Pray that the cities you love may never become the topic of a photo essay like this. (Click the little gray boxes in the lower left to navigate.) – Hat tip: Urban Planning Blog
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Downtown is not the only town
by Jon Swerens on May 29, 2008, in City culture, Urbanism
I’m thankful for businesses like Aptera Inc. who have decided to move to downtown Fort Wayne and support our urban core. But downtown Fort Wayne isn’t the only urban business district around here. If you want to do business — or open a business — in a close-knit, walkable, multi-use community, you could also consider: [...]
Traditional neighborhoods and modern architecture
by Jon Swerens on April 26, 2008, in Architecture, City culture, Neighborhoods, Urbanism
Scott Greider, over on his personal blog, quotes a portion of the San Jose historic design guidelines that addresses the role of modern architecture in older neighborhoods. (If you’re adventurous, you can download the entire 95-page PDF.) What does San Jose say? It says, “Bring it on”: Rather than imitating older buildings, a new design [...]
10 reasons cities are works of art
by Jon Swerens on April 25, 2008, in City culture, Downtown, Urbanism
The Work Research Foundation‘s Comment magazine published a little point of view piece called “Public Arts in the City: with reference to Chicago.” Not only does the author — Clinton Stockwell, the executive director of the Chicago Semester — give ten positive reasons for considering cities as works of art, he peppers his short essay [...]
What creates community?
by Jon Swerens on April 24, 2008, in City culture, Downtown, Philosophy, Uncategorized
What creates community? Shared stories. Shared stories require three things, two of which are obvious: A story, or any kind of happening, even a small happening, like a game of cards. Some sharing, that is, a group of people who experience the same happening. But a shared story also requires: A first-hand, intimate knowledge that [...]
Creating a pedestrian and bicycle friendly downtown
by Jon Swerens on April 23, 2008, in City culture, Downtown, Uncategorized
That’s the title of a promising event May 7 at the downtown Cinema Center. Dan Burden, executive director of Walkable Communities, will be leading an event that hopes to answer these questions: What are the elements that make up a pedestrian and bicycle friendly downtown? Learn what Fort Wayne can do to make our downtown [...]
Politics can’t save urbanism
by Jon Swerens on April 23, 2008, in Architecture, City culture, Urbanism
Yesterday, I pointed to this article at City Journal about how New Urbanism may have changed the conversation about urban planning, but it hasn’t changed the culture. The article points out how many New Urbanists have grabbed on to the “climate change” movement, hoping its momentum will bring its “community-building ethos into the mainstream.” And [...]
Why the public hates publicly funded art
by Jon Swerens on March 14, 2008, in Architecture, City culture, Downtown, Harrison Square
(Jon) If public art has the power like no other to “brand” a city — think of the Eiffel Tower and the Gateway Arch — then why is the public so often against the expenditure? Dan on Cyburbia thinks it may be the style of art that’s been typically commissioned in the last half of [...]
A suburban Subway on an urban street
by Jon Swerens on February 10, 2008, in Architecture, City culture, Downtown, Urbanism
“Urbanism starts with the location of the parking lot.” — David Sucher (Jon) When the downtown Fort Wayne Subway shop was torn down to make way for Harrison Square, it was a safe bet that it would rebuilt nearby. And with the recent emphasis on downtown renewal, this property at the southeast corner of Jefferson [...]
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