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Canadian Urbanism Uncovered

World Wide Wednesday: Container markets, miniature cities, all-door boarding

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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.

• This weekend, Brooklyn saw the long awaited opening of the DeKalb Market – a collection of storefronts housed in discarded shipping containers. Inhabitat argues that the site functions as an outdoor community centre, hosting entrepreneurs of the new economy alongside relics of the borough’s past.

• The Onion pokes fun at the disrepair of America’s transportation infrastructure: “Al-Qaeda Claims U.S. Mass Transportation Infrastructure Must Drastically Improve Before Any Terrorist Attacks”

• German street artist EVOL has installed four blocks of cityscape below ground outside Hamburg. The installation provides a unique godzilla-esque experience for observers. (Colossal Art and Design)

• Artist Rodrigo Derteano has carved a robot guided full-scale map of an imaginary city.  But don’t expect it to last long – Nazca City was ingrained in the Peruvian desert where the wind steadily erodes the grid pattern. Says Derteano, “Most of the time, I think it is OK for it to be slowly erased by the wind.” (BLDGBLOG)

• San Francisco is combatting its slow transit travel times – starting with an all-door boarding pilot project on the Muni Metro J-Church LRT line and more widespread ticket sales. As The Transport Politic notes, it will be essential to balance the benefits of easier boarding with the costs of fare evasion.

Image from This is Colossal

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

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