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Hey, all…ever watch Ovation channel? 157 on DISH.

Here is a TV venue I think is most appropriate. They handle the world of the arts and design with real sophistication. This is not high school level documentaries. Most of the shows would be at home on PBS. They have a series called, and I may be incorrect, “Designer People”, or something like…[Read more]

In my limited and humble experience:

This question can not be viewed as an either/or. As a current graduate student, I utilize CAD, 3D modeling, hand graphics etc. in concert with Photoshop and Illustrator. The two programs in question are complimentary to each other, being raster based and vector based respectively.

In short, they each have…[Read more]

That’s some really slick work, David. Its got that “high concept” look too.
Did you find Rhino easy to learn?

very good point wes.

We put bulb-outs mid-block in Charlottesville, created a wavy driving pattern, and, man, if you don’t get buy-in from the public, the public just aims at those things and drives over them, shocks be damned..I say put in stop signs..A heck of a lot cheaper – have a cop ticket for a few times, and make them very visible. Nothing wrong with cars…[Read more]

great points made about creativity and productivity in the long run…
anytime you suck some control away from a creative person, they put less creative force into the rest of their work.

Not being at an intersection should actually be a bit easier than otherwise. We do mid-block neck-downs out here all the time. You lose some on-street parking (if you had it to start with), but you also gain some potential stormwater benefits if the design takes advantage of that. Another alternative would be a refuge/landscape island in the…[Read more]

If this is mid-block, then a crosswalk is VERY dangerous, requiring plenty of signage and visual cues. . You can place the neck-downs mid block (they don’t have to be at intersections) and would consider it a requirement for a mid-block crossing. A speed table actually may work here since the crosswalk would be narrow, but would require bollards…[Read more]

I would say limiting you employees is extremely short sighted on a few levels:

First, you partially hired an employee for their graphics they brought with them. Asking them to tweak some stuff is not out of line, but if you want a totally different result prepare for a LOT of growing pains as they switch techniques and software.

Second, assuming…[Read more]

So make it graduate school? (Seriously, every late night in rad school we would ALL talk about how if someone threw hidden cameras up they could blow project runway out of the water with the drama that went on in that building…)

Thanks for the suggestions….however, the specific places where I’m considering including traffic-calming elements aren’t at intersections, making the idea of a neck-down a bit difficult. I’m not completely sold on the speed table idea; in fact, a painted crosswalk might end up doing the trick. Speed humps/tables have been considered because of…[Read more]

I agree about the neck-downs. They provide a better visual cue. This is especially so if you are in an area where paint on pavement doesn’t last long or gets covered with black from tires and exhaust, as it does in the dry southwest. Personally, I think a speed table forming a crosswalk can look nicer than sidewalk ramps going down to a crosswalk,…[Read more]

Tables don’t work well. I’ve used them in the past at a client’s request and they have a minimal effect on speed. I prefer using neck-downs at crosswalks and high contrast paving materials, in conjunction with some sort of highly textured surface prior to the crosswalk (mortared cobbles work GREAT).

I did some design examples for a private community a few years back. There is a lot out there on municipal websites. They explain the difference between humps and tables very clearly. Tables need to be long enough so that the shock absorbers can’t take out the reaction of the car at higher speeds as bumps do. Google it, you’ll get quite I bit to…[Read more]

We’re currently using Plexipave. I couldn’t tell you if it is the best but i’m sure their rep could. Point is, is that it approved by agency. Good luck

A healthy combination of pragmatism and idealism is what’s called for at the moment. I think that at present we have as strong a sense of ourselves as a profession as we have ever had, combined with the certainty that the work we do can be a tremendous force for positive change.

On the other hand, we’re in a lousy job market that no amount of…[Read more]

I think we’re generally on the same page, philosophically.

I think I was trying to say what you just said in the last part of your comment with this:

Whether we carry this philosophy into the professional environment is up to each of us, but I think you fisrt need to educate yourself enough to have something to respond to- some way to DO…[Read more]

I’m not saying that we should not have ideals and aspire to do more. I am saying that it all starts from ourselves understanding what specific opportunities are out there and finding a way to make it work until we can move to the next better situation. Ideals are great unless they are keeping you from participating or keeping others from wanting…[Read more]

Right. I’m also saying that idealism is good for the community at large. Design is inherently subjective- your ideals in design may not match with others and ther is no right or wrong answer, ever. To that end, I think passionate discussion, even argument and the expression of discontent is important in moving the profession forward (or…[Read more]