Ting Lee

I just moved to New Zealand from Shanghai, It is good to join this group for sharing experience working in China

Zoning is way to control activities, which is important for a city. But as we all know cities are dynamic, some people even suggest that the city is a living organisim. froming this point of view, “zoing” should work in different ways comparing with exisiting and conventional “zoning” practices.
I think “zoning” is also a tool for the authority to…[Read more]

Well, that wasn’t he part of the quote that I was trying to emphasize, I’m not going to stand here and say that the government has cornered the market on corruption, the argument really isn’t about morality, its about social functions.

You are entitled to your assessment of Jane Jacob’s work but her contribution to urban design theory is…[Read more]

Good points, I suppose another important distinction to draw as we continue the conversation is that a planner’s role will vary greatly depending on if he or she is employed by a municipality or by a private sector consulting firm.

I suppose what I meant in my earlier post is that I have been impressed by the work of the private sector planners…[Read more]

I wanted so say thank you to Abdulkader for the recommendation of the the Illustrated Guide to the flower of Saudi Arabia. It is a great resource. I was hoping that someone might be able to share their experience with procuring plant material in Dubai. The Landscape Contractor that we are working with is procuring most of the plant material from…[Read more]

nrschimid,

I know a few LA/Planners. AICP is a cool credential to have behind your name, a good friend of mine (who is a planner) says it stands for “Any Idiot Can Plan”.

Planning is an interesting subject. There are many professions that recognize the importance of good planning in our built environment but we take many different avenues to…[Read more]

Hi
I A French LAndscape Architect recently installed in Tokyo.
let’s see if there’s some people on this web site from here.
A

Re-think that water feature?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/aug/20/water.food1

Hello, hope this will be a constructive forum.

I am posting this for the sake of sharing knowledge. This might me the most comprehensive encyclopedia of native plants in Saudi Arabia.

An Illustrated Guide to the Flowers of Saudi Arabia. By Sheila Colenette.
Meteorology and Environmental Protection Administration, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Flora Publication no. 1.
Scorpion Publishing Ltd.,…[Read more]

A brief and interresting discussion about new ‘eco-towns’ planned for the UK:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/audio/2008/jun/25/ecotowns.housing.environment

The accreditation system seems quite blurry for now this side, save bulletins for seminars by the Emirates Green Building Council (initiative by HH Sheik Makhtoum), but developers are taking notice. Much talk in meetings about projects meeting Green Building standards, but not much push or initiative from the companies yet on getting on board the…[Read more]

I’m currently involved in a number of projects (mainly Qatar) going for LEED accreditation, some of the platinum.

It is not a directive from our consultancy (consider impact on client cost) but a desire from the client.

The main drive is in Qatar is from by QF / QP (Qatar Foundation) with the direct hands on influence of the Emir’s w…[Read more]

Hello all.

Three questions for all. (1) How significant is the LEED initiatives of the UAE (or the GCC in general) to your current projects and practice? (2) Is LEED accreditation a must in your office? (3) Have your office/EGBC/local LEED contacts informed you of the process to get accreditation?

A mouthful but important. Thanks in advance for…[Read more]

Looking for all gulf experienced LA’s to provide a true insight into the discipline in the region.