Author: Chuck Wolfe

Charles R. (Chuck) Wolfe, M.R.P., J.D. provides a unique perspective about cities as both a long time writer about urbanism worldwide and an attorney in Seattle, where he focuses on land use and environmental law and permitting. In particular, his work involves the use of sustainable development techniques and innovative land use regulatory tools on behalf of both the private and public sectors. He is also an Affiliate Associate Professor in the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington, where he teaches land use law at the graduate level. He contributes regularly to several publications including Planetizen, CityLab/The Atlantic Cities, The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, Grist, seattlepi.com, and Crosscut.com. He blogs at myurbanist.com.

when people and place meet nocturnal light

On By Chuck WolfeIn everyday urbanism, placemaking, urban views, vignettesLeave a comment

I have written about cities at night many times before, most recently in the context of innate relationships between people and urban settings in my upcoming book, Urbanism Without Effort, (Island Press, 2013). I find especially captivating the range of imagery that flows from such relationships, which I term here “meetings” of light, people and the built environment.

I have also spent several years photographing these “meetings”, and each time, dramatic, often multicolored reflections suggest new, alluring stories of people and place.

For the month of February, eleven of my favorite night city photographs from 2011 and 2012 will be on display at Cafe Verite’s Madrona location in Seattle.

Here is a virtual preview–a teaser–of five of those photographs. They will appear onsite in a variety of 20 x30 inch and 16 x20 inch framed editions.

 

When Place Meets Light

MelbourneNight_ChuckWolfe

SeattlePineStNight_ChuckWolfe

MelroseSeattleNIght_ChuckWolfe

 

When People Meet Light

VancouverPedNight_ChuckWolfe

SeattleBilliardsNight_ChuckWolfe

 
All images composed by the author in Seattle, Washington; Vancouver, British Columbia and Melbourne, Australia. Click on each image for more detail.  © 2009-2013 myurbanist.  All Rights Reserved.  Do not copy.

decoding messages of protest, urbanist style

On By Chuck WolfeIn everyday urbanism, politics, postcards, urban views1 Comment

MakeshiftProtest_ChuckWolfe

Convenient angles of view in the city present legible messages, with existing materials, without the need for more.

In this case, an eager urbanist can stand in one place, and read the very words he desires.

No graffiti required.

Image composed by the author. Click on the image for more detail.

profiling dusk-time urbanism

On By Chuck WolfeIn everyday urbanism, pedestrianism, placemaking, urban views1 Comment

DuskCity_ChuckWolfe

Image composed by the author. Click on the photograph for more detail.

learning from “the crossing” and “the urban bench”

On By Chuck WolfeIn everyday urbanism, infrastructure, pedestrianism, sustainability, urban views2 Comments

I’ve often written that there is no substitute for imagery that humanizes urban trends and brings to life popular city pastimes.

The two black and white photographs below are no exception, and, by design, need little interpretation. One is passive, the other active, but together they illustrate the increasingly shared nature of the American city street.

In “The Crossing”, a distant pedestrian shows the way to the protagonist, as she forcibly takes back the street with willful abandon.

In “The Urban Bench”, three women–one independent of the others–share a space carved out for sitting, observing and interacting with the urban fabric.

In the end, both “The Crossing” and “The Urban Bench” invite reflection, and infuse a European flair to otherwise traditional American asphalt settings.

All images composed by the author. ©2012 Charles R. Wolfe

the revealing illumination of an urban moon

On By Chuck WolfeIn everyday urbanism, infrastructure, placemaking, urban views2 Comments

The reflective prowess of a summer’s lunar light enhances the tension between the constructed and the natural. In the image above, wires cross the moon, and built incursions frame the water, all working explanations of how a city can create a new sense of place.

Image composed by the author.