Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
• “New York is the kind of place that, because it is so overwhelming, people try to reduce it. They make “best of” lists. This for me is just the exact opposite approach. The neighbourhoods that you’re never going to read about – there is still lots of exciting stuff there.” To experience New York City in its entirety, former road engineer Matt Green is trying to walk every street in the city’s five boroughs. He estimates the distance to be approximately 8,000 miles which will take him just over two years to complete. Along the way, he’s documenting his journey and sharing New York City’s hidden gems with his followers. (New York Times – video, article)
• The bicycle, it’s a beautiful thing. California artists Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector thought so too. They love bikes so much they made a monument to it. The Cyclisk is a towering obelisk made out of 340 bicycles and one tricycles. The monument in Santa Rosa, California was constructed as an ode to bicycle culture. (InHabitat)
• Would you live in a parking garage? San Francisco-designer Aaron Cheng is banking on it. His design, Parking + Housing, seeks to combat the problem of high demand for downtown living space with the need for parking space for suburban commuters. Parking + Housing is a house that turns into parking space during the day. At night, when suburban commuters leave the city, the parking space reverts back into housing. (Fast Company)
• Swedish designer, Albin Holmqvist, was commissioned by the EF Language Schools to develop typographic images of the cities in which they operate. The results are an interesting reflection of a number of world cities and their aesthetic. (Design Work Life)
Image from I’m Just Walking
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