Each week Spacing focuses on blogs and web sites from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments. We’ll be on the lookout for websites outside the country that approach themes related to urban experiences and issues in Toronto.
• On the topic of “play” in the city, Pruned Blog also features a great post about the potential and symbolism behind the sport of urban golf where players “tee off on the street, sidewalks, alleys or on top of buildings”.
• Check out urlesque.com for a slide-show of the world’s coolest bus stops–from an air-conditioned stop in Dubai to the world’s tallest stop in North Sydney.
• While Torontonians struggle through snow and slush this winter, Moscow residents may get a respite from their normally heavy snowfall. The city’s mayor is vowing to pay the Russian army to spray a fine chemical mist over clouds hovering near the capital, resulting in snow falling outside the city’s boundaries (onto neighbouring suburbs).
• Since Denver Metro passed FasTracks in 2004 ($4.7 billion in sales tax funding for 19 miles of light rail) transit ridership in the area has doubled. Interestingly, the increase happened despite the fact that not one line of the proposed rail was ever built.
• New York’s boroughs are poised to become veritable urban forests as MillonTreesNYC has enthusiastically begun its campaign to plant 1-million trees across the five boroughs by 2017. According to the LA Times, the program, which has already resulted in the planting of hundreds of thousands of trees, is not without its detractors (some who have taken violent action against the new trees).
• Urban dwellers in three UK cities (Ateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough) will get the chance to play games and compete with each other “virtually in real-time over four nights using the city as platform”. Great Street Games (created by KMA) will use projected light and thermal-imaging technology to create a “court” in which the players’ movements effect the movement of the light.
photo by Frank Hebbert