus.com/?a=actransit&r=BSH" target="_blank">Broadway Shuttle is on NextBus</a>. In a test run yesterday, I noticed <a href="http://oaklandspaceacademy.blogspot.com/2008/10/bus-rapid-transit-001.html" target="_blank">similar problems with timing I found when NextBus first arrived</a>, but those seem to have since worked themselves out, so I'm hopeful.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm amazed this service didn't launch with <a href="http://www.nextbus.com/predictor/simpleRouteSelector.shtml?a=actransit" target="_blank">NextBus</a>. A good deal of the <a href="http://www.meetdowntownoak.com/shuttle.php" target="_blank">FreeB</a>'s utility derives from the fact that one can take it on short hops during a lunch hour to save time and increase the range of <a href="http://www.heinoldsfirstandlastchance.com/" target="_blank">accessible</a> <a href="http://www.bakesalebetty.com/" target="_blank">places</a>. It helps not to have to wait 10 minutes on the front end of the trip.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Overall I love the <a href="http://twitter.com/BroadwayShuttle" target="_blank">Broadway Shuttle</a>, and think it is a great addition to both <a href="http://www.actransit.org/" target="_blank">AC Transit</a> and <a href="http://www.meetdowntownoak.com/index.php" target="_blank">downtown Oakland</a>. I've been taking it once or twice a week since service began, and it appears to be well used. I have further thoughts that I've been meaning to write for months, which I hope to get to soon. Stay tuned.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-21172962687986514142010-11-15T10:36:00.000-08:002010-11-15T11:55:33.854-08:00Seeing Orange<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.benthemcrouwel.nl/portal_presentation/offices/wilo/wilo-05.jpg/Image" target="_blank"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 769px; height: 496px;" src="http://www.benthemcrouwel.nl/portal_presentation/offices/wilo/wilo-05.jpg/Image" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Across the Bay this week is <a href="http://seeing-orange.com/" target="_blank">Dutch Design Week SF</a>, which "presents the best of the Dutch creative industries in all areas of design." As you can see from a few of my <a href="http://oaklandspaceacademy.blogspot.com/2009/02/television.html" target="_blank">previous</a> <a href="http://oaklandspaceacademy.blogspot.com/2009/01/betsky-mills.html" target="_blank">posts</a>, I'm a bit of a Dutch designphile. The image above is of <a href="http://www.benthemcrouwel.nl/portal_presentation/offices/wilo" target="_blank">Wilo</a> by <a href="http://www.benthemcrouwel.nl/" target="_blank">Benthem Crouwel Architects</a>, which was <a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2010/11/todays-archidose-457.html" target="_blank">Daily Dose of Architecture #457</a>.<br /></div><br />Tonight is a <a href="http://seeing-orange.com/?page_id=88" target="_blank">lecture by Karen Van Den Brandt and Alex Clay</a> of <a href="http://www.lesley-moore.nl/" target="_blank">Lesley Moore</a>. Afterwards, the results of a weekend workshop they held at the <a href="http://www.cca.edu/" target="_blank">CCA</a> will be presented. I'm hoping the workshop perhaps addressed the <a href="http://www.actransit.org/wp-content/uploads/rapid_bannercafe_future.jpg" target="_blank">awful graphics of AC Transit</a>.<br /><br />On Wednesday will be a <a href="http://seeing-orange.com/?page_id=131" target="_blank">lecture by Caroline Bos on the Deep Planning</a> of <a href="http://www.unstudio.com/" target="_blank">UNStudio</a>. I'm a bit skeptical that there is all that much to it, so I'm looking forward to learning more. Regardless, from <a href="http://www.unstudio.com/nl/unstudio/projects/workfield/0/56/2726/erasmus-bridge" target="blank">what I've seen</a> their architectural and graphic work is beautiful, so if nothing else it should be a visually interesting lecture. See you in Orange!<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-77142533948969878272010-10-27T18:27:00.000-07:002011-04-12T22:26:52.252-07:00Filming in Old Oakland<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCRX5tp4CXNfo8MQ6syWgNKKA9MYhBls5Y67vEkI_Di6k3lLECP_aaV80Up-LQOVK6RdfLeEwOO0OVcU9yafdSaLy2AB3Uu46Gx04golqTaQIfru2ewaz6Wiy10pIe2BoLeydd1qjlXA/s1600/20101027+Old+Oakland+02.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCRX5tp4CXNfo8MQ6syWgNKKA9MYhBls5Y67vEkI_Di6k3lLECP_aaV80Up-LQOVK6RdfLeEwOO0OVcU9yafdSaLy2AB3Uu46Gx04golqTaQIfru2ewaz6Wiy10pIe2BoLeydd1qjlXA/s200/20101027+Old+Oakland+02.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532908887336953714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">This is way too late for a blog that is posted to so infrequently these days, so this is mostly for posterity, but I wanted to point out that tonight (all night) is the last day of shooting for a Lincoln car holiday commercial in Old Oakland. Like most movies and commercials, this is facilitated by the <a href="http://www.filmoakland.com/" target="_blank">Oakland Film Office</a>, who have a great name and a really cool logo - they really should be selling their t-shirts to the public, rather than only giving them away as a thank you to crews that film in Oakland.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Anyways, it is worth heading down to Old Oakland tonight, if only to see some vacant storefronts filled in with fake holiday window displays. It suggests an interesting strategy for down on their luck retail nodes to present a better face, at least until Oakland facilitates new establishments by <a href="http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2009/02/deregulation_i_can_believe_in/" target="_blank">deregulating the retail sector</a>.</span><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-35647142705945121072010-05-13T06:25:00.000-07:002010-05-13T06:36:09.412-07:002010 Bike to Work Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ebbc.org/?q=system/files/blog_files/node_4584_user_51_BTWD10_logo.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 374px; height: 263px;" src="http://www.ebbc.org/?q=system/files/blog_files/node_4584_user_51_BTWD10_logo.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Today is <a href="http://www.ebbc.org/?q=node/4584" target="_blank">Bike to Work Day</a>!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-56509476344380789442009-09-18T09:36:00.000-07:002009-09-18T09:45:40.319-07:00Park(ing) Day 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-SuTxFDMYGL8LWq3lonszOhkvNAOEzLyWvVvVvHqQTygl5jMogvRKG7BimQ69krashkTW4H81AcjQ7HIoaXf5drInGQ1tE6t8LYOCPpTPnvgyzbMO2QxJS2xAkn4HLXFxn0gOa8nGQM/s1600-h/20080919+Park%28ing%29+Day+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-SuTxFDMYGL8LWq3lonszOhkvNAOEzLyWvVvVvHqQTygl5jMogvRKG7BimQ69krashkTW4H81AcjQ7HIoaXf5drInGQ1tE6t8LYOCPpTPnvgyzbMO2QxJS2xAkn4HLXFxn0gOa8nGQM/s400/20080919+Park%28ing%29+Day+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382849524268506802" border="0" /></a>Today is <a href="http://www.parkingday.org/" target="_blank">Parking Day</a>!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-74990274253384353372009-09-12T11:16:00.000-07:002009-09-12T11:19:33.857-07:00Architecture + The City 2009<div style="text-align: justify;">It is nearly half over, but September is the <a href="http://www.aiasf.org/Programs/Public_Programs/Architecture_and_the_City.htm" target="_blank">Architecture + The City</a> festival sponsored by the <a href="http://www.aia.org/index.htm" target="_blank">American Institute of Architects</a> <a href="http://www.aiasf.org/Home.htm" target="_blank">San Francisco chapter</a>. The most intriguing event is the symposium <a href="http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=187486" target="_blank">California and The Netherlands: A New Alliance for Climate Change Adaptation</a> , which unfortunately is already on a wait list. But there are still plenty of tours, lectures, and exhibitions to attend.<br /><br />The most interesting among them was canceled. Gardens are for People: The Innovative Landscapes of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Dolliver_Church" target="_blank">Thomas Church</a> at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkmerced,_San_Francisco,_California" target="_blank">Park Merced</a> was to explore the some of the gardens and courtyards of the site, as well as the larger, shared open spaces. Hopefully <a href="http://www.docomomo.com/" target="_blank">Docomomo</a>, who would have lead the tour, will try again next year.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-4828752435193825392009-07-04T10:23:00.000-07:002009-07-04T10:37:33.866-07:00The Americans<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sfmoma.org/view/assets/images/exhibitions/2009/robert_frank_01.jpg?w=366&h=230&scale=fit&smileaction=image"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 351px; height: 230px;" src="http://www.sfmoma.org/view/assets/images/exhibitions/2009/robert_frank_01.jpg?w=366&h=230&scale=fit&smileaction=image" alt="" border="0" /></a>Though today I will be doing the typical 4th of July BBQ, if you are looking for something different and yet still uniquely patriotic, I highly recommend going to see the exhibit at the <a href="http://www.sfmoma.org/" target="_blank">San Francisco Museum of Modern Art</a> on Robert Franks' book The Americans entitled <a href="http://www.sfmoma.org/exhibitions/382" target="_blank">Looking In</a>. Though I've seen many of these photographs before, I've never seen the book itself, and this exhibit displays all 83 photographs in the order they appeared, along with artifacts from its development and examples of his earlier and later work.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Another reason to go today, or at least very soon, are two smaller exhibits that close on Tuesday. <a href="http://www.sfmoma.org/exhibitions/379" target="_blank">Patterns of Speculation</a> shows the work of Berlin-based architecture studio <a href="http://www.jmayerh.de/home.htm" target="_blank">J. Mayer H.</a> using images of their work along with a site-built installation. Though the exhibit somewhat falsely claims the firm's unique approach (or at least doesn't explain enough what makes it so unique), it does provide an interesting example of one of the foremost trajectories in architectural thinking over the last decade, that of turning the invisible fields of information and data that surround us into built form.<br /><br />Also closing Tuesday is <a href="http://www.sfmoma.org/exhibitions/389" target="_blank">Otl Aicher: Munchen 1972</a>. This exhibit highlights the incredible graphic program of the '72 Olympic games. As someone who spends a lot of time complaining generally about signage in California, and specifically about the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BgGLROS7w4gKXJdMB_iBBcDMb3UGGwKmjqN5PfuakItk7mCy6BCU6ndvsUW7T365WVsEfn-6_0Fqp_lHS1V1c0JYKaKg0xrG9-gFh1GgJVWR8S_RGiHkR-M4K4tBICCwhRm4CZL8EwY/s900-r/blogger+header.jpg" target="_blank">terrible graphics and design program of AC Transit</a>, this exhibition is like a cool bay breeze on a hot summer day.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.sfmoma.org/" target="_blank">SFMoMA</a> also has the newly-opened <a href="http://www.sfmoma.org/exhibitions/392" target="_blank">rooftop sculpture garden</a>. It is <a href="http://www.snopes.com/quotes/twain.asp" target="_blank">summer in San Francisco</a> though, so be sure to bring your winter jacket.<br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-5046282155031852252009-06-10T22:43:00.000-07:002009-06-10T22:53:49.794-07:00NorCalMod Lecture<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/Chronicle/catalog/081184353X/brubeck2.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 450px; height: 325px;" src="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/Chronicle/catalog/081184353X/brubeck2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Thursday night, co-sponsored by the <a href="http://www.aiaeb.org/" target="_blank">American Institute of Architects East Bay</a> and the <a href="http://www.oaklandheritage.org/" target="_blank">Oakland Heritgage Alliance</a>, Pierluigi Serraino will give a <a href="http://aiaeastbay.blogspot.com/2009/04/mid-century-modern-in-your-backyard.html" target="_blank">lecture entitled <span>Mid-Century Modern in your Backyard</span></a>. Serraino comes highly recommended by a friend who had him as a studio instructor at UC-Berkeley. He is the author of <a href="http://www.stoutbooks.com/cgi-bin/stoutbooks.cgi/69069" target="_blank">NorCalMod: Icons of Northern California Modernism</a>. The lecture is $10 for OHA or AIA members, $20 for non-members, and requires pre-registration. It begins at 5:30 at the AIA East Bay offices at 1405 Clay Street in beautiful downtown Oakland.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-57194350778731112772009-04-25T09:44:00.000-07:002009-04-25T10:04:33.316-07:00Idaho Stop<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><object width="400" height="230"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4140910&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4140910&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="230"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/4140910">Bicycles, Rolling Stops, and the Idaho Stop</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1572838">Spencer Boomhower</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br /></div><br />In a midday open thread earlier this week at <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/" target="_blank">dailyKos</a>, I learned about the above video advocating adoption of the Idaho bicycle model, which allows bike riders to treat stop signs as yield signs. The video itself, in addition to being informative and instructive on the topic, is a nice piece of graphic design.<br /><br />When I first began using my bike for transport in college, I was a fairly rigid follower of traffic laws. The theory being that the only way for cyclists to gain respect on the road was to follow the same laws as automobiles. So at 4-way stops in residential neighborhoods without a car in sight, I would actually come to nearly a complete stop. And that sucked!<br /><br />A trip to Amsterdam several years ago where I experienced their amazing cycling culture began to change my views. I knew our transportation system was organized around the car, but there I saw <span style="font-style: italic;">how</span> it might be different. The trip was lead by an architecture professor whose research interests included how people negotiate for urban space, and how certain types of negotiation make for a richer urban experience. And what the Idaho stop law does is essentially legalize greater negotiation between cyclists and others.<br /><br />These days I am much less concerned with following all traffic laws while on my bike, though I still believe there is truth to the theory that drivers would give cyclists more respect if they better followed the rules of the road. Which is why it is so important to have good laws, and the Idaho stop law is one of them.<br /><br />So I agree with Kos that all states should adopt the Idaho bicyle model. Besides being more efficient for cyclists, it makes for a more interesting city - one that fosters greater interaction and communication among us, even if only in the glance of recognition at a stop sign.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-10914023091518982092009-04-14T23:12:00.000-07:002009-04-14T23:24:40.915-07:00Oakonomist<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.economist.com/images/20090411/1509US6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 265px;" src="http://media.economist.com/images/20090411/1509US6.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Sharing a page in The Economist with an article on a <a href="http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13446692" target="_blank">Prairie in the City</a> of St. Louis is <a href="http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13446700&CFID=50710285&CFTOKEN=63950302" target="_blank">Killing for Respect</a>, concerning crime in Oakland. It is always interesting to see how Oakland is portrayed in the national and international media. And while this article is fairly balanced, also pointing out a "flourishing urbanism", interesting architecture, a beautiful downtown, Lake Merritt and Oakland's amazing diversity, it has me considering canceling my (expensive) subscription, for two main reasons.<br /><br />The first is the last paragraph, in which the correspondent tries to lay some blame for crime in Oakland at the feet of "liberal politicians" who don't even know how to talk about crime. The example they cite is that Mayor Dellums "had nothing to say at all" at the recent funeral of the four officers killed in the pursuit of Lovelle Mixon. Whatever you think about what happened (me: that Dellums handled it well and the fallen officers and their families demonstrated a lack of respect for the <span style="font-style: italic;">office</span> of the Mayor), that is just not what happened. It may be technically true, but The Economist severely misled its readers in that last paragraph.<br /><br />The second is that The Economist wrote nearly 2/3 of a page on crime in Oakland without once mentioning the size of the police force. The article simplistically dismisses poverty and racial tensions as factors, while suggesting a theory of a culture of chaos exacerbated by the large numbers of released prisoners, and the inability of our leaders to speak (and thus act) effectively about crime. I happen to think all of these are contributing factors, to a greater or lesser degree. But how can you write a column about crime in Oakland without even mentioning the size of the police force?</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-13586176150288647512009-04-05T21:42:00.000-07:002009-04-05T21:50:14.639-07:00Design Lectures 20090406<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thesquarecircle.net/resources/medias/crissy_aerial.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.thesquarecircle.net/resources/medias/crissy_aerial.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Although I haven't yet made it to one as a result, I have really appreciated Becks putting together a weekly <a href="http://oaklandliving.wordpress.com/2009/04/05/april-6-10-oakland-political-community-events/" target="_blank">list of upcoming political and community events</a> at <a href="http://oaklandliving.wordpress.com/">Living in the O</a>. In that spirit, I thought I'd point you to several interesting design lectures this week.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />On Monday night, as part of the UC-Berkeley Department of Landscape Architecture lecture series, Kevin Congers of <a href="http://www.cmgsite.com/" target="_blank">CMG Landscape Architecture</a> will present a lecture entitled <a href="http://laep.ced.berkeley.edu/component/option,com_extcalendar/Itemid,0/&Itemid=/extmode,view/extid,823/" target="_blank">LOCALS: A Regional Practice Engages Communities in Conceptually-based Projects</a>. Congers was project manager with <a href="http://www.hargreaves.com/" _blank="">Hargreaves Associates</a> on <a href="http://www.crissyfield.org/visit/park.asp?pageKey=23" target="_blank">Crissy Field</a> (image above) in San Francisco. The lecture is at 7:00 pm in 112 Wurster Hall on campus.<br /></div><br />At the same time and place on Wednesday night, another local landscape architect, <a href="http://www.wjhooddesign.com/" target="_blank">Walter Hood</a>, will speak as part of the <a href="http://arch.ced.berkeley.edu/events/lectures#8" target="_blank">UC-B Department of Architecture lecture series</a>. Oakland residents may know his work on <a href="http://www.wjhooddesign.com/splashpad.html" target="_blank">Splash Pad Park</a> or <a href="http://www.wjhooddesign.com/lafayette.html" target="_blank">Lafayette Square</a>. If you haven't experienced his work, don't be too put off by the clunky website, his landscape work has much more finesse than is exhibited there, and the lecture is sure to be interesting and illuminating.<br /><br />Finally on Thursday night, the <a href="http://www.oaklandheritage.org/" target="_blank">Oakland Heritage Alliance</a> continues its <a href="http://oaklandheritage.tumblr.com/post/50641386/current-events" target="_blank">second Thursday lecture series</a> with Chandler McCoy who is Associate Director of Planning at the Presidio Trust. McCoy will lecture on "Moderism Inside and Out," providing examples in and around Oakland that break down barries between architecture and landscape, inside and out. Note this is a change from the orignially scheduled lecture by Pierluigi Serraino, author of <a href="http://www.stoutbooks.com/cgi-bin/stoutbooks.cgi/69069.html" target="_blank">NorCal Mod: Icons of Northern California Modern Architecture</a>, which has been rescheduled for June 11. The McCoy lecture is $8 for OHA members and $10 for the general public, and will be at 7:30 at the Julia Morgan-designed Chapel of the Chimes at 4499 Piedmont Avenue in Oakland.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897399702782425261.post-70759556060969655382009-04-03T20:15:00.001-07:002009-04-03T20:55:05.671-07:00Assume Good Faith<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://imagecache.allposters.com/images/pic/APPOD/personaluse2_6859499-FB%7EThis-Aerial-View-Shows-the-City-of-Oakland-Calif-in-the-Foreground-Posters.jpg" target="_blank" ><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://imagecache.allposters.com/images/pic/APPOD/personaluse2_6859499-FB%7EThis-Aerial-View-Shows-the-City-of-Oakland-Calif-in-the-Foreground-Posters.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>In an interesting <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/weekinreview/29cohen.html?scp=2&sq=Wikipedia&st=cse" target="_blank" >essay from last Sunday's NY Times</a> writer Noam Cohen compares Wikipedia to cities, claiming it mimics their basic civility, trust, and capacity for self-organization. I especially liked his comparison of the dangers in more lightly tread neighborhoods and industrial districts to those Wiki entries with fewer readers where errors and ulterior motives take longer to root out. Cohen also points too one of the founding principles of Wikipedia, which I think is important for all urban dwellers to remember, "assume good faith."<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1