Now we know the Mall owners are scared, really scared, of new competition (revised 15 November 2007)

November 11, 2007 in Development, Globalization, Shopping Malls, Urban Planning, law, sustainability, urbanism

Here’s an interesting and important legal decision that will have some very real urban design/architectural implications. It’s yet another example of small, local and very particularized developments eclipsing centralized, consolidated, and homogenized ones.
It’s also interesting from another point of view: what information we get from this lawsuit. Lawsuits are actually very [...]

The Ghost Map & 5GW: The answer is blowing in the wind

December 9, 2006 in Epidemiology, Future, Globalization, Infectious Disease, New Orleans Principles, Terrorism, Urban Planning, War, sustainability, urbanism

John Robb has an interesting post in which two astute points are made, and flowing from these, an important question is raised. The answer to his question depends on our thinking across disciplines, to see a very similar structure in a problem that was solved in Victorian London. A [...]

Rita, educating us all

November 29, 2006 in Globalization, New Orleans Principles, Terrorism, Urban Planning, War, urbanism

Well, we can learn much from Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, and, as noted several times here, there exists a whole set of connexions between Sustainability and War processes, especially in the way that they will both drive Urbanism/Urban Form in the next century or so. (When I say War here, I am referring to 5GW, [...]

Journey to the End of the Night (Hugh Ferriss edition)

November 26, 2006 in Design, Free Culture, Intellectual Property, St. Louis, The Great Depression, The Thirties, Urban Planning, urbanism

Hugh Ferriss‘ renderings, at their best, are some of the most evocative examples of American art of the previous century. His renderings were at once broadly and lastingly influential (just look at the set design of Batman or Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow for proof of this) However, for all [...]

Cities are from Mars, Neighborhoods are from Venus

October 28, 2006 in Urban Planning, War, urbanism

John Robb over at Global Guerillas had a post on the Role of Cities in 5GW (Fifth Generation Warfare) and he does make some excellent points, but more could be said about two issues. His post begins:

Predictions for the Year 2007, Part I

September 9, 2006 in 2007 Predictions, Corporate Fascism, First Amendment, Free Software, Infectious Disease, Intellectual Property, Terrorism, The Media Landscape, Urban Planning, War, urbanism

I am going to get way out ahead of everyone else by making my predictions for the major developments for the year 2007. They will be in my usual insane collection of categories. Also, since I am getting them out this early, I unilaterally annouce that if my predictions come to pass [...]