Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

Come here to talk about topics that are not related to development, or even Kansas City.
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KCMax
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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

Post by KCMax »

But we have treadmills.
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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

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What City Dwellers Want, and Why It Matters
City dwellers also place a high value on historic architecture. 54 percent agreed that, “to improve their city’s architectural character,” they “would like to see their city invest in renovating existing historical buildings to retain character while making them more useable.” Only 17 percent felt their city was too quaint and “would like to see more skyscrapers and iconic buildings.”

Similarly, 57 percent will “stop to admire buildings that are historic,” while 19 percent favor “buildings that are modern.” 38 percent admire buildings “that prominently feature public art or very unique design elements.”

...

Waterfronts were named most popular among public spaces, with large parks coming in second. And substantial numbers of respondents wish their cities would make streets more friendly to cyclists and pedestrians, would support adding outdoor music and entertainment venues, and would like more small urban parks, “such as for visiting on lunch breaks.”

....
http://tinyurl.com/ms8msvv

http://www.sasaki.com/media/files/citie ... inal-1.pdf
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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

Post by FangKC »

This is our downtown was more like this stretch of Main Street in Greenville, South Carolina. Continue down the street on Google Streetview and take a look the the continuous blocks of older buildings with a nice tree canopy.

http://tinyurl.com/nw5df6s
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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

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This development, by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp Pty Ltd., called Liberty Place in Sydney, Australia, is on the shortlist to be judged at the 2014 World Architecture Festival. I selected it as an example of ideas creating functional alleys between a new and older building, creating additional retail exposure in the alley, and pathways for movement among urban spaces.

Quite often, because a historic building sits on a block with with windows facing a new development, it can be challenging to adapt the space between these building so that the existing building has some view from windows, and not create a claustrophobic experience by placing the new building too close to these windows.

If the building is narrow, it can often be accommodated in the new development via attachment--taking out these windows and using them as doorways into the new building space. Sometimes, a pedestrian alley is the solution. It can provide extra seating for restaurants, and additional entrances and windows for smaller retail spaces.

There are a couple of places that come to mind where this alley approach might be useful in development where one wishes to incorporate an existing historic structure, and new development.

The Mutual-Interstate Building on E. 13th between Oak and Locust.

The NARA restaurant building at 1617 Main.

The vacant lot between the Ambassador Hotel and the Traders on Grand Building.

Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp Pty Ltd website:

http://www.fjmt.com.au/projects/projects_cs3.html

http://www.archdaily.com/552785/world-a ... 1-winners/

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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

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Interesting proposals. However it makes one question why part of the solution isn't simply to grow smaller cities instead of congregating so many millions of people in already crowded metros.

For example, in the USA, if New York City is so expensive for the middle- and working-class, and it's so expensive to build housing there, why not focus more on repopulating cities like Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Buffalo, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Hartford, Nashville, and Kansas City. These places have available land where it is cheaper for the middle class to live, where it is cheaper to build.

Surely this is possible by having the US Department of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development work closely together on maximizing how development occurs along already existing infastructure, and increasing the amount of money spent on mass transit instead of highways, and financing housing along those existing corridors in hollowed-out older cities. Use FHA and VA type-financed mortgages to make it easier for people to finance housing in these corridors--if they will use mass transit instead of personal vehicles to commute. This reduces the amount they spend in their monthly budget on transportation by diverting those expenses to mortgage payments. Housing payments then can be higher than the traditional 30-ish percent of their income on a mortgage application. If a household doesn't have to finance two vehicles, they have more money to pay for a mortgage. However, this type of financing would only be available in designated zones.

There also needs to be a way to get businesses, and jobs, incentivized to locate in these other cities instead of having them congregating in high-growth cities like San Francisco, San Jose, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego ,and New York City. Cities like Phoenix, San Jose, San Francisco, and Los Angeles are already being strained by problems with water resources, and it doesn't look to be getting any better.


Six Teams Studying Uneven Growth to Exhibit Proposals for Expanding Megacities at MoMA
As the culmination of a 14-month initiative to examine new architectural possibilities for rapid growth in six megalopolises – Hong Kong, Istanbul, Lagos, Mumbai, New York, and Rio de Janeiro – the Museum of Modern Art is preparing to open Uneven Growth: Tactical Urbanisms for Expanding Megacities on November 22. The exhibition will present mappings of emergent modes of tactical urbanism from around the globe alongside proposals for a bottom-up approach to urban growth in the highlighted cities by six interdisciplinary teams made up of local practitioners and international architecture and urbanism experts.

...
http://tinyurl.com/ntl7qxg
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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

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The Roasterie is listed on Architizer among coffee bars that raise the bar in architecture.

http://architizer.com/blog/coffee-bars- ... e-the-bar/
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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

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The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is featured on Cool Spaces program, featuring North American art spaces.

Watch Now: Cool Spaces! First Full Episode Online Features North America’s “Art Spaces”

Cool Spaces! The Best New Architecture has released their first full episode online. The PBS television series, hosted by Boston-based architect and professor Stephen Chung, AIA, profiles the most provocative and innovative public space architecture in North America. With the general public as its targeted audience, each hour-long episode is organized around a central theme – such as Art Spaces – and profiles three buildings. In this episode, Chung discusses what makes Tod Williams Billie Tsien’s Barnes Foundation, Steven Holl’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Phil Freelon’s Harvey B. Gantt Center so cool.

http://tinyurl.com/lxcyy9q
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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

Post by FangKC »

This is pretty neat as well. Nine-story prefab high-rise, with 34 units, goes up in five days. We could use about 40 of these buildings put up on narrow lots in central Kansas City and downtown.

I would imagine the cost per sq. foot to build would be much lower because of prefab and shorter time to construct.

http://weburbanist.com/2014/08/02/speed ... in-5-days/

The builder claims they can erect a building 60 percent faster than traditional onsite building construction. With Kansas City not being able to demand the high rents, and purchase prices, of larger, denser cities that build apartment towers regularly, because of high costs per sq. foot to build these structures, this might be a solution for our city to keep the costs down where more people can afford the units.
Our Integrated Structural System (“The Hickory System”) accelerates on-site and off-site construction programs by up to 60%,
minimising material and energy waste, whilst maximising quality and safety.
http://www.hickory.com.au/what-we-do/ou ... g-systems/

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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

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The Chinese have used a 3D printer to construct a five-story apartment building, and a villa.
WinSun estimates that 3D printing technology can save between 30 and 60 percent of building materials and shortens production times by 50 to even 70 percent, while decreasing labor costs by 50 up to even 80 percent. Future applications include 3D printed bridges or tall office buildings that can be built right on site.

WinSun also uses architectural design software to integrate different designs and to meet the needs of various building structures, so they are not limited to just printing cookie-cutter houses.
We need to land one of these factories.
WinSun also signed contracts with Winsun Global, is a joint venture consisting of Winsun and an American company. Over the next three years, they will set up factories in Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E, Qatar, Morocco, Tunisia and the United States and more than other 20 countries, in order to popularize 3D printing building. They also aim to – especially for the Middle East and Africa – to provide cheap and efficient homes for low-income families. The first series of 3D printing equipment are already set to be shipped abroad.
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http://www.3ders.org/articles/20150118- ... china.html

http://www.australiandesignreview.com/a ... d-building

WinSun printed 10 small dwellings in one day.

http://www.3ders.org/articles/20140401- ... a-day.html
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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

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Young Americans: Yearning for the Suburbs, Stuck in the City
One aspect of the Millennial mythos is that young people love cities. They love bike lanes and ethically-sourced coffee and rooftop gardens. Last year, a Nielsen study appeared to confirm the cliché: The percentage of young adults who live in cities is higher than ever. In fact, 62 percent of the poll's Millennial respondents said they wanted to live near a medley of shops, restaurants, and offices.


But it's important not to mistake a preference for an urban lifestyle with a preference for cities themselves. It's true that cities have a generous amount of the shop-restaurant-office medleys that young people desire, but it's also true that metropolitan areas boast many of the highest-paying jobs—which is probably a bigger draw for a generation that was starting or just settling into their careers when the recession hit.

It's now the case that after young people live in a prosperous city for a few years, they're finding it increasingly hard to get the economic foothold that would allow them to leave. Median wages have fallen for this generation almost across the board, which means young people have had a hard time saving money and building the good credit needed to secure a mortgage and buy a house elsewhere. This inability to flee from cities might be masking the fact that many Millennials still yearn for a house in the suburbs.
"Might be"?
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Re: Urbanism, architecture, transit, strawmen, etc.

Post by chaglang »

Quibble with their methodology: Millennials are typically measured back to 1982 or 1983. This article takes it back to 1977.
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