Archive for the ‘urbanism’ Category

May 31, 2012

“Just Do It” Urbanism

by: Kirby Hoyt

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Kirby Hoyt: Last week I was reading an article about the advertising executive who created the incomparable slogan for Nike: “Just Do It.” His revelation came by way of several events that converged and ultimately led to him thinking about Gary Gilmore’s last words before his execution “Let’s do this.” Now that slogan is etched into our collective conscience by way of multi-media advertising and for some, they have been words to live by. Where urban theorists propose methods of operation, agency, and aesthetics, practitioners worry about things like constructability, mobility, cost, and…

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May 28, 2012

The Good and Bad of 7th Avenue and McDowell

by: Will Novak

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Will Novak: As a new resident of the Willo neighborhood I’ve been closely following the new developments on the corner of 7th Avenue and McDowell Rd.  A few years back the corner was mostly dead with the only sign of life being My Florist Café and a few other shops barely hanging on. Today, the corner is being revitalized but not without much outcry from certain sections of the community. So lets look at what is good and bad about the corner. The Good The corner is undoubtedly more alive than it’s been…

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Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Feliciano Vera: Her extended finger was proof enough. Dorina Bustamante was pissed at me. Not that I should have been surprised. She and I have had an ongoing argument about Arcadia for the better part of at least a year. Fortunately for me, the only people that could see her gesture were sitting next to me – fellow presenters at one of Rob Izer and Kirby Hoyt’s Funk Series earlier in the year. Walking in one of its aspirant satellites (Arcadia Lite? South Arcadia? We Really Want to Be Arcadia?) on a recent…

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Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Ryan Glass: Sure, the “signature pop-culture event of the southwest” is typically designed for fans, but it’s also a great time to show off that super power you’ve been diligently keeping under wraps.  While everyone else is gaming, watching sci-fi panels, and generally flying their geek flag at full mast, you’ve got bigger problems to handle.  Sure, we all try to go through our day-to-day just maintaining our secret identities, but as you know, with great power comes great responsibility. (Beware, continuing to read presumes that you do indeed possess some sort of…

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Tweet Today’s post is by Feliciano Vera: “We should hold a wake, y’know.  I mean, the body is still warm and everything.  May help with closure,” read the text from my friend. Word about the closure of the Urban Grocery and Wine Bar at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market spread like wildfire last Friday.  Occupying nearly every casual conversation I had over the weekend, the news nearly derailed work originally scheduled for the week – how do we save the market?  What happened?  Who was to blame? I never pretended to have the answers, other than to say consistently that…

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May 02, 2012

A Field Guide to Activating Place

by: Kirby Hoyt

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Kirby Hoyt: A while back I was asked to present at the Phoenix Urban Research Lab (PURL) during the Phoenix Urban Design Week at an event called “PURL Jam” wherein 20 slides were to be shown each with a 20 second time limit. The topic was “Activating Space.” After procrastinating for weeks as I usually do, I finally came upon an idea I thought worthy of 400 seconds of the audiences’ time. The concept was based on one of my favorite contemporary artists, Mark Dion. I’d seen one of his pieces a few…

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Tweet Today’s post is by City of Phoenix Traffic Engineer Kerry Wilcoxon giving us an update on plans for the Bicycle Boulevard and an extension of the Central Avenue Road Diet. Note that the extension of the Central Avenue Road Diet is still under evaluation, so if you are in favor of it, please contact your council person and express your support! Fillmore Bicycle Boulevard The Bicycle Boulevard is intended to provide an east west connection between Washington and I-10 from the Grand Canal to 15th Avenue. When completed this would allow bicyclists to travel from Tempe to Glendale through…

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Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Will Novak: I recently had the pleasure of driving across a large section of our country as I moved back home to Phoenix from Boston. Driving across the country in Spring was great and as a sports fan I had baseball on the mind. Along the way I was able to check out some stadiums as well as the urban neighborhoods around them. With at least 81 home games a year, baseball is an ideal sport to be played in a dense, active area. Unlike football, baseball is played frequently, causing a constant…

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Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Feliciano Vera: “Look, I may not have ridden my bike here, but at least I’m ready to,” I tell Joe Perez, as I point to my calf, unashamed. “I’m thinking it’s time to break out the clippers,” Joe replies. An army of bike enthusiasts surrounded us at Kitchen Sink Studios.  Did somebody forget to tell the hundreds assembled at the inaugural Pedal Craft that today was only the third Friday of April – too early for the monthly Critical Mass ride?  Were they here for the beer? Art? They were out because of…

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April 23, 2012

METRO, where’s my pay-as-you-go already?

by: Ryan Glass

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Ryan Glass: A case for pay-as-you-go Light Rail: If I’m honest, the idea for this post started with me having a bit of a rant a few days ago, and realizing that while my recent inconveniences were not earth-shattering by any means, they certainly highlighted one of the areas where Metro Light Rail is lacking. The simple truth that I have to either purchase a physical pass for public transit every time I take it, or make a financial gamble and pre-pay for fixed-term passes that I’m not likely to utilize 100% seems…

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