In Victoria, British Columbia, one alley “activation” takes the term literally, enabling ready observation and commentary by placemakers today.
Image composed by the author. Click on each image for more detail. © 2009-2013 myurbanist. All Rights Reserved. Do not copy.
Here are the details. On June 19th, 6-7:30pm, Urbanism Without Effort will see further light of day, Downstairs at Town Hall-Seattle (more info about the event here).
From the Town Hall description:
To create vibrant, sustainable cities, says Seattle attorney Charles Wolfe, we must first understand what happens naturally when people congregate in cities—the innate, unprompted interactions of urban dwellers with each other and their surrounding environment. Wolfe, author of the illustrated e-book Urbanism Without Effort, argues that city dwellers invariably celebrate environments where they can coexist safely, in a mutually supportive way, and finds such celebration most interesting when it occurs spontaneously—seemingly without effort. Through illustrations and examples of real life—both historic and current—he contends it is critical to first isolate these spontaneous examples of successful urban land use before applying government policies or initiatives.
Presented as part of the Town Hall Civic series, supported by The Boeing Company, the RealNetworks Foundation, and the True/Brown Foundation. Media support provided by Crosscut.com.
Tickets are $5 at www.townhallseattle.org or 888/377-4510 and at the door beginning at 5:30 pm. Town Hall members receive priority seating. Downstairs at Town Hall; enter on Seneca Street.
LEARN MORE:
About Wolfe
Read a Daily Journal of Commerce article about Wolfe and his e-book.
Stay on at Town Hall at 7:30 in the Great Hall, and see part of the Sightline@20 Series: Journey to Midway Atoll with Chris Jordan, details here.
The Urbanism Without Effort website tracks other news about the book on a regular basis, here.
Thank you all so much for your support during the first month of putting my new book, Urbanism Without Effort (9781610914420/$3.99), in the public eye.
Whether you’ve read the book yourself, shared it with others, come heard me speak, or simply sent me your thoughts, it means a lot to me to have your company on this adventure.
We’ve had a wonderful release so far. I’ve been thrilled to see the book regularly excerpted in places like Atlantic Cities and Crosscut, and profiled in interviews such as last week’s feature in the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, with more to follow soon.I have also been honored to speak at events sponsored by ULI-Northwest, Futurewise and Great City, and to see the book rank as an Amazon top-ten best seller for urban planning (frequently listed as number one in the Kindle Store for urban planning e-books).
I’m looking forward to sharing more updates with you in the months to come. In the meantime, Seattle friends, please consider coming to hear me talk at Town Hall-Seattle on Wednesday, June 19 at 6:00 p.m., where I will share many visuals from the book and highlight key elements of interest.
As a reminder, you, your friends, and your colleagues can download the book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo and other electronic vendors. If you’d like to review the book for a publication or website, you can request a review copy at press@islandpress.org.
If you have any questions or ideas for how to use Urbanism Without Effort in your own work, please get in touch. You can always find the latest information regarding appearances, media and other updates at the book’s website, http://urbanismwithouteffort.com.
Thanks to Island Press, readers, colleagues and friends for the support during the first week of the Urbanism Without Effort launch.
The response through online vendors–especially Amazon rankings–suggests that a long-form version of the myurbanist approach has merit, and was, perhaps, long overdue. And for those who have already downloaded, enhancements are coming, free of charge!
The Urbanism Without Effort web page is a one-stop venue about the book, related media and appearances. The summary below appears on the site’s Media page, and is current as of today.
The following 2013 articles and reviews reference Urbanism Without Effort:
Ronald Holden, “Chuck Wolfe’s urban manifesto“, Cornichon
ULI-Northwest Blog Entry on Book Launch Event (with downloadable Powerpoint presentation)
Roger Valdez. “Urbanism Without Effort? Let It Be!“, Seattle’s Land Use Code
Planetizen, “The Dynamic Potential of Urbanism Without Effort“, Planetizen
Miriam Axel-Lute. “Where Community is at Work Making Itself“, Shelterforce
Juan Carlos Garcia de los Reyes, “Urbanismo Sin Efuerzo“, La Cuidad Comprometida, Granada, Spain
Kaid Benfield, “How City Lights Change the Way We Experience Places“, NRDC Switchboard
The following representative 2013 articles by the Author reference Urbanism Without Effort:
“Alley Movie Nights: Can you say urbanism without effort?“, Crosscut
“The Dynamic Potential of Urbanism Without Effort“, The Atlantic Cities
“Picturing 10 Qualities Every City Should Have“, The Atlantic Cities
“Picturing 10 Urban Qualities Central to Every City“, Crosscut
“Reclaiming the Urban Memory“, Sustainable Cities Collective
“Movement and Settlement, Upside Down“, The Huffington Post
As many of you know, I’ve spent many exciting and rewarding years exploring and documenting cities around the world, as a land use/environmental attorney, as a writer, and for my own enjoyment. I am continually motivated when experiencing great cities firsthand, and learning from historic and diverse examples how to create authentic urban environments.
Through these explorations, I’ve come to the conclusion that before we can create workable, sustainable urban areas, we need to understand what happens naturally when people congregate in cities.
I’m very pleased to announce that Island Press has just published a short e-book sharing my photographs and observations of how city dwellers interact naturally with one another and the urban environment, and how these interactions can be more readily observed and adapted. Part of the Island Press E-ssentials program, Urbanism Without Effort (9781610914420/$3.99) argues that in our rush to engineer livable, connected places, we have lost sight of the fact that the best urban places are fluid, spontaneous, and human.
A short article based on the book appears today as an exclusive in The Atlantic Cities, here. For more information and testimonials, see the book’s press release, here, or go to urbanismwithouteffort.com.
I hope you find the book inspiring. Please share this information with your own contacts, both those steeped in cities, urban planning, design and regulation, as well as those whose interests stem from their own daily experience with urban environments. You can download the book atAmazon, Barnes & Noble, the Apple Store, Kobo and other electronic vendors.
If you’d like to submit a review for a publication or website, you can request a review copy at press@islandpress.org. If you have any questions or ideas for how to use Urbanism Without Effortin your own work, please get in touch.
P.S. For those of you in the Seattle area, the Urban Land Institute and Futurewise have been kind enough to host a book release event at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7, at the GGLO Space at the Steps. You can learn more and register here.