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.
• Which Canadian cities are seeing the fastest ghettoization? Researchers from Queen’s University, University of Toronto and StatsCan released a working paper in December showing increasing segregation by income in virtually all of the country’s major cities. (Huffington Post)
• Cradled next to the State Department, the Vietnam and Korean War Veterans Memorials, the World War II Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial, architect Moshe Safdie’s design for the U.S. Institute of Peace transformed a navy parking lot into a monument for humanity. (Huffington Post)
• Behold Boxpark – the world’s first pop-up shopping mall. The London retail location is comprised of 60 shipping containers (five wide, two high). Owner Roger Wade calls it the most environmentally friendly shopping mall ever built and promises “after five years, we’ll return the land back to its owners in exactly the same condition as we got it, and then the community can decide if it wants a more permanent retail space there.” (CNN)
• New York City Community Boards will consider a proposed green zoning amendment entitled Zone Green this month. The regulation removes some zoning requirements that hinder new green construction and energy-related upgrades in existing buildings. For example, Zone Green would make it easier for property owners to add insulation, awnings, skylights, green roofs, solar panels and greenhouses. City officials estimate that Zone Green could save up to $800 million in annual energy costs. (NYT)
• Chicago’s new Rush Hospital seeks to use design to enhance the health and well-being of patients and doctors. The 14-storey building has unique angles which maximize natural light in patients’ rooms, implementing equipment like pneumatic tube carriers, etc – learn more here. (Chicago Tribune)
Image from US Glass and Metal
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