Tag Archives: Urbanism

L’Apogée, here we come!

Posted on April 9, 2018 by

This afternoon’s meeting of the Downtown Design Review Committee was cut short when one applicant, the developer of a second ugly building on Canal Street next to the first one now under construction, begged off till next time. In its … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Development, Providence | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

We dodged the HQ2 bullet

Posted on April 6, 2018 by

Providence would have been slaughtered if Amazon had decided to build its second headquarters – HQ2 – in Rhode Island and its capital city. So for the loss of 50,000 well-paid jobs and sundry other benefits, we should not blame … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Development | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Jan Gehl’s misplacemaking

Posted on November 7, 2017 by

ArchDaily has interviewed Jan Gehl, the noted Danish designer and theorist of placemaking. The article, “In the last 50 years, architects have forgotten what a good human scale is,” suggests that Gehl’s thinking, for all its merit, has not truly … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

D’town PVDfest vids galore

Posted on June 3, 2017 by

We – not the editorial we but the family we, as in me, Victoria and Billy – visited PVDfest in downtown Providence this afternoon – whoa, Nellie! a lot going on! Downtown was jamming. More different types of people than … Continue reading →

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PawSox sock the Bucket

Posted on May 17, 2017 by

GoLocalProv.com came out today with an editorial, “Pawsox Owners’ Ask Is Failed Community Leadership and Ultimate Greed.” It says: “Terry Murray and Tom Ryan asking Pawtucket to float a bond is like Daddy Warbucks shaking down Annie and Sandy for … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Development | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

S.J. Perelman in Wash. Sq.

Posted on March 23, 2017 by

Who hasn’t seen a musical that makes you want, in the spirit of the moment, to leap up and dance down that stone balustrade past the water fountain and into the dappled park, singing a Broadway tune to beat the … Continue reading →

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Pictures of Rio de Janeiro

Posted on August 16, 2016 by

There is very little to complain of in the category of Olympic stadiums at Rio this year. The structures all appear to have mastered the urge to look like something other than arenas for sport. No bird cages, no bubble … Continue reading →

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Video of the modernist city

Posted on July 25, 2016 by

Here, courtesy of the website Kuriositas, is the city of modern architecture’s secret desire. The video of this imagined place is called “Spacial Bodies,” by AUJIK.  As described by Kuriositas, it “depicts the urban landscape and architectural bodies as an … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Video | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The driverless car fiasco

Posted on May 27, 2016 by

Driverless cars are fast becoming the next big thing, with timelines for their arrival collapsing at breakneck speed. They remind me of the Minions. Craaashhh! The website grist.org has an article by Katie Herzog called “No One Wants Driverless Cars … Continue reading →

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

John King, read your words!

Posted on April 10, 2016 by

John King is the architecture critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. I met him maybe a decade ago at a conference and have followed his criticism since. This latest piece, “SF skyline’s new LinkedIn addition built by, for New Yorkers,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Art and design, Development, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment