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?
In Assisi, this original canvas presentation of the 13th century Cathedral amid lofty clouds implies the universal dignity of urban congregation–another feature of high urbandwidth.
Bellevue, Washington has been alive with debate about planned light rail alignments in and around its downtown this year, with Sound Transit, the regional transit agency, often at loggerheads with local elected officials about the preferred route to be selected for study and eventual implementation.
Last month, Sound Transit selected a segment adjacent to a close-in residential neighborhood for further evaluation in the project Environmental Impact Statement.
The situation remains a textbook application of the challenges which Paul Symington and I addressed in our recently republished report, “Urban Centers and Transit-Oriented Development in Washington“, (the “Barriers Report“), downloadable here. In keeping with our discussion of political, organizational and interagency implementation challenges, the Bellevue City Council and many residents oppose Sound Transit’s preferred alternative.
On the ground, opposition is clear from the landscape of signage, and from an imaginary train ride captured below–well over a decade before completion of Sound Transit’s East Link. Regardless of which alignment is chosen and constructed, consider rides with memories of where planning-era signage was located along the way!
Today marks the launch of a related site, UrbanPointofView, which provides a compilation and “portfolio” of my interdisciplinary approach to urban land use issues.
For an integrated summary of urban insights, at home and abroad, please see the embedded link below.
From the 23rd floor of Touchstone’s West 8th building in Seattle, a palette for placemaking frames the northerly view towards Elliott Bay. The 12 acre assemblage of parking lots and low rise uses is owned by the Clise family, who attempted to market the properties en masse in 2007 to no avail. The original, poster-like rendering below invites thoughts of the redevelopment potential which could be realized with the effective vision and management of an innovative purchaser.
