Detroit Lives

Nothing makes me more excited than when things are happening. When out of death and decay comes life. That is exactly what seems to be going on in Detroit. What I love about this film is that it gives hope. One of the memorable lines in the movie is where a fella says that in an established city like New York City its hard to have a say, but in Detroit, people like 'starving artists' can really treat the city like a blank canvas and make it a more human place to live versus the post-industrial freeways that have divided and conquered the land.

for all parts visit http://www.palladiumboots.com/exploration/detroit

Rethinking the 'mall.'

DIAGON ALLEY IN MISSISSAUGA
Call me crazy, but what if our shopping centers shared a similar ambiance with that of Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter World. I mean, simply comparing the suburban mall with Diagon Alley, I think its easy to say which one you'd rather spend time in or even live in. And when you have people genuinely wanting to live where they work, play, and buy, I think you have a win-win situation.

The suburban mall you see is the infamous 'Square One' Shopping Mall in Mississauga, Ontario Canada. The economic hub of the city, while also quite arguably the biggest eye sore. When thinking of how to retrofit suburbia, you must remember, that at the end of the day it all comes down to dollars and cents. The owner of 'Square One' is an elderly fellow who has repeatedly rejected the idea of tearing down what in my mind is the biggest eye-sore IN THE WORLD. That's right, I'm more of a fan of the Favelas in South America. In fact Diagon Alley holds many similar characteristics with the Brazilian Slums, architecturally speaking. In terms of economics, the land owner somehow feels that the mall's ginormous free parking lot is somehow more profitable than building more buildings, from which can be leased out.

Let's just say for the sake of this article, Mr. Stubborn Land Owner had decided to retrofit the mall area. In this case, what I propose is creating an area that will keep your young population in town. With this in mind, what better than to build what young people all over the world drool over. The magic and ambiance of the Harry Potter World.

Diagon Alley, in mind, is the synthesis of what 'Square One' can be transformed into. I'm not saying tear down the mall yet. But instead, why don't we don't we expand what is already inside the mall, that is the 'fun and frivolous' window shopping, out into the streets under the clear blue sky. In doing so, in addition to the great ambiance of Diagon Alley, this method of expansion can also provide an area of mix use, where people can live and work above the store fronts that we love so much in Europe. What I wonder is why, when so many of the economic centers of the world share 19th century urban characteristics, why do we then continue to build spaces so different. Why didn't we stick with what had worked for so many centuries.

But back to my point, diagon alley has a sort 'growth-like' bacterial characteristic, which gives it the ability to engulf existing spaces and merge and connect them with its web of hidden alleyways and walkways. In addition, with Sheridan college opening up across the street, 'Diagon Alley' can foster student life with pubs, galleries, and bars. A space like Diagon Alley can likewise merge and connect cultural spaces like the Living Arts Center across the street an reactivate and mobilize social life and active citizenship.

Part of this call for such a place, is not just because it would be nice or give me the illusion of living in the Harry Potter World, but rather because it is essential. It is essential to both mobilize social living and active citizenship, but it is also essential in shaping a sustainable and livable city. Also important to note is that OIL won't be here forever. In fact many economist beckon that oil is close to gone. It is important to retrofit our cities and communities for the future, when oil is too expensive or even gone. Because that day will come. It's important to use our 'oil age' petrodollars now before this unprecedented level of wealth is gone.

Now imagine this:


...surrounded by this:
With a leisurely walk and bike path surrounding the city core:
If you're wondering "well what about the parking lots, how will I get there"... might I suggest this:

city web 2.0

city web 2.0 on Prezi

An urban problem. An urban solution

I have a problem. A problem that I think links to urban sprawl. You see, I've moved within that past year, which is a common habit within the current patterns of urbanization. But to get straight to the point. My problem is that my social life has drastically changed. No longer can I knock on my next door neighbor's door and spontaneously start a pick-up soccer game, basketball game, baseball game, etc. Part of this is that my old childhood friends live further away or have become pre-occupied with adult-like responsibilities of work and post-secondary education. But, I feel that this is no excuse to no longer take part in the spontaneous acts of play. Hence, I ask 'how can I revive those spontaneous acts of play?' I understand that it isn't reasonable to expect everyone to be available to your spontaneous beckoning. This is why I propose that the internet can be utilized to mobilize and revive urban social life. More specifically, what I am alluding to is a 'Facebook-like' place where people can self-organize public activities and have the same old fun we had when we were children. Since our closest friends may no longer be readily available for a game of pick-up soccer, I feel that the internet (potentially linked with mobile phones) holds the potential to mobilize larger local groups of people who share same interests and desires of play. What I am calling for is help, ideas, a collaboration, to shape a space, a website, where we can overcome the social fragmentation of urban sprawl, and at the same time meet new people and form new communities. Part of this is a dream to revert back to the local scale of societal living.
PS: I've tried on Facebook, with a group called 'PLAY DAY,' but haven't been able to mobilize any real or concrete social engagement. Hence, I have been dreaming of an independent .COM site, separate from facebook, where non-facebook users could be incorporated.