What happens when a university, which emphasizes active citizenship and creativity, ironically destroys creative space behind closed doors? It’s not the same as when a university takes over a transportation hub, or when a university takes over a neighborhood — be it in Boston or New York. No, this is a catch-22 expansion into the domain […]
Tag Archives: conflict
Powers, Identities, Ideologies
Where do you live? A capital city? A planned city? An industrial city? A ghost city? A green city? A colonial city? An authentic city? A global city? A shrinking city? A gentrifying city? A spiritual city? A divided city? An ancient city? Perhaps, a combination of these types? How about a city with powers, […]
Healing Communities through Planning and Design in Rwanda
Today, largely as a result of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, there are approximately 2.8 million orphans in Rwanda. With the highest proportion relative to the total population of under-18 year old children in the world, Rwanda has an immense challenge to tackle. Earlier this summer, I went to Rwanda with my college in order to participate […]
Taksim Square: Istanbul Residents vs Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality
This is our second post about Taksim Square. For city planners and architects looking in from the outside there are two issues; 1) what are the merits of the development proposals for Taksim Square; and 2) did Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality consult civic groups and organizations representing business owners and residents of the area before commencing construction? The answer to both questions is a […]
1,100 Dead in Dhaka Building Collapse
More than a thousand people are dead in a Dhaka garment factory; world’s worst industrial disaster since 1984 Bhopal Tragedy. The question is who is responsible for the death of 1,100 people in Dhaka, Bangladesh? A several-story building filled with garment factory workers collapsed in Dhaka killing more than a thousand people. This is not the first […]
What does a library say about its community?
In a previous post I wrote about an upcoming book and event series that discusses open spaces and what the Occupy Wall Street Movement has taught us about the utilization of spaces during times of protest. Whether one agrees with the politics of the movement or not, there are many potential lessons learned from it. […]
Beyond Zuccotti Park
New York City has these strange beasts called Privately Owned Public Spaces (or POPS) which were put to some significant tests for the first time in recent history during the Occupy Wall Street protests. Many planners were watching the protests to see if privately owned spaces, like Zuccotti Park, could truly operate as public spaces […]
EVENT 7/2/12: The Critical and Activist Practice
The Austrian Cultural Forum New York is hosting an event that explores “what it means to be Critical and Activist in the context of design/art/architecture/urban practices.” When: MONDAY JUL 02, 06:30 PM Where: Austrian Cultural Forum 11 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10022 Why you should go: Perhaps you want to tap into a […]
