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.
• A California man is facing jail time for disobeying local building codes in the construction of his home. The thirty year project includes a replica of a 16th century Viking house and a mobile home refashioned into an antique railroad car. (Salon)
• Passengers using the Overvecht railway station in Utrecht now have a more playful way to make their train on time. A new “transfer accelerator” (slide) has been installed and is getting positive reviews from passengers and the surrounding neighbourhood. (Pop-Up City)
• Fighting perceptions of another dull Connecticut housing development, Bristol, CT is powering a placemaking project with social media. BristolRising, a platform from the developer Renaissance Downtowns, allows users to propose unique features they’d like to see in the community. If enough people “like” an option, the developer will pursue feasibility studies to move the idea forward. (New York Times)
• While most hydrogeologic modelling is done by computer these days, the Army Corps of Engineers has several large scale models they used to study the impacts of natural events and human activity on water and sediment movement. The 286 concrete slabs that comprise the San Francisco Bay Model are now available for public viewing. (Mammoth)
• Kerwin Datu at the Global Urbanist critiques London’s iconic tube map for misleading commuters and pedestrians about true distances between stations.
Image from Simone dewilde
Do you have a World Wide Wednesday worthy article you’d like to share? Send the link to www@spacing.ca