citymaus

new traffic filter and plaza at vancouver/mcclure st, vancouver. 

two seniors cycling off mcclure onto vancouver st: “oh wow, look at this!” “yeah! they just upgraded this street.”

“At a press conference on 11.11.2020, Mayor Ada Colau announced that 21 streets in Barcelona’s Eixample district will become a kind of super-superblock—vehicle traffic will only be permitted around the perimeter, leaving streets within the district only accessible by motor vehicle to residents, essential services or deliveries. By all-but-barring cars, Barcelona will free up space for 21 new pedestrian plazas at intersections.

“The new district is an order of magnitude larger than the first Superilla (“Super-island” in Catalan) in the district of Poblenou. Taking over nine city blocks, the 2016 redesign banished through-traffic to streets on its border. Within the block, car lanes were narrowed, and vehicles that still made it inside were required to give way to pedestrians and restricted to a maximum speed of 10 kilometers per hour. A further six superblocks have since been introduced. The city has long expressed an aspiration (albeit without a fixed end date) to ultimately transform its entire surface area with superblocks — this week’s announcement is the largest step towards that goal to date.

In a city of few parks and extreme population density, the superblocks have proved to be an effective way to free up street space for other uses, including new squares, public seating areas and tree-lined green avenues. But they have also faced resistance from motorists, who in the past have organized demonstrations to protest the car restrictions.

“The exact design of these streets will be chosen from a public competition in May 2021, but the city has already created some tight specifications: At least 80% of the street should be shaded by trees in summer, while at least 20% of surfacing should be permeable, and half of this total planted with grass, to allow the ground to soak up rainwater and improve flood resilience. Priority should be given to creating safe spaces for children and older people, while all public areas need to be equipped with drinking fountains.

While the upheaval involved in the project—and the ultimate extension of the superblock model across all Barcelona—could be considerable, so is the public health payoff. The city believes it could free up 70% of its current road space for active travel and recreation space if it reaches its aspiration of covering its whole surface area in superblocks, slashing air pollution, carbon emissions and noise pollution in the process. Expanded tree cover could also reduce summer temperatures. According to a 2019 study published in the journal Environment International, a full realization of the city’s 503-block plan could prevent 667 premature deaths per year.”

read more: citylab, 11.11.2020. 

astor place, new york city. 

photosimulation from 2006 created by a team including open plans, pps and transalt.

“Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, has announced plans to turn the city into a vast open-air cafe by giving over much of its public space to hard-hit bar and restaurant owners so they can put their tables outdoors and still observe physical distancing rules.

The Baltic state, which has recorded 1,344 cases of the coronavirus and 44 deaths, allowed cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating, hairdressers and almost all shops to begin reopening this week as part of a staged exit from lockdown.

But the health ministry has imposed strict physical distancing rules and safety measures. Shops must limit the number of customers at one time, masks will remain mandatory in all public spaces, and cafe and restaurant tables have to be placed at least two metres apart.

vilnius town hall square. photo: donatas dabravolskas

“Plazas, squares, streets – nearby cafes will be allowed to set up outdoor tables free of charge this season and thus conduct their activities during quarantine,” said Remigijus Šimašius. Public safety remained the city’s top priority, the mayor said, but the measure should help cafes to “open up, work, retain jobs and keep Vilnius alive”.

Eighteen of the city’s public spaces, including its central Cathedral Square, have been opened up for outdoor cafes and restaurants, city hall said, and more are expected to be added as the summer progresses. The move has been welcomed by owners, with more than 160 applying to take up the offer.

Vilnius authorities have also given the city’s public health workers €400,000-worth (£350,000) of restaurant vouchers intended both as gesture of thanks for their work and a much-needed stimulus to the city’s cafes.”

read more: guardian, 28.04.2020. 

plaza life—revisited. via guardian, 01.08.19.

“The researchers behind The Field Guide to Urban Plazas decided to study the public behaviour of human beings in New York City, an update on William H Whyte’s pioneering work from 1980, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces.”

across the world, urban intersections are being slowly transformed from grim, car-oriented hazards to bright and pedestrian-friendly spaces, with help from the bloomberg philanthropies initiative for global road safety.

more: guardian, 20.09.18. 

yayoi kusama’s “flowers that bloom at midnight” public space at 33 tehama street during how weird street faire, 06.05.18.

”Continuing a legacy of outstanding public architecture, the General Services Administration (GSA) Design Excellence Program seeks to commission our nation’s most talented designers and artists to design federal buildings of outstanding quality and value. These projects are to demonstrate the value of true integrated design that balances aesthetics, cost, constructability, and reliability; create environmentally responsible and superior workplaces for civilian federal employees; and give contemporary form and meaning to our democratic values.

In this context, the GSA invites students in architecture, landscape, and urban design programs to envision a design intervention that activates the New San Francisco Federal Building plaza. Winning ideas will also address the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture, building tenant needs for the facility, community goals, feasibility, and will also achieve the best value for the American taxpayer through good design. The intervention may take the form of physical renovation of the plaza, programming new use(s), and/or some other means of transformation designed to activate public space.

view from across the street. does not look inviting because the corner cafe is closed off to the street. flickr/bchang

“The New San Francisco Federal Building located at 90 7th street in San Francisco, California, was designed by Morphosis. The project was designed between 1999 and 2002. Construction began in 2003 and was completed in 2007. This year celebrates its 10th year of occupancy.

The distinctive building has become a landmark in San Francisco. Its layout and functions celebrate the importance of the city and the urban environment, combining amenities and public space that are designed to enhance the immediate area and the adjacent neighborhood. The offices support the energy and spirit of those who work there and those who visit. Its systems are outstanding examples of integrated engineering and sustainable design, reflecting the wise stewardship of limited resources. Together, these attributes make this a project that has stimulated critical interest.

The building is a model of GSA’s Design Excellence program. As a public space, the original vision for the plaza was that it would be a welcome civic space that is flexible and allows for outdoor dining, concerts, and markets. Since the completion of the project 10 years ago, only the cafe uses the plaza for outdoor dining, and no concerts, markets, or any other public functions have used this space. This competition seeks ideas that activate the plaza for the benefit of the building users and general public.”

Submission Dates: Aug 28, 2017 - Nov 22, 2017 2pm PST. more info and how to enter here.

you wouldn’t even know there’s seating in front of the building because you wouldn’t walk there unless you work at the building. flickr/kenmccown

“Angela Alioto has been working on building the Umbian-style piazza—envisioned to be lined with imported white marble and inlaid quotes from poets and thinkers—on Vallejo Street in front of the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi for eight years, she told us. Now it needs a final permit to move ahead for a full permanent closure of the street. But Supervisor Aaron Peskin, she says, told city departments to stop working on it because there needs to be more community outreach.”

read more: “Accusations Swirl As Plans For Poets Plaza Are Put On Hold.” hoodline, 18.02.16.

Jane Warner Plaza — the intersection of Castro, Market, and 17th Streets, SF.

more info: sf planning department – pavement to parks program.

new public space at the new exploratorium!

in collaboration with rebar group! (more about the pop-up projects here)

kid- and adult-friendly public space spinning contraption things, and public seating!

on embarcadero, sf. 03.07.13.