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Hey, awesome. Thanks for the heads-up!
Commented Jun 24, 2011 on A Simple Idea to Transform The Life of Our Cities at Brand Avenue
A Simple Idea to Transform The Life of Our Cities
I am perplexed by the almost complete lack of pedestrian districts in North America. Why is it that car-free streets—designed for pleasurable strolling, shopping and hanging out—which have become as common as stoplights or McDonalds in European city centers, are almost non-existent here? I’ve o...
Thanks to you both for your comments. AH, you are totally right about how geography makes a comparison between American and Canadian immigration uneven. It's a significant difference.
I am a little surprised to hear that you see immigration a less visible issue in Canada than it is in the US. Admittedly, my impression of that is quite biased: my recent trips to Canada have been only to Ontario, and only to Toronto, Burlington, and Hamilton specifically--all places where immigration seems to be an incredibly visible issue, even more so than where I live.
Commented Jun 9, 2011 on Immigration: The United States v Canada at Brand Avenue
Immigration: The United States v Canada
As a matter of national policy, Canada actively solicits immigrants and has done so for years. The public supports this and the default political assumption is in support of continued immigration. According to a recent poll, only a third of Canadians believe immigration is more of a problem than...
Sure thing, Yuri. Go Canucks!
Commented Jun 6, 2011 on Tagging Vancouver's Neighbourhoods at Brand Avenue
Tagging Vancouver's Neighbourhoods
Vancouver is made up of a vibrant series of distinct neighbourhoods. The City of Vancouver is testing a new, online way to connect residents with projects in their neighbourhoods. Anyone logging into PlaceSpeak.com can express ideas about city issues, but only residents can vote. PlaceSpeak is ...
Hey, thanks all! We are having a fantastic time with him!
Commented Mar 14, 2011 on Pause at Brand Avenue
Pause
A quick FYI that activity may be somewhat scarce for the near term around here--as it has been for the last month. However, I have a great reason for the radio silence, and possibly the best reason of all: our son, Ezra, who will be a month old this coming weekend.
JC--excellent point.
Commented Oct 10, 2010 on Magic Ingredients at Brand Avenue
Magic Ingredients
A great little article from last April's issue of This Magazine lists 16 critical elements necessary for the creation of a sustainable neighborhood (above). Notably absent: cars. The list grows out of the work of J.H. Crawford, author of Carfree Cities and the Carfree Design Manual, urban plan...
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Mar 15, 2010
Oops, of course. Thanks Alex--fixed.
Also, I'm not trashing Disney. I included the cliche criticisms of Disney to point out that it shouldn't be trashed.
Commented Jan 31, 2010 on Imagination Park at Brand Avenue
Imagination Park
Disney has always been an easy target for urban designers and architects. Main Street USA, the main drag of its parks, can be read as a cruel joke. Its simulated urbanism and festival atmosphere may seem like a sinister, conservative knock-off of actual small-town main streets of yore, lodged de...
Jef--Awesome. Thanks for pointing that site out.
Commented Sep 4, 2009 on Deconstructed Melbourne at Brand Avenue
Deconstructed Melbourne
The world's southernmost metropolis has a new brand image. It makes a strong visual impression, and stands out as a great case study of what's possible in expressing a sense of place graphically. Blocky, colorful, and suggestively intricate, the city of Melbourne's new M is meant to conjure ...
Thanks for those, Chester--I know the second one pretty well. I think that the prestigious school stickers are universal, perhaps even more pronounced in parts of the world where there are fewer universities than New England.
Anyone else have other examples of this? There was a piece in the NYT a couple of years ago about area code envy--people with 415 and 212 cell phones seeing themselves as part of an elite club--"authentic" San Franciscans and New Yorkers, respectively.
Commented Aug 13, 2009 on Clothes Make the Man at Brand Avenue
Clothes Make the Man
This morning, the New York Times delights in reporting that clothing is a key factor in differentiating locals and tourists in vacation destinations--in this case, the Hamptons. Who is an impostor, and who really belongs? Exclusivity, as much as sun and sand, is part of the gravitational pull ...
Hey Rob, thanks! No worries--my inactivity here was just a temporary thing. I've got almost two months of bookmarks saved up that I'd like to share!
Will definitely write more about Providence here soon as well.
Commented Jul 11, 2009 on Restart at Brand Avenue
Restart
Just quickly touching base to officially begin a new chapter in the life of this blog. It's now written from the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island, a fantastic neighborhood in a delightful city. Brand Avenue returns to New England. As anyone who is familiar with a long-distance move knows,...
hey Valerie--thanks for the tip. Anyone want to be a live-in stager?
Commented Jun 8, 2009 on Seeing Is Believing at Brand Avenue
Seeing Is Believing
Trying to sell your model home? Forget aspiring actors. Throw away the plastic food. Why even bother when you can have the real thing? The fragrance of sage-scented candles and sounds of jazz fill the air of a 2,600-square-foot house a block from the beach. Tiger-striped chairs flank tables craf...
Ha! It's all ridiculously heavy-handed, isn't it.
Beware the giant metaphors rolling down the street!
Commented May 6, 2009 on Kitsch Break at Brand Avenue
Kitsch Break
All, my apologies for the radio silence here recently. I am in the midst of planning a cross-country move this summer--to Providence, where my wife has landed a fantastic, exciting new job--and Brand Avenue has sat on the back burner while I investigate, both remotely and in person, typical movi...
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