Every Monday, we post links to articles and blogs that you may have missed from last week. Enjoy!
Couch Cushion Architecture; A Critical Analysis (Build Blog)
A fun look at couch cushion architecture and how it establishes the "basic building blocks of our design logic."
Vancouver peddling safer cycle paths (Vancouver Sun)
City wants to boost bicycle ridership in the downtown core with more separated bike paths.
Aging Burrard Bridge not failing: city engineer (Vancouver Sun)
Concrete barriers on the Burrard Bridge are not causing structural problems, city engineers say. The falling pieces of concrete on the south side of the bridge are a normal aging process that officials are monitoring.
A post-Olympic dawn, with a bit of a hangover (Vancouver Sun)
B.C.'s economy has much going for it, but a coherent strategy for the future is still missing
Road Lobbyists Take Hit From Livability Movement (Planetizen)
The concept of "livability" seems to be catching on -- both at a local level and up in the federal government. This is especially true in the Department of Transportation. That could mean bad news for the road building lobby.
22 cities exploring streetcar systems (GOOD)
According to Scientific American, 22 cities are actively exploring new streetcar systems.
Urban agriculture upsetting the neighborhood (The Globe and Mail)
Vancouver homeowner says neighbours’ ambitious vegetable plot is an eyesore eating away at his bungalow’s property value
Do it yourself maps of realtime information (Human Transit)
Eric Fischer wondered how fast San Francisco's transit system really was, so he asked the transit agency's realtime data feed, and drew a picture of the answer
A tale of two cities (Zach Shaner)
"I hate to beat up on Seattle. I love the Emerald City, and I have lived there quite successfully without a car. But after living here in Vancouver for 4 months, I am unequivocally convinced that Vancouver offers far superior bus service."
Transit decorations for your home (The transit pass)
As someone so kindly put it on twitter: Nerd Alert!
Density and the successful provision of public transit (The transit pass)
Transit planners and lovers wax romantic about the virtues of transit oriented development as well as the potential of current and future urban areas to support successful public transportation. However, as Yonah Freemark at the Next American City points out, such development is only successful for cities that have sufficient urban density.
The Architect’s Role in a Warming World (World Changing)
“The City is not part of the problem, it is part of the solution.”
Community Land Sharing (World Changing)
SharedEarth is a free service in the Craigslist mold with a dash of online dating; a globally geared tool for connecting landowners and gardeners in both rural and urban environments.
Do Community Gardens change the food system? (Word Changing)
Spring has sprung and for thousands of northwesterners, thumbs are turning green. But for apartment or condo dwellers—like me—urban gardening can be a challenge.