World Wide Wednesday: Trouble in paradise and the beauty of dust

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 city known for its pervasive car culture, Los Angeles is the proud new owner of a bike plan – and a broken arm may have started it all. While L.A.’s new plan targets bike lanes and bike parking improvements, local experts say it speaks to a cultural shift that will make roads more friendly for all users. Moving forward, cycling advocates will need to address funding issues and bureaucratic heel-dragging to ensure the plan is put into action. (GOOD)

• New York has long been the darling of bike infrastructure advocates. But for all the praise lavished upon NYC’s bike infrastructure revolution, there is evidence that its well laid plans may be coming apart at the seams: a lawsuit over the Prospect Park West bike lane and political in-fighting over autocratic decision making.

• Perhaps those making a fuss in New York ought to consider this infographic from the Intelligent Cities Project. By their calculation, if a city can reduce car ownership by 15,000 vehicles, an additional $127,275,000 could stay in the local economy. (Intelligent Cities Project)

• Design Observer has a fascinating portrait of Jorge Otero-Pailos – whose art focuses on the medium most preservationists seek to get rid of: dust. While the discipline of historic preservation converges around the removal of filth, Otero-Pailos argues that dust is instrinsic to buildings and worthy of our attention.

• If you find yourself in Portland, OR, in search of public art, with an iPhone in hand, look no further. The city has recently released Public Art PDX, an app which will serve as a living chronicle of the murals, sculptures, photographs, fibre art, metalwork, ceramics, architectural integrations and drawings which adorn the city. (PortlandOnline)

Image from Design Observer

Do you have a World Wide Wednesday worthy article you’d like to share? Send the link to www@spacing.ca