Image composed by the author. Click on the photograph for more detail.
Category: placemaking
the revealing illumination of an urban moon
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.
casting light on the legacy of the American city
I imagined a contest today—for the best snapshot portrayal of the DNA of the American city.
The challenge would read, simply, “the first prize will be awarded to the photograph that the judges believe embraces not where we are going, but where we have been”.
I have no doubt that my entry would be the image above, a recent spontaneous capture in Minneapolis, featuring an eery dusk light on classic brick and an iconic American car.
I am left wondering whether or not I would win, and what the prize would be.
Image composed by the author.
perhaps all the world’s an urban driveway
In urban places, man-made features, such as buildings, pavement and vehicles can compromise the human connection to the surrounding natural environment.
In the image above, the prominence of the skyline, the parking lot, the car and its doors all deeenphasize the relationship between the two individuals and the adjacent lake.
To parody Shakespeare in As You Like It, perhaps all the world’s an urban driveway.
Image composed by the author.
what sunset silhouettes explain about the city
What do sunset silhouettes underscore about the fundamentals of a successful urban place?
A quick read of these sequential photographs immediately underscores the important of water access, natural views, climate-based natural color, safety for all ages, the importance of walking and social interaction.
Here, rather than the written word, shadows provide short stories surrounding core elements of city life.
All photographs composed by the author.