Archive for February, 2012

February 29, 2012

Pho and the Possibility of the City

by: Ferminio Diaz

Tweet Today’s post is by Ferminio Diaz. Mr. Diaz used to frequent a bar called Drumlins in Central Square.  In some East Coast college town.  When not getting tossed from the Turf (apologies to Andy and Frank), he can often be found at Giant Coffee or the Crescent Ballroom.  And she, like the oasis of possibility that is Phoenix, is 100% Real. I woke up a few Saturdays ago, in the wee hours of the morning, dreaming of an imperfect facsimile of you, my 100% perfect girl. It was not April, and we were neither in Harajuku nor San Miguel…

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February 28, 2012

Thanks from James Rojas

by: James Rojas

Tweet Below is a letter of thanks from James Rojas, who traveled here from LA to speak at the Latino Urban Form lecture last week. I thought his insights and perspective of our city were absolutely delightful so I decided to share his letter with you as a post on this blog. Thanks for your hospitality exploring Phoenix!  I have only been to Phoenix a few times but the more I visit it the more in like the city. The casual positive vide reminds of my childhood LA. Phoenix is a great place because everyone cares about the place. In…

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February 27, 2012

What is Your Vision for Lower Grand Avenue?

by: Lysistrata Hall

Tweet Today’s post is by Lyssa Hall and Leslie Dornfeld: What is your vision for Lower Grand Avenue? What are your short-term ideas for increasing vibrancy along Lower Grand Avenue? What are the challenges and barriers blocking sustainable urban development? What is the role of the community in developing a sustainable Phoenix? The city of Phoenix, Grand Avenue Merchants’ Association and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are interested in hearing your ideas and invite you to participate in a three day community design workshop focused on “Greening Lower Grand Avenue.” Starting with its birth in 1888 as a 100-foot wide roadway…

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February 21, 2012

Daniel Arreola on Latino Urbanism

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet The Latino Urban Form lecture is this tomorrow!! We have an amazing panel who will talk about a relatively new and increasingly relevant concept called Latino Urbanism. To give you an idea of what Latino Urbanism is about, I asked each of our three speakers to give us their thoughts on it in a short interview. You can find my interviews with Kevin Kellogg or James Rojas here and here, respectively. Today I’m featuring the final interview with Daniel Arreola, a professor at ASU who teaches about Mexican Ancestry Populations in Phoenix. The lecture will take place on Wednesday…

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February 20, 2012

James Rojas Explains Latino Urbanism

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet The Latino Urban Form lecture brought to you by Women Design Arizona and Blooming Rock is this Wednesday!! I have asked each of the three speakers to give us a short rundown of Latino Urbanism and its significance in the community we live in. Today I’m featuring a short interview with one of our speakers, James Rojas, the founder of Latino Urbanism and a transportation planner at the City of Los Angeles. The lecture will take place on Wednesday February 22 at 6pm at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market. Tickets are $5 and you can buy them here.  All ticket…

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February 15, 2012

Kevin Kellogg on Latino Urbanism

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Next week, the Sustainable Communities Lecture Series, brought to you by Women Design Arizona and Blooming Rock, will present a lecture on Latino Urban Form featuring three great thinkers on the subject. James Rojas, a transportation planner at the City of Los Angeles, is the founder and foremost authority on Latino Urbanism in the country. Kevin Kellogg, who has been featured and has written for this blog several times, is an architect and urban planner who has hands-on experience with Latino urban planning and design. And Daniel Arreola is a professor at ASU who teaches about Mexican Ancestry Populations…

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February 14, 2012

What YOU Want to See in Arizona’s Next 100 Years

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet It’s Arizona’s Centennial today, a day to celebrate the last 100 years of our state founding. For me, today’s also a great day to pause and lay claim to the future we want for our state. To that end, I asked YOU, through Facebook, Twitter, this blog and the Blooming Rock newsletter, what you’d like to see in the next 100 years in Arizona. There were definitely themes to people’s responses, and so I’ve broken them down into categories, to help us better see what’s important to people today. Here’s what you said: Renewable Energy/Solar Power: Rocco Meneguale: I…

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February 12, 2012

What Do You Want to See in Arizona’s Next 100 Years?

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet What do you want to see in the next 100 years in Arizona? Post your answer on Twitter or Facebook. Or email me at tazmine@bloomingrock.com! The best answers will be published on the Blooming Rock blog on Centennial Tuesday. Photo credit: Photo from OldTucson.com

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Tweet One of the most onerous but beneficial parts of architecture school is presenting your work to a panel of guests, faculty and the rest of your classmates. I remember these reviews being the source of great anxiety before hand and sometimes angst and sometimes joy afterwards. Having to put yourself out there was an emotionally harrowing experience, but one that taught us how to learn from criticism and input for the rest of our careers. Last week Friday I was a guest reviewer at ASU for a fourth year architecture class, taught by one of my former teachers, Scott…

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Tweet Air pollution is a major problem for Valley residents, not just because it sullies our beautiful blue skies, but because it has a very real and lasting negative impact on our health. According to an excellent seven-part series currently running in the Arizona Republic called The Air We Breathe, “studies now link pollution, especially traffic-related pollutants to heart disease, premature births, asthma attacks and shortened lives.” The series, of which only three installments have been published to date, explores many reasons why we find ourselves in a choke hold with air quality, but lays much of the blame on…

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