Urbanism

Hitchens, on the meaning of bohemia and the West Village

In Development, London, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Urbanism on 16 June 2008 with no comments

Christopher Hitchens recalls bohemia’s eclipses in London, Paris, and San Francisco, and worries that New York’s West Village may soon become another victim of the skyscraper’s shadow. The loss would be immeasurable.
[T]ry picturing American culture without the contribution of this unique square mile. Inter alia, you would have to subtract Bob Dylan and the Cafe [...]

The Next City in the New York Times Magazine

In Bogota, Future, New York, Urbanism on 9 June 2008 with no comments

Yesterday’s New York Times Magazine has taken The Next City as its theme; they’ve focused the entire issue on urban issues and trends, including an interview with visionary Bogotá mayor Enrique Peñalosa.

Why conservatives should heart NYC, too.

In New York, Philosophy, Politics, Rome, Urbanism on 16 November 2007 with 2 comments

I recommend reading this short essay imploring conservatives to care about cities.
“In Rome,” wrote the philosopher George Santayana, who spent his final years in the Eternal City, “I feel nearer to my own past, and to the whole past and future of the world, than I should in any cemetery or in any museum of [...]

The city as video game as playground

In Criticism, Film & Television, Play, Screens, Urbanism on 7 November 2007 with no comments

The success of The Sims and Grand Theft Auto over competing titles is due largely to their
open ended gameplay where the player explores a large, complex playground and meanders about from non-linear adventure to non-linear adventure. The concept goes back to a couple of decades to early titles such as Elite, Nethack and Paradroid. Each [...]

“São Paulo is a great city, but not a beautiful city.”

In Future, Megacity, Sao Paulo, Urbanism on 6 November 2007 with no comments

I post often about São Paulo, mostly about how it’s a city portending the worst of urban trends. It turns out there’s a bright side.
Norman Gall gets optimistic in The Wilson Quarterly:

São Paulo is a great city, but not a beautiful city. The ­soot-­darkened buildings of its old business center [...]

China’s Chicago, etc.

In China, Development, Globalization, Travel, Urbanism on 2 November 2007 with no comments

What do Chongqing, Wuhan, Ningbo, and Dalian have in common? They’re China’s second-tier cities. And they’re booming:
They are attracting more and more tourists as well as investors from home and abroad. These cities are endeavoring to form their own unique character, attempting to evolve into Chinese versions of Chicago, Hawaii or Bangalore.
In an article from [...]

A mysterious murder in Polop de la Marina

In Crime, Development, Spain, Urbanism on 2 November 2007 with no comments

Alejandro Ponsoda, mayor of the Spanish village of Polop de la Marina, may have been murdered for his plans to grow the city’s population fifteen-fold [English translation, map].