April 18th - 5pm - 9.30pm
April 19th - 8am - 1.00pm
Community Workshop regarding E120th Red Line Station
Community Room, Abington Arms Apartments
11501 Mayfield Road
There is a lot going down in University Circle. FOA will be designing a new home for Clevland's MOCA and MVRDV will be designing the new expansion for Cleveland Institute of Art. Now there is the option for Cleveland to tie it all together by creating a wonderful travel nexus for the GCRTA by refurbishing/re-imagining the E120th Redline Station between Euclid and Mayfield roads.
This station is a rather important one as it serves Case Wester Reserve University, CIA and University Hospitals as well as offers access to the University Circle collection of cultural institutions and various neighborhoods around Euclid and Mayfield. Over the years the existing 120th station has gathered some rather questionable accolades such as "Station you don't want to be at after 6pm", "Most akin to reeking of stale urine", "Best place to bring new visitors you hate", etc and is in dire need of becoming something more functional, pleasant and with the current movement of design in the area, wonderful.
The attached photo was the first I had heard of a specific date/time for a community workshop regarding the planning of said station. I discovered it on Friday (the 13th) whilst jumping off the red line early to make my way to Tremont for the ArtWalk. The notice asked for an RSVP by Friday. I don't know when this was posted (I am responsible for removing one "free guitar lesson style" pull tab) but it seemed to generate enough interest to at least have two other people pull tabs. I am concerned that I didn't see one of these at the Triscuit station or at Tower City (my two regular stops) since one has a gigantic lot and collects a lot of riders and Tower City which is a major nexus.
I also noticed nothing on RTA's website. In fact, during various google searches the only thing that actually came up was Green City Blue Lake (who know EVERYTHING) so I have no idea how anyone was really supposed to know about this thing.
Regardless, there is opportunity here for those interested in making sure that a major cultural gateway in Cleveland is designed with, well, attention to things that are typically overlooked, you might want to swing by a workshop. I know it is too late to RSVP so pack a lunch or dinner and bring your own notepad and camera. There is a lot of possibility and potential here and careful attention will have to be paid to an area and structure of such importance so that it doesn't get screwed up. We don't need any more examples of poor public spaces in Cleveland.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Great Lake Brewery Tasting Room
5.30-8.30
Exactly what is the future of sustainability in Northeast Ohio? Sure, the local Garland Co. is leading the nation in green roofs and the current plans for installing a PV array at Jacob's Field and the Science Center, and of course since it is spring there is an surge in community garden projects, but what are you doing?
The latest E4S event will center on a discussion about the goals that many businesses are attempting to attain in order to create a more sustainable city.
registration
More specifically, designers need to take a more active role instead of just complaining and blaming the helpless; designers need to change their role from that of commander and decision-maker to coordinator and facilitator (Hsia, 1993; Liu, 1995; Sanoff, 2000).
With quotes like that, I wonder if anyone could resist the wonderful Guerrilla Wars in Everyday Public Spaces: Reflections and Inspirations for Designers by Kin Wai Michael Siu.
Kin presents the history of deciphering of the urban spaces and the singular attempts of conventional planning by attempting to combine sociological thinking into the rather pragmatic equation of urban planning. While using three Hong Kong market streets as a basis for studying the ways in which we should study public spaces the concentration is removed from the traditional study of how built spaces impact the user to how the user inhabits the provided space. In fact, by working in the vacuum of a city street with restricted vehicular movement one can see the territoriality and social behavior of those that utilize the public domain in the most intimate of manners.
Not that every movement is unnecessarily unprescribed or even perhaps too regimented to present itself as a proper case study, the area under investigation finds a rather delicate harmonic between the rules and regulations of the street as well as the intent of those that use it. A major portion of the argument for studying the social behavior of design actually respects this dialog between what is described as the "weak" (inhabitants/hawkers) and the "strong" (governmental authority) and presents a rather wonderfully flexible and respecting solution while showing how the "weak" can actually rely on their flexibility to overcome restrictive regulations and rules.
While not inherently a proper study for American society and public space planning (in that cultural consumer and social differences, coupled with our prescriptive space planning techniques refuse to accept flex-space as a proper solution) there are arguments and nuances that could be further applied to perhaps facilitate good spaces in our fair city of Cleveland.
Regardless, it was a good read.
Friday, April 13th 2007
Once again it is time for the Tremont ArtHop, or if your knees are a little sore the Tremont Art Walk.
You can find past date information on the sites. Nothing for the new one yet. Sigh, don't get discouraged, I am sure it will be an awesome way to spend some nicer spring weather outside wandering about.
Take a loved one and pretend to have some culture or something.
I am not entirely sure what we are really supposed to be celebrating, but I will never turn down an event.
I assume the whole thing was started by the AIA which have created a myriad in rules and regulations about what an architect really is and who can call themselves an architect. Since I am still short of completing my exams I cannot technically wear the mantle of an actual architect, however I have developed software programs so perhaps I can sneak in under the radar that way. Still though, this celebration is for the building type of architects, not the software guys (especially because it annoys me so when I do job searches in cities I love and the only "architect" position that shows up is for the non-architect degree holding sorts).
Anyway, if anyone really cares, you can read about it here.
In the time it has taken me to write I have become completely indifferent. I may however still use it as an excuse to act silly and perhaps imbibe a bit. Maybe.
I had a whole tirade about SBS-44114, a blog devoted to poor construction and misguided design intent (while strangely ignoring aesthetics) but really thought that the whole thing spoke for itself.
Seriously, I have nothing to add. I couldn't even be upset about it. I suspect criticism eventually makes us better. I might actually love it.
Well, sorry to be missing out on some posting this weekend, I was in Indianapolis for the Manufacturing Materials Effects seminar hosted by Ball State University in the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
I don't really know if I can make intelligible comments upon the seminar without launching off into a tirade about current assumptions and failures in vision and similar thoughts that made me feel very frustrated about working with and around certain peoples. I will say that the seminar was well put together, that the food and venue were amazing, that the discussions/lectures were so invigorating as to instill in one a euphoric feeling of self realization and intent that could prove very dangerous if not properly stifled in the up coming weeks.
It basically made one feel as if they could change the world. I hadn't felt that way for a while actually. It was creeping back in after being properly trampled upon but now my veins course with the power of potential.
Shaping metal with explosives underwater will do that to you.
I will actually attempt to possibly break down some of the lectures, the uses for technology and possibilities as I see them for the local and environmental economy. I just need some personal time for shoveling the driveway, sleeping and catching up with loved ones.
Happy holidays.
April 18th - 5pm - 9.30pm
