MetaFilter posts tagged with urban

How to feed 10,000 people on 3 urban acres

shothotbot — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:06:24 -0800

Will Allen's Growing Power operates urban farms. His first Milwaukee farm is three urban acres where he grows enough food to feed 10,000 people. An interview by the Splendid Table's Lynne Rossetto Kasper in support of his new book. Previously.

"I couldn't afford for Carpentersville to become Detroit"

reenum — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:30:45 -0800

Tom Roeser was unhappy about the decline of his town, Carpentersville, IL. So he decided to do something about it. Roeser bought some foreclosed properties, renovated them, and then rented them out for below market value.

Eye candy, if you insist on calling it that

infini — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:30:38 -0800

The 10 Most Overlooked Women in Architecture History (PHOTOS)

Suburbia was our manufactured manifest destiny

spamandkimchi — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 07:11:04 -0800

The Top Ten Influences on the American Metropolis of the Past 50 Years 1. The 1956 Interstate Highway Act 2. Federal Housing Administration Mortgage Financing 3. De-Industrialization 4. Urban Renewal 5. Levittown 6. Racial Segregation 7. Shopping Malls 8. Sunbelt-Style Sprawl 9. Air Conditioning 10. Urban Riots of the 1960s ...plus the 10 Most Likely Influences for the Next 50 Years in one handy jpg

The trolleybus era

Pruitt-Igoe — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 22:08:23 -0800

More than just pictures of electric Brill, Flyer and Pullman buses, trolleybuses.net has some great old street-level shots of many cities in North America.

Down but not out.

Miko — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 19:46:51 -0800

After Forbes magazine declared Dayton, OH, one of America's " fastest dying cities," a group of local media makers created Reinvention Stories. The interactive film/multimedia experience rolls out this month in three acts.

"Can we really expect that such a government is interested"

the man of twists and turns — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:30:03 -0800

A Contagion Of Violence

In exploring the occurrence of violence, researchers have recognized the tendency for violent acts to cluster, to spread from place to place, and to mutate from one type to another – similar to the infectious disease model, in which an agent or vector initiates a specific biological pathway leading to symptoms of disease and infectivity.

Is It Time To Treat Violence Like A Contagious Disease?

Rowell Huesmann, a psychologist at the University of Michigan, echoed Wilkinson’s point. “The contagion of violence is really a generalization of the contagion of behavior,” he said. “How do cultures transmit norms and beliefs across generations? It’s through observation and imitation. There’s no genetic encoding.”

What We Still Don't Know About Mass Shootings The History And Hypocrisy Of Gun Control In the United States

The fact is that radicals and progressives, and even some Marxists are muting their criticism of the Obama administration as he addresses people’s legitimate concern about violence in society around a narrowly crafted discussion of assault rifles, magazine capacities and “straw purchases” of weapons. Such a discussion can at best be understood as a distraction from really dealing with the violence and alienation that permeates the lives of working people. That’s way uncritically lining up behind gun control advocates as a solution to the kind of violence we saw at Sandy Hook or in Boulder Colorado is a mistake. Doing so obscures who is responsible for the violence in society and what steps are needed to be taken to end it.

If You Want To Stop Gun Violence, Start With Bullets. GUNS ARE BEAUTIFUL: To Stop Gun Violence, We Need To Stop Fetishizing Guns. The Right Way To Combat Gun Vioelnce. The Longreads Guide To Guns Shooters

Despite the difficulty of such profiles and predictions, there are two things that such characters have in common. First, they are mostly young white males. Second, many of the perpetrators are reported to have been taking psychoactive prescription medication.

Ta-Nehisi Coates: The Social Trends Driving American Gangs And Gun Violence

It changed how we addressed our parents. It changed how we addressed each other. It changed our music. The violence put rules in place that often look strange to the rest of the country. For instance, the mask of hyper-machismo and invulnerability -- the ice-grill, as we used to say -- looks strange, until you've lived in a place where that mask is the only power you have to effect a modicum of safety.

One Of The 'Gun Guys'

"From the urban, educated effete liberal Democrat side of my world I'm hearing all of this disparaging of 'gun guys,' how stupid and awful they are," he says, speaking by phone from his home in Colorado. "These are conversations that for years I've endured as kind of like a closeted gay man listening to people talking about 'fags' and 'homos' — I would just stay quiet."

Get a Bird's-Eye View of America's Housing Patterns

blue_beetle — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 07:10:46 -0800

See the big picture of how suburban developments are changing the country's landscape, with aerial photos and an architect's commentary

Why We Abandoned the Public Realm, and Why We Need It Again

the man of twists and turns — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 03:16:42 -0800

The Rise and Fall and Rise of Great Public Spaces

Whenever there's trouble, they're there on the double.

zarq — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 08:20:51 -0800

"On a good day, the street maintenance team tasked by the New York City Department of Transportation with roadway repair might fill 4,000 potholes in eight hours. In an average week, they could resurface 100,000 square yards of road. After Hurricane Sandy, their crews removed 2,500 tons of debris. And every day, on a Tumblr called The Daily Pothole, New Yorkers can take a peek inside the workings of a city system few have likely thought about." Storyboard: A Day with New York City’s Pothole Repair Crew. "One of the most popular online inventions of New York City’s government is The Daily Pothole, a blog that tracks, in gravelly detail, the milling and paving of street cavities from Midwood to Midtown. It is eye candy for the asphalt-obsessed: panoramic photos accompanied by comic captions (“Bump!” “Sneak Attack!”) and a goggle-eyed mascot named Warmy, an asphalt plug, to boot."

Lewis Cass Technical High School, Then and Now

milquetoast — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 18:44:32 -0800

Detroit's Lewis Cass Technical High School, Then and Now. Period photos superimposed over the historic building's abandoned interiors, presented by detroiturbex.com.

On your feet, pirate

roomthreeseventeen — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 08:43:26 -0800

The Urban Etiquette Handbook

"Don't call it a comeback/I've been here for years."

the man of twists and turns — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 02:31:45 -0800

Jay Walljasper covers Detroit: Not Your Father's Motor City, The Surprise Behind Detroit's Emerging Comeback, Young People’s Fascination With Motor City is Only Part of Detroit Revitalization, A Food Commons Grows In Detroit. The Detroit Free Press writes: Taking The Land Into Your Own Hands (via Reason: Homesteading on the Detroit Frontier) An Interview with Mark Binelli on his book Why Detroit City Is The Place To Be. And How An Upstart Company In Detroit Is Building An American Heritage Brand: Shinola. Schrodinger's Detroit:

However, we all know that hope springs eternal in the human breast. Our other thread is the resurrection narrative, where scrappy Detroiters are rallying around their city, and rebuilding it in the spirit of a DIY revolution.

The New Recreation Frontier?

the man of twists and turns — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 03:57:55 -0800

Lets Swim To Work! "Centuries of boat traffic, heavy industry, sewage runoff and toxic dumping have ingrained in us the idea that urban waterways are not places for people. Even as cities have rushed to the water’s edge over the past couple of decades, building elaborate waterfront parks and esplanades, few have taken the next logical step: encouraging residents to dive in." Swimmable Berlin, a proposal "to transform part of Berlin's Spree River into a natural swimming pool." Tired of commuting by car? No bike paths or dangerous bike paths? Missing, broken or poorly-run public transit? There are other options... Kayak commute dream is a citizen-investor idea (though the city, Tampa, is America's Hottest Mess) 2 NJ Men Beat The Morning Rush By Kayak, at least one Londoner commutes via kayak, and the Charles River in Boston is a popular waterway.

Indonesian Street Art

infini — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 13:04:25 -0800

The Indonesian Street Art Database (ISAD) is an artist-run project that aims to archive street art in Indonesia as a documentation of the country’s urban culture. Art Radar delves into the ISAD archives to explore the breadth of street art in Indonesia and the concerns of the country’s urban artists.

Inspiring and amazing urban farming geek, Eric Maundu

nickyskye — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 00:41:14 -0800

Eric Maundu - who comes from Kenya, now lives in West Oakland and is trained in industrial robotics- transforms unused spaces into productive, small aquaponic farms. He has taken the agricultural craft one step further and made his gardens smart. He explores new frontiers of computer-controlled gardening. More information about this story. His company, Kijani Grows. Via faircompanies.com.

Ephemeral New York

zarq — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 06:02:34 -0800

Ephemeral New York 'chronicles an ever-changing, constantly reinvented city through photos, newspaper archives, and other scraps and artifacts that have been edged into New York’s collective remainder bin.' You can browse by category on the right. Notable: * Cool Building Names * Out-of-Date Guidebooks * Random Signage * Sketchy Hotels * Disasters and Crimes * Urban Beauty * War Memorials * Houses of Worship * New York Street * Old Print Ads * Music, Art, Theater * Queens * Transit Pages from Ephemeral New York have been linked in some fantastic posts, previously on MetaFilter.

I HAVE TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE

The Whelk — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 21:23:23 -0800

The mash-up clip music group Electic Method re-mix and paste together sounds from Sci-Fi movies to create THE FUTURE

Penciled in for 2025: the Medium Line

shothotbot — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 07:52:30 -0800

Could the Low Line be joining New York's popular High Line park?

Finally, an alternative to Big Pedal.

jimmythefish — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:19:02 -0800

Presenting the FLIZ velocipede, for anyone who's wondering what you get when you cross a German hipster and a wheeled banana.

urban skiing

oneirodynia — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:13:11 -0800

Urban skiing, courtesy of Finnish crew Nipwitz. Like skate videos with snow, ambient soundtrack, and a pinch of travelogue. Here is Murmanst Oblast and Sarajevo.

Resurget cineribus

Miko — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 11:55:05 -0800

Historic Detroit - some urban architectural history in a nice online format. Would like to see some domestic/vernacular architecture - storefronts and house types -added.

I Used to Love Her, But I Had to Flee Her: On Leaving New York

reenum — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 10:09:09 -0800

Cord Jefferson on loving and then leaving New York City.

Dallas' Best Kept Secret?

punkfloyd — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 11:12:58 -0800

Proving that Dallas is slightly more than concrete, SUVs and bad air quality, the Great Trinity Forest is home to birds, deer, bobcats, badgers, alligators and even a seven foot nine inch, 200 pound alligator gar named Garzilla as documented in the excellent blog Dallas Trinity Trails. The forest is also home to one of the last flowing natural springs in north Texas, producing water that nourished Sam Houston and countless Native Americans throughout the centuries. So you want to go to there? You might want to read the Dallas Observer article, Great Trinity Forest Ain't So Great first. Related Reading: Living with the Trinity Trinity River Authority Trinity River Audubon Center The River and Why We Are Here Attempts to make the Trinity a navigable waterway from Fort Worth to the Gulf of Mexico Trinity River History DFW Urban Wildlife documenting the diverse wildlife that calls north central Texas home including the which is so badass it adapted to live in burrows in open fields well away from standing water.

The Merchants of Nairobi

madamjujujive — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 20:43:14 -0800

Trading Places - photographer Steve Bloom's latest book focuses on the business people, shops, and signs of Nairobi. Take a panoramic walk down Kitengela Road in what is arguably the largest panoramic stitched together from hundreds of photos. In another clip, Bloom talks about his experiences taking the photos. (Via About:Blank)