Creating Vibrant Public Spaces

Creating Vibrant Public Spaces
Author: Ned Crankshaw
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 229
Release: 2012-09-26
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1610910567

Public space and street design in commercial districts can dictate the success or failure of walkable community centers. Instead of focusing our efforts on designing new “compact town centers,” many of which are located in the suburbs, we should instead be revitalizing existing authentic town centers. This informative, practical book describes methods for restoring the health and vibrancy of the streets and public spaces of our existing commercial districts in ways that will make them positive alternatives to suburban sprawl while respecting their historic character. Clearly written and with numerous photos to enhance the text, Creating Vibrant Public Spaces uses examples from communities across the United States to illustrate the potential for restoring the balance provided by older urban centers between automobile access and “walkability.” In advice that can be applied to a variety of settings and scales, Crankshaw describes the tenets of contemporary design theory, how to understand the physical evolution of towns, how to analyze existing conditions, and how to evaluate the feasibility of design recommendations. Good design in commercial centers, Crankshaw contends, facilitates movement and access, creates dynamic social spaces, and contributes to the sense of a “center”—a place where social, commercial, and institutional interaction is more vibrant than in surrounding districts. For all the talk of creating new “green” urban spaces, the ingredients of environmentally aware design, he points out, can often be found in the deteriorating cores and neighborhoods of towns and cities across the United States. With creativity, planning, and commitment, these centers can thrive again, adding to the quality of local life and contributing to the local economy, too.

Design Guidelines in American Cities

Design Guidelines in American Cities
Author: John Punter
Publisher: Liverpool University Press
Total Pages: 248
Release: 1999-02-01
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1846312957

This book is a study of design initiatives and policies in five US West Coast cities – Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Irvine and San Diego – all of which have had particularly interesting experience of relevance to urban design practice in Britain and other countries.

The Pataphysician's Library

The Pataphysician's Library
Author: Ben Fisher
Publisher: Liverpool University Press
Total Pages: 496
Release: 2000-01-01
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9780853239260

The Pataphysician’s Library is a study of aspects of 1890s French literature, with specific reference to the traditions of Symbolism and Decadence. Its main focus is Alfred Jarry, who has proved, perhaps surprisingly, to be one of the more durable fin-de-siècle authors. The originality of this study lies in its use of the enigmatic list of books termed the livres pairs, which appears in Jarry’s 1898 novel Gestes et Opinions du docteur Faustroll, pataphysicien, his best-known prose work. The greatest interest of the livres pairs lies in a group of works by Jarry’s friends and contemporaries, primarily Leon Bloy, Georges Darien, Gustave Kahn, Catulle Mendes, Josephin Madan, Rachilde, and Henri de Regnier. Several of these authors feature as the lords of islands visited by the pataphysician Dr Faustroll in his curious voyage around Paris. In conjunction with Jarry’s own works, the contemporary livres pairs serve to illustrate the vibrant and experimental atmosphere in which these authors worked.

Urban Street Design Guide

Urban Street Design Guide
Author: National Association of City Transportation Officials
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013-10-01
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 9781610914949

The NACTO Urban Street Design Guide shows how streets of every size can be reimagined and reoriented to prioritize safe driving and transit, biking, walking, and public activity. Unlike older, more conservative engineering manuals, this design guide emphasizes the core principle that urban streets are public places and have a larger role to play in communities than solely being conduits for traffic. The well-illustrated guide offers blueprints of street design from multiple perspectives, from the bird’s eye view to granular details. Case studies from around the country clearly show how to implement best practices, as well as provide guidance for customizing design applications to a city’s unique needs. Urban Street Design Guide outlines five goals and tenets of world-class street design: • Streets are public spaces. Streets play a much larger role in the public life of cities and communities than just thoroughfares for traffic. • Great streets are great for business. Well-designed streets generate higher revenues for businesses and higher values for homeowners. • Design for safety. Traffic engineers can and should design streets where people walking, parking, shopping, bicycling, working, and driving can cross paths safely. • Streets can be changed. Transportation engineers can work flexibly within the building envelope of a street. Many city streets were created in a different era and need to be reconfigured to meet new needs. • Act now! Implement projects quickly using temporary materials to help inform public decision making. Elaborating on these fundamental principles, the guide offers substantive direction for cities seeking to improve street design to create more inclusive, multi-modal urban environments. It is an exceptional resource for redesigning streets to serve the needs of 21st century cities, whose residents and visitors demand a variety of transportation options, safer streets, and vibrant community life.

Drawing Shortcuts

Drawing Shortcuts
Author: Jim Leggitt
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2015-06-12
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 047063913X

The updated edition of a contemporary approach to merging traditional hand drawing methods with 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional digital visualization tools. Jim Leggitt?s Drawing Shortcuts shows how communicating with hand drawings combined with digital technology can be ingeniously simple, and this new edition makes an already popular technique even better. Completely expanded with new chapters and a wealth of supporting images, this Second Edition presents practical techniques for improving drawing efficiency and effectiveness by combining traditional hand drawing methods with the latest digital technology, including 3-D modeling with SketchUp. This book?s step-by-step approach will sharpen and streamline your techniques whether you draw for pleasure, school or your design profession. Easy-to-follow instructions cover every aspect from the basics of drawing?such as composition, color, shading, hatching, and perspective?up to the most current technologies Incorporates Google SketchUp, Google Earth, computer generated renderings, digital scanners and printers Features new visuals from accomplished drawing experts Special new ?Gallery? section highlights the creative process with step-by-step examples of drawings Complete coverage of the ?Overlay and Trace Method,? ?Simple Composite Method,? ?Advanced Composite Method,? and ?Digital Hybrid Drawings? New matrices show alternative drawing techniques for specific visual effects such as Linework and Shading, Selecting the Right Views, Perspectives and Paraline Drawings, Drawing Detail, Camera Lenses, and Drawing Tools Generously enriched with detailed process drawings, examples, and more than 500 full-color images, Drawing Shortcuts, Second Edition will have you creating top-quality drawings faster and more effectively.

Local Policies and Practices that Support Safe Pedestrian Environments

Local Policies and Practices that Support Safe Pedestrian Environments
Author: Ryan Walsh
Publisher: Transportation Research Board
Total Pages: 97
Release: 2012
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0309223709

"Document[s] the regulatory, administrative, and financial tools used by communities to provide safe pedestrian environments ... captures tools and strategies reported as effective in a range of contexts (e.g., geography, community size, weather, demographics, and regulatory requirements) and development conditions. Development conditions addressed include new and infill development, street reconstruction, and retrofitting."--Summary.