Transitional Christchurch - Public Art

So as you are all probably well aware I am doing my planning thesis on the transitional temporary uses that have happened in Christchurch in response to the earthquake and  in the last couple of weeks, I actually got to go and experience Christchurch and talk to some of the key people involved in pushing the boundaries of temporary and experimentation for Christchurch. It was awesome. The creativity in a city that is facing a long and slow recovery is astounding, and the public art in the city is of an amazing quality and content. So seeing as I have quite a few pictures and quite a few thoughts on transitional Christchurch I thought I would dedicate this post to the amazing public art I saw during my visit. 

Kaleidoscope Wall near Re:Start Mall

This "kaleidoscope" piece had the most amazing colours and was located on a wall near the Re:Start Mall (where I spent way too much time and money!). This piece really picked up the area, and was a huge change from the traditionally grey city centre that Christchurch had pre-earthquakes. 

Freak Container in the Re:Start Mall

The personalisation on some of the shipping containers actually in the Re:Start Mall was also amazing, this "freak container" near the amazing food truck area was one of my favourites. 

Portrait on the currently vacant Art Gallery

This large portrait is on the wall of what was previously the Art Gallery, but now remains unused. Also outside this art gallery is one of my particular favourite pieces...

The Gnomes

The giant, silver gnomes! What could be better then those two gnomes standing guard. I also really loved the "It's Coming Down" sculpture pictured below, which is actually 3m tall on the roof of a still standing building. 

It's Coming Down Sculpture

So that is all I have for you for now, even though the amazing public art in Christchurch appeared to be endless! I am flat out with work and uni at the moment but I will post again soon on the great transitional streetscapes and transitional urban design/architecture that has developed in Christchurch's Central City. 

The People's Market

Now today is both a bit of a preemptive post (because I am pretty sure this project will feature largely on "The Block" this week) , and at the same time I can't believe I haven't featured this sooner. The project I am referring to is "The People's Market", a community shipping container market located in a car park in Collingwood, Melbourne by Emerge Studio. This temporary and completely portable project, focused on the theme of "recycled garden" is even more impressive for being the first project two part Emerge Studio has created. 

The People's Market via Emerge Studio

  

Although at first glance it might appear like just another shipping container mall, when reading the thought process behind this project on Emerge Studios website, I believe a lot of attention has gone into making this project a high functioning and engaging community space. When looking at the mix of uses, including the COMA art gallery viewable 24/7, shops, cafes and bars and the flexible nature of the space it is clear that considerable thought has gone into making this a 24hr space Jane Jacobs herself would be proud of. Also come on, those timber trees are fantastic!

The PVC Pipe Container via Australian Design Review

   

I also love the fact that all the shipping Containers have a point of difference, whether it be a vertical garden, PVC piping (as above), Bike Wheels, or just the encouragement for graffiti and Street art around the back of the containers. This personalisation really helps to create an activated and interesting site, drawing the attention of the community. 

So what do you think of The People's Market, are shipping container markets simply building on a great idea or are they "overdone" in the public realm? I personally still think they are pretty awesome. 

The Creative Christchurch Transition

Some of you may know that the original purpose of this blog was to aid in helping me right my honours thesis for my town planning degree, and although I have been pretty side tracked by other cool projects here - I have still been busy working on my thesis in the background. So I thought seeing as it is already June (!!!) and six months have flown past, I would create a little update (okay, it was originally meant to be an info-graphic but my skills just aren't there yet!) on the key points of my thesis below. 

I leave for Christchurch on the 25th to conduct interviews with some pretty cool people so I can start the data analysis part of the thesis  and have this whole project completed by the end of October! If you are from Christchurch and have had first hand involvement with these temporary projects I would be stoked if you got in contact either here or via twitter and if you have 5 minutes, can fill out my survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VG6FBT7. It will be super appreciated. 

Urban Change Maker - Joost Bakker

Oh yeah, the Urban Change Maker column is back! Do you ever dedicate some time to finally listening to a lecture or talk you have been meaning to and get absolutely blown away by what they had to say? Well, that is exactly what happened when I watched this Creative Mornings Melbourne talk (vimeo.com/63225503 ) by todays Urban Change Maker - Joost Bakker. 

Joost's Melbourne Greenhouse Pop Up via Broadsheet Melbourne

Joost could be categorised as a lot of things; farmer, inventor, artist, designer and problem solver but at the heart of everything he does is his clear ethos - rethink your original notions of waste and products and collaborate and explore to inspire people to live sustainably. Joost has made particular efforts to improve the sustainability of the hospitality industry not only by developing the cool vertical gardens you see everywhere such as those featured on the Greenhouse Pop Up. In Silo by Joost, a hole in the wall Melbourne Cafe in Hardware Lane the act of simple stating that the cafe will not have a bin has lead to a huge range of sustainable and waste minimising solutions! 

Inside Silo by Joost via Broadsheet Melbourne

Asides from providing take away coffee (and I am sure a sustainably made reusable coffee cup is encouraged) Silo boasts the fact that it produces absolutely no waste. You even get to sit on top of the reusable kegs which provide the milk and other beverages for the cafe. I wont provide too much more detail when you can watch the video and check out Joost for yourself and be sure to visit ByJoost.com for more information on other cool projects (e.g. rooftop farming and harvesting urine!). I know I want to learn everything I can about this talented problem solver!

The Service Station

It is a pretty amazing feeling when all your favourite things come together in the one place right? Even if that place does happen to be Los Feliz, California on the other side of the world... As I was reading a few blogs I follow on a Sunday morning, not thinking about urban design or temporary uses at all I was suddenly blown away by this post on Oh Joy. It just goes to show that good things pop up when you least expect them too.  

The post in question was about a visit to "The Service Station" which is, you guessed it, an old service station that has been turned into an outdoor creative market place and event space. The Service Station houses pop up shops (in refurbished shipping containers), outdoor movie nights and best of all a Wednesday food truck night! As I said, all the things I love coming together in a cool themed space - if that doesn't draw crowds and keep people coming back to Los Feliz, I don't know what would! 

Food Trucks @ The Service Station via Oh Joy blog 

I just can't help loving the idea of taking traditional car dominated spaces and completely transforming them into places for the community to gather, oh and eat at food trucks of course. Not only that they have taken a relatively unattractive and unused space and turned it into a place of experimentation and practical urbanism and if you take a look through the galleries on The Service Station website you can see the community coming together and enjoying themselves in this new space! And I mean who wouldn't enjoy themselves if they had the chance to watch Back to the Future in a retro style service station! 

Pop up shipping container shops via The Service Station

The sad thing about this project is that city permits have made it so difficult that this space has had to close and is currently seeking a new space to start up. It is frustrating that despite the obvious benefits from a town planning perspective, these spaces are often either restricted or completely shut down because of issues with permits. It makes it clear that a more flexible approach to city planning is required pretty urgently to foster creativity and innovation in planning solutions. Not only do temporary uses need to work with the existing legislation, but existing legislation should become progressive in making way for temporary uses.  

Be Back Soon!

Just writing a super quick note to apologise for my absence here on Urban Submarine and to thank you all for still visiting! The views I have been getting are amazing and it is so awesome to know there are so many people interested in new ways to revitalise our cities! While my thesis is kicking my butt and due dates are looming for May, I don't have a lot of time for writing, BUT I do promise I will keep an eye out for exciting urban interventions, and if I ever have any spare time there may be a surprise post or two. Otherwise I will be back at the end of Autumn to post in earnest over the cooler months! 

  

Pop Up Picnic

On Wednesday, I attended a picnic, complete with rugs laid out on grass, in the middle of the city, just one block down from my work in fact. The Albert Street picnic was organised by UR{BNE} as part of the Brisbane City Ideas fiesta - showcasing the new draft city plan and I can't think of a better way to get people involved and commenting on the future of their city.  

The Super Cool Picnic Sign blocking off Albert Street

Not only did this picnic provide a fun way to get involved in city planning, it was also a great way to demonstrate how little changes, such as pedestrianising a street in the inner city can make a huge difference in how we interact with our cities. The use of temporary projects also presents a low risk forum to trial new ideas - and if they work, great and if not you get the chance to try again! 

Proposed Ideas for Brisbane up for comment

A Packed out crowed enjoying the green space

More of these events will be popping up around Brisbane over the next month or so as part of the UR{BNE} festival and I can't wait to see what else they have come up with. It is an exciting time to be living in Brisbane that's for sure.  

Advertising the High Life

It is no secret that Pop Up City is one of my all time favourite urban design blogs and a consistent source of temporary urban design and architecture inspiration and this project really is inspiring. Architect Julio Gomez Trevilla has designed a temporary house in Mexico that is incorporated with and hidden behind a typical billboard in Mexico. This innovative project is a true combination of urban play, pop up building, activating new spaces and turning the traditional way you think about cities on it's head.  

An unassuming Billboard via Pop Up City

The house acts as a temporary residence for artists with the first artist Cecilia Beaven painting a mural based on suggestions on what you can do with a blank piece of paper. This project really brings a level of personalisation in the city that Kevin Lynch and Bentley et al would be more than proud of. The resulting house may not be hugely spacious, but it includes everything you need to meditate on your next creative project - even your own kitchen.  

The inside of a hidden house via Pop Up City

Now I am a huge believer in the power of art in revitalising our cities and in the ability of temporary urban design, so I can't wait to see even more projects like this popping up in the future. It is so exciting to see this global trend continue to push the boundaries and I can't wait to feature even more innovative projects.  

Urban Change Makers: Bee One Third

I thought it was about time I not only reinstated the urban change makers column but that I hopped aboard the praise train for the duo behind Brisbanes Bee One Third (recently featured in the U on Sunday magazine). Although neither Kat Skull or Jack Wilson Stone, the geniuses behind Bee One Third are from Brisbane originally they are both long term residents and luckily for us it has become their entrepreneurial home. Urban bee keeping is by no means a new addition to the rooftops of cities across the world and addresses a vital need to maintain our bee population and restore their rightful place in the city. But Bee One Third bring a new meaning the the term "local" with honey being produced on the rooftops of the very restaurants it is used and sold in (such as Gerards Bistro in New Farm). 

Rooftop Beekeeping taken by Andy Leitch via Facebook

Not only are Skull and Stone bringing bee keeping to our rooftops, they also have taught classes at Brisbane's The Joynery in order to help locals create bee friendly gardens in small spaces, in order to provide the best possible chance for the hives to thrive. The attention to detail shown in the Bee One Third project is admirable, with all hives hand crafted and the honey produced bottled by hand and containing hand stamped and embossed labels. These are some seriously talented and clever bee keepers we are dealing with.  If you are interested in finding out more I would head to Bee One Third's facebook here or try and get your hands on yesterdays U on Sunday article. 

Pop In to Church

Now as someone who is admittedly a little bit design obsessed, I am always first in line to pick up to new issue of Habitus magazine when it hits the news stands quarterly. In issue 19 there was one article that really caught my eye, and fits right in with the purpose of Urban Submarine. The project starts in an unused church, a neo-classical cultural heritage landmark in a residential suburb of Darlinghurst, Sydney. In order to revitalize this church and return activation to an otherwise unused building a unique and innovative solution was devised by Bates Smart Architects that I like to refer to as a Pop In. 

A Pop Up inside a Darlinghurst Church via Bates Smart

The element of cultural heritage often presents nothing but constraints and limitations for planners, builders and developers alike and that was certainly the case for this Darlinghurst Church Project. Development could in no way impact or extrude any of the walls of the Church and the outside was to remain completely intact. So what did Bates Smart do to solve this issue? The built inside it, creating a residential pop up home inside the church that can be completely dismantled and in no way impacts on the structure of the church itself. Pure Genius. The church not only now encompasses a lived in, and beautiful, residential home but with some gathered remaining pews also allows for public access in terms of a concert and performance space - effectively blurring the boundary between public and private. 

A large entertaining Kitchen within the Demountable Pod via Bates Smart

As the pictures show, the temporary nature of the housing shell in no way has constricted the residents, the pods even include a large and impressive entertaining kitchen. The whole project is proof that from constraints the most creative ideas can grow, as well as the ability of temporary structures to be more than just impermanent pop up shops or cafes. As a planner I think this project also illustrates that maybe the very idea of cultural heritage codes  and regulations as they exist today is outdated. Where is the benefit in allowing cultural heritage buildings to stand unoccupied and uncared for within the city? Maybe it is time to come up with a more flexible approach, that fosters innovation rather then placing barriers to it and stop being stuck in the old ways of planning. Possibly then we will witness a cultural regeneration, full of more wonderful and creative projects. 

Attendant: Cafe Restroom?

So obviously March was not a great month over here at Urban Submarine, and I apologise profusely for that. Between job applications, starting a new job, writing a thesis and having a social life my availability to blog has been pretty limited, BUT April is a new month and I really want to get back into finding the coolest and most innovative urban initiatives to feature them here on the blog and encourage even more initiatives in the future! Before I mention to cool little reuse of inactive space I have for you today, i thought I would mention some things I have in the works for this month in order to establish some accountability! This month will bring us UR{BNE} festival in Brisbane, so a lot of cool things will be happening in the city. I will definitely be heading a long to the Albert Street Picnic and ideas fiesta (seeing as I work on Albert Street) and taking some pictures to feature, I am also working on a job application based on Paddington so I am hoping to feature that either this month or next too! I am sure other more exciting stuff will pop up, but thats it for now - so onto the story!

The outside of Attendant via We Heart

The Attendant Cafe, is probably one of the coolest and most out there transformations of unused urban space I have seen yet - so obviously I love it! This cafe has made its home in a former unused Victorian era mens bathroom in West London, and somewhat to the tune of secret urbanism, involves heading downstairs via the wrought iron cage to gain access to this porcelain based cafe. 

The interior fit out of Attendant via We Heart

With the cafe clearly paying great respects to its original use, even utilising plugged up urinals as seats, it is a great mix celebrating both the old and the new in our cities. Not only that but the interior is so delightfully quirky I don't think you could help but having fun (and probably a bit of a giggle) while you were there. 

For more photos and an article with a lot more toilet jokes than I was willing to make head on over to weheart.co.uk.   

The Urban Coffee Farm

I tweeted a video of Hassell's Urban Coffee Farm process (here) for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival and I am super stoked to share some photos of the finished product here. I think this project really embodies a great temporary urban place and love that it has focused on reactivating a space that was otherwise underused.  Not only that I, like many Australians and especially Melbournites, am a coffee addict - so any place to get more coffee is always going to be approved by me!  The space is also awesome as it actually gives you to opportunity to learn more about coffee and where it comes from placing an emphasis on sustainability. 

Inside the Urban Coffee Farm via Habitus

The design of this project is, for lack of a better word, ingenious. The way that pallets, ply and chalkboards have been used in conjunction with a huge volume of greenery and vegetation really does set the scene of walking into a coffee farm or jungle and allowing you to step out of the city for a few moments (as well as just looking genuinely cool). Not only does it look cool, but you can see in the below picture that the coffee farm is attracting a wide range of people and giving them a collective an accessible open space to enjoy together. 

Outer View of the Urban Coffee Farm via Habitus

There are more photos over on the Habitus blog if you want to check it out further, and if your living in Melbourne I hope you are heading straight over to enjoy it while it's there because I wish I was! 

Barking Bathhouse

I think it is already clear that I am a sucker for a pop up social experiment with a great name, and the Barking Bathhouse sure has me covered on that front. Created by Something & Son (uber cool collaborators)  and popping up in East London, the Barking Bathhouse aims to recapture the communal spirit present of historic bath houses and foster that spirit within the now suburban suburb. Not only that, the design of this pop up truly is beautiful.

Barking Bathhouse Pop Up via The Remodelista

The design acts as a nod to the industrial past of East London and incorporates a range of recycled and salvaged building materials, such as the benches created from salvaged rail road timber. The Bathhouse offers a range of spa treatments as well as the possibility of relaxing in the gravel bay, napping in the relaxation yard, soothing your muscles in the sauna, chilling out in the cool room or even having a drink at the included bar. To be honest I don't know why any one would ever want to leave! 

Reclaimed timber benches via The Remodelista

The pop up has now left East London and after being super successful will be opening again at a new location sometime in Spring. If you want any more information be sure to check out their website and maybe fantasise about the range of treatments they offer here.

Sushi Pod

While wandering through Paddington (as an attempt to start a new suburb profile column...) I managed to pick up a copy of  the awesome (and free) Map Magazine. Inside I was super excited to see a little article on Sushi Pod in Fortitude Valley and its awesome conception via "place shaker" engineer John Tuxworth. Basically the Sushi Pod is a tiny temporary structure that has been created as an "urban reinvigoration" experiment - aiming to bring life and activity into an otherwise underwhelming car park. Not only that the sushi pod offers delicious healthy meals and delivers some Japanese infusion to Brisbane. I think this is an awesome experiment and a true example of a place shaker, and if the picture below is any indication, i'd say it has been pretty successful too! 

People lining up at the Sushi Pod via Supertectonics

Urban Change Makers - We Are Traffic

Just a quick urban change makers post today in the midst of working from home. I stumbled upon the blog We Are Traffic today on the Visual Supply Co Journal and thought they had a super awesome and simple idea that has been really well executed. Basically Bjorn Lexius and Till Glaser behind the blog wanted to raise bicycle awareness in Hamburg, Germany so they went about doing a series of portraits of people on their bikes and posting them on their blog. The blog has taken off like crazy, with a huge wait list of people wanting to be photographed. This is especially awesome considering they only originally expected to be photographing their friends.  

Tandem Biking by We Are Traffic via Journal

Being someone, who admittedly does not currently cycle (due mainly to safety and the huge hills surrounding my home) and understands how much of a challenge it is to get people cycling where I live (Rachel Smith talks a lot about this on her blog) I think it is super cool to have something that shows the diversity within cycling and removes the "lycra only" stigma.  That being said, a lot of the portraits are just really fun to look at too and if it can get more people interested in cycling, then thats just great. 

Aleksandra via We Are Traffic

Malte (and some great street art) via We Are Traffic

To see a whole lot more bicycle-centric portraits, head over to We Are Traffic and try not to stay there for hours! 

When A City Falls...

Last night for the two year anniversary of the devastating February 22nd Christchurch Earthquake I watched the documentary on the Earthquakes "When a City Falls" on SBS. Watching this documentary really hit home for me how great an impact the earthquakes have had on Christchurch and will continue to have on shaping the city centre for the future. What struck me most in this documentary was not only the huge gaping holes in the city where my favourite places and landmarks used to be but the continuing sense of kindness and humour seen throughout the community. 

Demolishing the Cathedral from here (sorry I couldn't find a better link)

Despite little concrete rebuild being completed, even two years down the road from the initial destruction, it would be easy to lose spirit and simple let the inner city deteriorate. This is why I am so excited by the work of Gap Filler, to ensure those empty spaces are never really empty spaces but places of excitement and intrigue (instead of just parking lots for cars that are not even there). This I think is a key element for building community resilience and ensuring people dont just forget about the inner city and become more and more entrenched in the suburbs. I am looking at making my planning thesis based around exactly how this community resilience can be achieved through the creative community action enabled by Gap Filler, so stay tuned because I will be sure to keep you updated with what I find out! 

Making the Most of Empty Spaces Recap

Okay! So I still have no internet at home and with uni starting back up I think I am going to have to resign myself to less frequent posting over here on Urban Submarine - I am thinking about three times a week (and whenever I see something too cool to not post). 

Anyway, yesterday I attended the Renew Australia "Making the Most of Empty Spaces" workshop presented by Renew Newcastle founder Marcus Westbury. While spending my day at the Bleeding Heart Gallery Space on Ann Street Brisbane I learnt some pretty awesome (and practical) things about creating temporary urban spaces and pop up shops in our cities. 

The Renew Australia group are best known for their super cool work as Renew Newcastle - effectively upgrading Newcastle from an unknown, deteriorating industrial city outside of Sydney to one of the top 10 hippest cities in the world. Acting as an "enabler" or as I like to think of it Space Curator, Renew Newcastle give "Inititavists" the opportunity to put their brilliant creative idea into action by putting them up rent free in a vacant urban space with a rolling 30 day license agreement. This process not only helps creatives get their idea up and running but creates activity in otherwise vacant areas, improving safety and vibrancy in the city centre. 

Renew Newcastle project map via Renew Newcastle

The most important elements I took away from this workshop were the need for practicality and clear solutions when starting any pop up venture and the importance of having elements like how you will organize insurance for projects understood from the beginning. I also learnt the importance of involving a large cross section of people from the community itself in order to create a self sustaining and successful pop up project, not just the people you personally think are amazing or the things you think should be there (I personally am very guilty of this one!).  

All in all it came down to initiative, passion and responsibility and it made me want to start my own venture straight away. If you are interested at all in this kind of thing I would definitely suggest you check out Renew Australia and all the awesome resources they have available on their site. 

POP of Colour

I really wanted to do my Vietnam Recap in an immediate two part series, but I found this over on Contemporist before I could get too it and it is just too amazing! The MVMNT pop up cafe by Morag Myerscough in Londons industrial suburb of Greenwich is an amazing example of a cool pop up cafe that doesn't involve a single shipping container! What excites me most about this pop up (asides from its totally rad design) is how easy it is to create a space that feels fresh and exciting simply with some plywood and some paint! 

The front of MVMNT Cafe via Contemporist

Not only does the use of colour allow the cafe to brand itself and differentiate from other cafes, it creates an eye-catching visual landmark within the suburb. I only have to look at the pictures and I want to pop by (if only I was still in the UK). The outside area of the cafe also presents an amazing opportunity for workspaces or meetings out in the public realm, something I think a lot of businesses need to utilize more. The outdoor area manages to look peaceful and exciting at the same time, although I am stuck wondering what will happen when it rains?

MVMNT Cafe outdoor area via Contemporist

So I know I am totally enthused, but would any one else like to see more pop ups like this happening? 

Vietnam Recap - Volume 1 Can Tho

Okay Vietnam travels recap time! I experienced and learnt so much in such a short time I don't even know where to begin, so I thought I would do a quick recap to begin with and then maybe do a few posts with ideas I have gained from my time in Vietnam such as super active public realms, the market culture and other general urban design thoughts as they come to me! 

Can Tho

So for the first two weeks of my trip I spent my time in Can Tho, the largest city within the Mekong Delta. After arriving into the full on city that is Ho Chi Minh/Saigon, Can Tho was a beneficial place to ease into the Vietnamese culture - and to learn how to cross a road! The traffic in Vietnam was probably my first major culture shock moment, I think it took me a whole month to get use to the system of just walking out on busy roads and letting the many scooters, bikes and occasional cars go around you. The sheer volume of people that travelled via bike or scooter was also impressive, as well as the way their housing and shops were designed for convenient scooter/bike access. Almost all buildings (both commercial and residential) had ramps built within or over their stairs so scooters could be driven straight inside and almost all markets allowed for people to drive in, barter and drive out.

The traffic in Can Tho - Look at all those bikes!

Scooters and bikes parked right outside a Can Tho Cafe

Another key realisation of our time in Can Tho was the lack of OH&S and general safety regulations - there were endless WTF moments. This really embodied the attitude of the Vietnamese which was very relaxed with simple "just get it done" thinking which really allowed for some simple (and often genius) ways of doing things. 

Telecom in Vietnam - Look how far away his foot is from the ladder

A man painting the side of a Karaoke building bright blue (love colour in the urban realm)

Seeing as I spent over two weeks in Can Tho I could quite literally talk about it forever and it was definitely one of my favourite places on the trip, particularly as I really got to know the city and the people (especially my lovely homestay family). Here are just some of the  other things I loved about Can Tho; 

• The city was based on a grid system so it was exceptionally easy to walk around and find your way 
• The many markets (especially including the lolly markets leading up to the Tet Holiday) were all amazing and really felt like you were experiencing the active Vietnamese culture
• The street food at the night markets may have been the most delicious food I have ever eaten (especially after many drinks and a night of Karaoke) 
• Many of the restaurants we ate at were out in the open yet surprisingly quiet tucked back from the roads. Half the time you felt like you were eating in the middle of the jungle, not the middle of the city 
• The ability of the Vietnamese to reuse and repurpose waste was amazing and evident just about everywhere 

Can Tho Restaurant with a recycled pathway

Can Tho Restaurant with Koi Pond - This restaurant had monkeys too!

What started out as a short recap has actually turned out quite massive, especially because I spent so long in Can Tho. So I am going to post this recap in a couple of volumes, mostly just for ease of reading for you! 

Shhh...Secret Public Realms?

Allright, I am back everyone and I could not have had a better or more eye-opening time than I did in Vietnam. Although I am super keen to get writing on some of my ideas and photos from my time overseas I am struggling a bit with putting some cohesive (and readable!) posts together - but I promise a recap will be up soon, whether it is wanted or not! 

What I am keen to talk about today is the new trend that is emerging of private or secret public spaces, as really brought to my attention by one of my favourite blogs, Pop Up City. Now they have given this trend the term "Secret Urbanism" and it is a retreat from the previous desire for totally open, accessible and transparent urban spaces. The current feeling being cultivated in the urban realm is that of "exclusivity" to add value to spaces and increase the feeling of being able to adventure and really discover something new within our cities. This trend has even started popping up around Brisbane, with "The Walrus Club" hidden on Coronation Drive, Toowong behind a door with a small piece of Walrus Graffiti. Even the branding for these places relies on the secretive and exclusive nature they are trying to cultivate. 

Branding for The Walrus Club via their facebook 

These places go back to the prohibition era and speak easy bars, and commonly appear to have decor in a similar fashion - full of low light, exposed brick and rum drinkers. With the current rate news travels through social media though, how long can these places really remain that secret and at what lengths will they have to go to enforce exclusivity. 

The interior of The Walrus Club via their facebook

In terms of how I feel about this trend I am pretty divided, I love the idea of being able to stumble across the coolest bar or having to hunt to find the place you are looking for, but I don't know how well the idea of exclusive urban realm sits with me. I think it is an interesting emerging trend none the less and definitely one I will be looking into more!

If you are still interested check out the blog post by Pop Up City.

Float On Markets

This morning I left on a 3 week adventure to Vietnam where I am undertaking a course studying urban design, planning and the environment within the Mekong Delta before doing a leisurely tour up north through Vietnam to Hanoi. Unfortunately this will be my last post for the month as I have not had the chance to line any up for my absence (because I am always too excited about my content and publish them). Of course I am very excited about many of the things I will be seeing (and will be sure to bore you with a few picture based posts when I return). One of my top things to do while in Vietnam is visit the floating markets, especially due to their recent inspiration for the IKEA floating markets in London. 

The IKEA markets floating on the Thames via NOTCOT

Although the floating and night time markets are a key source of income and livelihoods for the Vietnamese people the IKEA markets along the Thames show that urban design and innovative ideas can be taken from a range of places and re-used if applied correctly to the new site. This is a key element of place making and urban design, because if there is one thing I have learnt it is that there is no "one size fits all" approach to place making. What has made these markets look so fabulous is that the inspiration has clearly come from the Asian style market scene but then they have clearly applied the idea to a Western culture as well, particularly the needs and ideas of those in London (and Sweden I guess).  

The Pink IKEA market boat via NOTCOT

There are a whole heap more fabulous photos on NOTCOT. which you can see by clicking here. I would happily visit these floating down the Brisbane river any day!