I was just looking over some old Planetizen newsletters stacked up in my inbox and I found these three articles, almost in this order:
Plan for growth – or get swamped. (Neal Pierce)
Population pressure – can Britain learn to live with Hong Kong-style housing? (David Blackman)
Long commutes discourage volunteerism. (PhilanthroMedia blog)
Why parks are so important. (Chris Hume)
Please tell me I’m not the only one putting these kinds of things together.
Categories: suburbs · transportation · urban planning
Tagged: urbanization, developing world, third world, architecture, population growth, statistics, americanization, urban planning, cities
I found an entry from another blog about “Valle Oriente” outside of Mexico City, Mexico.
And, it’s what I hope the future DOES NOT hold for Latin America or any other “thirld-world” city … Some kind of mega-suburb perched on the hillside overlooking the chaos of a real city. The tagline on the YouTube video says “una de las zonas con mejor desarrollo urbano de Mexico …” (one of the areas with the best urban planning in Mexico…)
I HOPE NOT.
It’s next to a CostCo and a Mercedes Benz dealership … Is this in southern California?!?! For the love of Dios! No way!
This is Mexico! 
It should look and feel and be like Mexico. Or at least be open about its wholesale adoption of the American urban form (and shopping options and architecture). Maybe it should be the “zona americana” the way American cities and other cities around the world have “ChinaTown.” At least then we would be REALLY clear about what’s going on here. Just because it’s American in style, and pricey DOES NOT mean it’s the best.
Anyone have an image for what the entrance to the “American Quarter” of a city would look like? What would it say? What would be the icon / logo? What would be the American equivalent of this:
Categories: americanization · latin america · mexico · suburbs
Tagged: urbanization, developing world, third world, latin america, architecture, americanization, urban planning, cities, mexico
There it is … the big “crossing.” I’ve seen a few articles about this … From the BBC News online and The Guardian. And I’m sure it’s covered in many other places. But one of the ones that struck me the most, and got me to start blogging was a visual essay that San Diego architect Teddy Cruz co-authored in a recent Adbusters magazine. Unfortaunately, I couldn’t get that essay (I’ll try to find the patience to scan my hard copy and post it later). But until I can find it, check out this lecture “Border Postcards: Chronicles from the Edge” from Teddy Cruz for the Canadian Centre for Architecture’s “James Stirling Memorial Lecture Competition.”
http://www.cca.qc.ca/documents/Cruz_Stirling_Lecture.pdf
Categories: stats & numbers
Tagged: urbanization, developing world, third world, population growth, statistics, americanization, urban planning, cities
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