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Design Justice

December 9, 2019 in Community, Design

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City builders often talk about the need for community consultation. Consultation is important as it brings perspectives and feedback from community members. But too often, folks “consult” with a preconceived notion of the outcome or a limited application of what the community has to say. Another approach to involving the community is to co-create. That is, to develop ideas alongside the community.  

John sits down with Brent Brown who leads an urban design practice based around this concept of co-creation.

Brent Brown is an architect, planner and urban designer. He is also the founder of building community workshop, a non-profit community design group based in Dallas, Texas. building community workshop, or bc workshop for short, enriches lives of citizens by bringing design thinking to parts of the cities where resources are most scarce. To do so, bc workshop recognizes it has to understand the social, economic and environmental issues facing a community before beginning work.

The Laws of Settlements

June 24, 2019 in Design, History

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From a small Nova Scotia town to booming Barcelona to the mega-city of Jakarta, are there any laws that govern all human settlements? Are there consistent patterns that manage where people live, across scale and time? 

Back in the sixties, an architect and planner named Constantinos Doxiadis explored this question. He sought to understand the complexity and growth of human settlements. In his 1968 book called Ekistics: An Introduction to the Science of Human Settlements, Doxiadisspent 527 pages proposing a science of settlements. 

Today I am talking with Erick Villagomez, an urban designer, professor and writer in Vancouver who has revived and expanded on some elements of Doxiadis’ work. In 2017, Erick self-published a book called The Laws of Settlements. 

Resources

The Wonders of Walkability

October 15, 2018 in Design

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This episode dives into Jeff Speck’s General Theory of Walkability.

The General Theory of Walkability was published in 2012 in the book “Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America One Step at a Time”.  The book consolidated ideas and theories from many other urban thinkers and designers into a clear and hopeful case for change in our cities. It has been referenced by many professional city builders as well as John’s father-in-law, who is a 70 year old retired physician. So, it’s safe to say that the ideas in the book resonate with all kinds of readers.

Jeff just released a new book, called Walkable City Rules: 101 Steps to Making Better Places.

Some rules include:

  • Rule # 3: When advocating for walkability, use climate change arguments and stress location efficiency.
  • Rule # 31: To make streets safer, focus on speeding.
  • Rule # 100: Don’t give up on sprawl. Instead, make suburban streets safer and more walkable too.

To learn about 97 more rules and instructions, check out the book!