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.
• Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray was released from custody yesterday after being detained during a protest of his city’s budget deal. D.C.’s budget requires federal approval and consequently was subject to a number of overtly political riders targeting abortions for low income women, courts, and schools. (Washington Post)
• Metropolis Mag celebrates Holland’s sidewalk district heating system. While the city’s founding fathers and mothers ensured the downtown’s success with snow-free pedestrian routes, more recent city builders have added to the sense of place with the installation of communal gas powered hearths.
• In Kabul, girls and boys are having fun, engaging with their city and with each other through an innovative project called Skateistan. A brief clip on polis provides a breathtaking view of the city through the eyes of young Afghan skaters.
• Swiss Miss has a quick clip of the BBC series – The Beauty of Maps – which features the 4 million map collection of London’s British Library. Cartographers delight!
• While design competitions have a tendency to attract an elite crowd, New York’s By the City / For the City aims to cast the net more broadly. According to polis, the digital public forum will collect ideas for improving NYC from anyone who wants to offer their two cents. With no restrictions on scale or scope, the crowd-sourced suggestions will then be filtered through an international design competition in May.
Image from Boooom
Do you have a World Wide Wednesday worthy article you’d like to share? Send the link to www@spacing.ca