Each week we will be focusing on blogs 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.
• Project for Public Spaces is experimenting with digital placemaking in revitalization efforts for downtown San Antonio. The online platform, Placemap, allows residents to suggest interventions and illustrate their ideas with links and pictures. Participants have noted the advantages of the digital placemaking approach over limited public meetings.
• In 2012, a 5km stretch of Germany’s Autobahn 7 will be transformed into a public park – the largest of its kind. The 10 ft tall canopy will reconnect districts divided when the highway was built thirty years ago. (The Weather Network)
• Canadian firm, Bombardier, is piloting a wireless above-ground transit vehicle that recharges its batteries from cables embedded underneath the track. The technology, Primove, eliminates the need for overhead wires or stationary charging stations. Transportation experts anticipate cost and winter-readiness concerns. (Globe and Mail)
• Now that’s a ferris wheel! Buzzfeed has unbelievable images of a human powered ferris wheel in New Dehli.
• More than just a place to sit, several teams in NYC have created new designs for low maintenance, low-cost comfortable benches. Roger Marvel Architects helped the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to reduce flooding by elevating undulating subway grates to sitting height. Grimshaw took a similar approach but added bike racks to the mix. Finally, Columbia University students built a slinky-inspired bench to accommodate a range of different body types. (The Dirt)
• Wish you had your very own Falling Water? Artist Luis Urculo proves that you need look no farther than your kitchen. In this video, Urculo uses household materials to replicate classic buildings. (Architizer)
Image from AP/Buzzfeed
Do you have a World Wide Wednesday worthy article you’d like to share? Send the link to www@spacing.ca