One iconic prerequisite to modern land use regulation–the ancient Greek delineation of public space at a town’s center–is well documented from surviving boundary stones, which read, “I am the boundary of the Agora”.
Modern, original imagery of foundational urban places in Greece can be similarly inspiring, and ultimately symbolic of elemental characteristics of human settlement amid hills and sea.
Just under a month ago, a myurbanist entry presented further imagery of renewal in Seattle’s Madrona Woods–with continuing reconstruction photos of a “Thoreau-like cottage”, first shown here.
Today, showing more replacement than reconstruction, a more expansive home rises from the original footprint.
In the era of sustainability, this form of site intensification is one way the urban setting will redevelop while preserving neighborhood look and feel.
Last week, the entry “a palette for placemaking” provided an original, myurbanist rendering of contiguous downtown Seattle urban blocks ripe for contemporary placemaking upon sale of the associated property assemblage.
A resulting Facebook exchange, captured below, shows the ensuing discussion, recalling the “urbandwidth” neologism created here on July 19 and noted in Planetizen.
Is another word in order to describe such social media exchanges? “Urbanter”?
The multiplex has transcended the urban movie theaters of old, worldwide. In Israel, a website catalogs the country’s abandoned theaters, and, for now, graffiti adorns a textured Tel Aviv example, rendered below.
Nearby, the former Esther Cinema, retrofitted as the Cinema Hotel in the 1990’s, graces Dizengoff Circle:
Do you have a favorite example of a “beyond graffiti” building rebirth?
An weekly inventory of online articles and references can be insightful and of immediate assistance to practitioners in urban redevelopment venues.
Every week, Dallas attorney Bob Voelker (@bobdal on Twitter) assembles helpful compilations of such resources gleaned from recent tweets and other resources.
You can find his entries under the links, New Urbanism News and Multifamily Development News.
Thanks to Bob for the resources and the mentions of myurbanist in the past.