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ESSAY
CROSSTALK
June 25, 2017
The Effect of Iteration on Urban Form, Part I: Fractals and the Creation of Complexity
In a previous article I proposed that we adopt a perspective on preservation that allowed for transformation and change of what is to be preserved. This type of change has a more precise definition: iteration. To iterate means to “cover the same ground twice”, using feedback from the result of previous attempts and from environmental change to improve the result....
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ESSAY
CROSSTALK
June 21, 2017
Time of the Poppies
“Do you seek the highest, the greatest? The plant can teach you to do so. What it is without will of its own, that you should be with intent – that’s the point!” —Friedrich Schiller Some days ago, after giving a lecture in a west German city, I arrived back at my Berlin neighbourhood subway station and walked home. I...
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GLOBAL
ROUNDTABLE
May 8, 2017
To whom does a city’s nature belong? Is it a common pool resource, or a public good? And who decides?
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REVIEWS
PODCAST
June 26, 2017
Drought and Flood: A Silicon Valley Museum Explores Water, Society, and City
A review of “Liquid City,” The Darkened Mirror,” and “Fragile Waters,” a trio of water-related exhibitions at the San Jose Museum of Art, currently on view together through August 6, 2017. As the representative contemporary art institution of Silicon Valley, the San Jose Museum of Art might be expected to engage technology a good bit. They do. Yet growing up...
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RECENT ESSAYS...
June 18, 2017
Cities of Difference, Part I: Gender is Important in Understanding Nature in Cities
Cities abound with difference: people, buildings, trees, plants, animals, etc. People in cities (and beyond, of course) inhabit various and fragmented identities that include gender, class, race, ethnicity, sexuality, age, and ability/disability. These identities are produced in relation with other people, living- and non-living entities, and the landscape. These social identities are shaped through, and reflect differential access to, experiences...
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June 14, 2017
Is Green the New Flying Car? A Visit to the World’s Fairs of 1964 and 2064
What inspires our work? Why have we each chosen to pursue a vision of cities that incorporates and expands our views of nature? Was it a particular mentor, a class or school experience, time spent in wilderness, or a book or film that led us to think boldly about a green future for cities? I grew up in a part...
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June 11, 2017
Singapore through the Eyes of a Young Planner in Manila
How has Singapore created itself as a “city in a garden”? I’m from Manila, and have recently returned from a week-long educational trip hosted by the Young South East Asian Leadership Initiative (YSEALI). The workshop was entitled Urban Planning and Smart Growth. It brought together sixty young leaders across the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to learn from...
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June 7, 2017
The Role of Cities in the Climate Fight—A Cautious Approach
Cities are helping lead the global effort Cities are the new face of climate change. Where I live in New Haven, Connecticut (USA), we are witnessing its impacts—warmer winters, sea level rise, and inland and coastal flooding. The city is taking steps to address climate change, including adding bike lanes and adapting to future vulnerabilities. These measures to create climate...
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RECENT ROUNDTABLES...
Mar,2017
What are we trying to accomplish with biophilic cities? What are ambitious goals and targets, and measures of success?
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Jan,2017
You say po-TAY-to. What ecologists and landscape architects don’t get about each other, but ought to.
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MORE ESSAYS IN...
SCIENCE &
TOOLS
March 27, 2013
Urban Sustainability and Resilience—Why We Need to Focus on Scales
Two of the most debated and challenging concepts in urban development are sustainability and resilience. How are they related? Do they mean approximately the same thing or are they distinctly different and can misunderstandings lead to...
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PEOPLE &
COMMUNITITES
April 12, 2017
Exploring Questions of Architecture and Identity from “The Battle for Home: The Vision of a Young Architect in Syria”
Marwa al-Sabouni’s recent book on her experience as a young architect in Syria provides fascinating insights into the past, as well as current and future life in war-torn Syria. Although I have not been to Syria, the brave questions and reflections al-Sabouni poses resonate with me as they have resonated with others, both as a city planner and a concerned...
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PLACE &
DESIGN
March 31, 2013
Straw Polls, Dodos and the Value of Landscape
The premises on which we build our cities and construct civilisation, and the extent and means by which we include nature in our cities depends on what values we choose to adopt. Our capacity to engage with the processes of nurturing the nature of our cities depends on how we see our roles as members of society. Consumer or citizen?...
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ART &
AWARENESS
November 20, 2016
A Barley Field Grows on Soviet Concrete
In the summer of 2016, the largest Soviet-era residential area of Estonia was living a new life. The district Lasnamäe, including Estonia’s capital city, Tallinn, was built in the late 70s, but it has fallen into stagnation. Little has changed since its inception, and those big plans are still unfinished. A vast traffic channel to the city center is waiting...
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