Tag Archives: Pedestrians

“Within Walking Distance”

Posted on June 2, 2017 by

Philip Langdon’s new book Within Walking Distance, published by Island Press, uses six examples of walkable communities to show how they are made. No, unfortunately they do not arise spontaneously, at least not anymore, not since the postwar era, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Kley: Trials of the pedestrian

Posted on April 16, 2016 by

This sketch, called “The Train,” by Heinrich Kley was probably etched in about 1910 to judge by the auto, by the fashionable attire of the alligator, or by the era in which Kley was publishing his more curious work. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Art and design, Book/Film Reviews, Books and Culture, Humor, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How to square the square

Posted on March 7, 2016 by

Seventeen years ago, Providence Place mall opened up downtown, in the Capital Center District, where an exit ramp from Route 95 meets Francis Street and continues on as Memorial Boulevard. Ever since then, too many pedestrians have endangered their lives … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Development, Providence, Providence Journal, Rhode Island, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Is this tactical urbanism?

Posted on December 7, 2015 by

Here is a street sign that seems to epitomize the fatuousness, and perhaps the corruption, of municipal bureaucracy. Warning signs just like this have been popping up in the middle of streets in Providence for the past year or so. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Betsky bags Times Square

Posted on September 3, 2015 by

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has stirred a crisis by suggesting that he might remove the seating from Times Square and give it back to automotive traffic. The problem is that ladies with the breasts painted fabulous colors parade … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Development, Landscape Architecture, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Providence’s ‘renaissance’

Posted on January 12, 2015 by

The scalawag bugbear of an agitator Mary Ann Sorrentino on Sunday deplored downtown Providence in her Journal oped, “Walking through our moribund ‘renaissance’ city.” She describes strolling through town describing its former delights to her granddaughter. You can see the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Development, Preservation, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Column: Dr. Downtown’s stroll with Dr. Street

Posted on April 17, 2014 by

Dear Dr. Downtown: Please tell us about your “walkabout” last weekend with the author of Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns — Strolling in Stratford. Well, the doctor thought that Dr. Street (aka John Massengale, New York … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Humor, Preservation, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment