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When I think of New Urbanism, I think of TND – traditional being the operative word. Our best example of this in SC would be a development like I’on. Maybe progressive urbanism is more modern? More hip, liberal, throw in any other related words here that imply NON-traditional.

Just a guess.

At the risk of barring myself from ever being in the employ of corner or his cohorts I’ll agree, from what I’ve seen and read despite the fact that all of my professors and many of my colleagues hold him in the highest regard. I’m a bit surprised to read a comment from Trace about such a virile theorist, philosopher, and …collager in the profession.

and we also have to stop obsessing about Al Gore’s particular carbon footprint..These are not knock-out constraints..As the carbon footprint for the Copenhagen meeting does not mean abandon all hope, ye who enter here..this is a world, trying to solve a world problem..Focus!!

It will be a while before I believe that a private jet trip to anywhere to discuss man’s impact on climate change makes any sense at all. Don’t start with the fleet of limos’ to get those clowns around town. Next time do a “Go to meeting” confence call and save the planet.

It is time that we all pulled up our collective boot straps and and made…[Read more]

sorry, Mike, I have found the arboriculture answer is “sadly, the tree must go..” We (LA’s) know more than them..I would rely on the judgement of an LA..Keep the trees..They are old, they are worth a LOT of money..

all this verbiage should not result in everyone feeling that all effort is useless and wrong….You can complain that the government is corrupt, cap and trade doesn’t work (although it has worked in Europe, already) but don’t let that give you the comfortable american framework that nothing really matters..

It matters..A lot..Cap and trade may…[Read more]

I had to make the same decision recently, and went with LT. It is much cheaper for a single user application and -since sketchup fits my 3d needs- I haven’t noticed a lack in any features.

In SF, you could walk down Market and Mission Street and find a ton of cool projects. For example, Mint Plaza, Union Square, JP Morgan Plaza, Yerba Buena Gardens, Jewish Museum, and Justin Herman Plaza (Halprin).

I just bought cad LT 2010 from amazon and there’s a rebate offer from autodesk until sometime in January for an additional $300. savings (you have to fill out a form and send it in). That brought the price down to $509!!!!! AND they’ve added the revision cloud tool to cad LT now, so I didn’t see any reason not to get the LT version. Good luck!

Check out the new green roof at the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.
From there you can walk across the concourse to the museum or the Japanese Tea Garden.
Also within a stones throw is the Botanical garden right across the main street.

There are lots of iconic landscape architectural sites to visit such as Levi plaza, , Ghirardelli…[Read more]

Is it possible to build decking or a suspended walkway above the soil?
For mature trees soil compaction and construction damage cause a slow death and take years for symptoms to show up. Further more they stress trees allowing insects and diseases to quickly infest the tree(s). Usually the insect / disease gets the blame, when soil / root problems…[Read more]

Caitlin,
Do you have any pictures of the site?

Thanks for the input….
Although the setting is naturalistic, the foot traffic is very high…

Not sure if this system is appropriate without more information on your program elements, however I’ve had good luck with Invisible Structures, Inc. , specifically GrassPave and GravelPave.

Of course choosing appropriate shade trees which can tolerate compaction is important– American Elm for example.

nick,
just getting around to responding here myself…. thanks. i so agree with your comments
about contemporary minimalism-just that, a conscious effort often bordering on austerity in the name of ‘keep it simple’ and ‘cool’ as if we’re afraid of artistic expression.

all those components you note related to scale, place-making, experience,…[Read more]

Well said on both counts Mike.

Yup, if Mars (or the Moon) doesn’t pan out, I plan to float aimlessly on the high seas in my cedar canoe- which is actually eastern red cedar, western red cedar, ash, walnut, cherry, basswood, fiberglass, and a lot of epoxy- a petroleum product;)

Hey Ben, Nice vessel by the way, looks like you’ve done some fine trim work on the gunwales. All Cedar?

Cap and trade is another example of creative financing thats going to lead to no good. I would agree with William which he described it as another “scheme for fleecing the United States economic engine out of more money.” Not only that but it…[Read more]

Now we’re rolling… I used to be in favor of cap and trade as a compromise to those who argue for not hurting our economical prosperity (whatever that means). But there is no room for compromise. No room for haggling, and no room for 17%.

Dr. Hanson’s comparison of our current situation to that of slavery and nazism is certainly fair. Physics is…[Read more]