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. 

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.  

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! 

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

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? 

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! 

Pop Up Cinema

Over the last couple of weeks I have been attending Brisbane City Council's China Town Mall 80's and 90's movie nights. Although these free summer events have let me have a cheap and enjoyable night out (and I have got to see "The Labyrinth" and "The Mighty Ducks") there are a few things I couldn't help notice that made me think about how these "pop up" summer events are conducted. 

Iphone Photo of the Chinatown Pop Up CInema

One of the first things that I noticed was that although these events were all generally well attended, especially when taking in those in restaurants that could also enjoy the screening with their meal, the events were by no means full. I also noticed that there seemed to be few people that spontaneously decided to join in and watch the movie, although many paused or slowed as they walked past. I also noticed that there seemed to be a fairly distinct crowd of families with young children or young couples in their late teens to early 20's. 

I started to think "what could easily be changed to attract more spontaneous and diverse users?" and although I in no way came up with a definitive answer, it appeared that these events  needed a better gimmick. For example Gap Filler who I mentioned here, provided a cinema that relied purely on "cycle power" to run allowing for people to get involved with the event on multiple levels. But that is not the only way you could mix it up, why not have inflatable kids pools instead of seats? Or seeing as we are in china town, utilise chinese/japanese style floor cushions. 

Christchurch cycle powered cinema via news.com.au

Personally, as this is one of the few times I have attended a free public event, I thought it was great and am keen to visit many more. I only want to make them cooler and cooler into the future! 

World on a String

In response to the Guggenheim Labs "Transform a Public Space Project" Irene Guzman submitted a super cool project entitled Public2. The idea was that not only could a public square be created out of the impromptu meeting of features such as food trucks (which I just wrote about here) but it should encourage interaction with the public using it and between the public themselves. In order to create an interactive space strings were hung above the area which the public could move and manipulate to create shade and light as  needed throughout the day for their enjoyment of the space. 

Public2 Project Conceptualisation via Good.is

Moveable lamps were also included within the public square, so not only could enjoyment be modified as needed during the day but light could also be directed at night to where it is most needed at night. I think this idea is great in that it presents a simple and well thought out way to achieve public interaction with the urban realm. I personally would want the space to have a bit more colour - perhaps neon strings? Though I think this is a great project to be applied with a temporary time frame, in order to utilise vacant space as a makeshift public square. 

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Snail Pace

I am in love with this cool urban art project in Milan originally featured over on Honestly...WTF. Basically Cracking Art Group joined forces with Duomo and Opera d’Arte in order to make a statement about the desperate need for repairs on a historical run down cathedral. In order to make a comment about how the architecture is being slowly left to deteriorate, 50 bright blue snail sculptures were created (from recycled plastic!) and placed around the cathedral to capture the publics attention. 

Plastic Snails comment on deteriorating cathedral via Honestly...WTF

  

As soon as I saw this art installation I was struck by how effective and simple it really is, the bright colours instantly draw attention to the installation and the idea of snails ensures there is a cohesive concept that really marks it's purpose. I know if I stumbled upon something like this it would be difficult not to contemplate the cathedral and become increasingly more drawn to and interested in the cause itself. Plus, it adds a little bit of fun to the city, don't you think?

Mobile Cities

Now I want to admit to you guys something, hideously, hideously embarrassing - I have never had a meal provided by a food truck. This is particularly bad as I have noticed they seem to have been the biggest urban trend of the last 6 months or so and only seem to be growing in popularity. That being said, Australia and Brisbane in particular only just seem to be really picking up the whole mobile food service trend, with Brisbane's only current contender being "The Bun Mobile" pictured below. 

The Bun Mobile @ Newstead via Facebook

Now I can't help thinking that the food truck may turn out to be one of the biggest trends of 2013, allowing us to have adaptable and ever changing cities. BUT is the humble truck restricted to just serving us delicious, specialised foods? Why can't we have makers and craftsmen using the truck as a mobile store? We could have "The Shoe Horn" a bespoke cobbler featuring the old school ice cream truck horn.  Or "The Rolling Press" where people could simply walk in and have an appointment for their printing and letterpress needs. Not only could this trend provide us with exciting, moving cities but it could also allow for small businesses an affordable way to get on their feet before moving to more permanent (and expensive) premises. 

This is one trend I would really like to see be taken to new levels this year, what do you think? 

Urban Change Maker - Ryan Reynolds

One of the original reasons I decided that my future was in urban design and not city planning was based on Ryan Reynolds and his "Gap Filler" project for Christchurch post earthquake damages. In response to the devastation and large number of vacant spaces left in Inner City Christchurch post earthquake, Gap Filler make it their mission to temporarily activate these spaces with creative and innovative community uses. Ryan Reynolds, whose inspirational TEDxChCh talk can be viewed here (Coralie Winn also deserves a mention for her talk here).  

Dance-O-Mat in use via Gap Filler

Projects such as "Dance-O-Mat", a coin operated washing machine jukebox, embody the principles of Gap filler; community engagement, experimentation, leadership, creativity, resourcefulness and collaboration. This project was such a huge success that it was recently reinstated due to community demand - a true sign of a great community project. Other projects have also been a huge success and inspiration, including the recent "Summer Pallet Pavilion", a project that provides a small to medium sized community venue built by the community itself. 

Pallet Pavilion Concept Design via Gap Filler

 Keeping a city alive and vibrant in the face of huge devastation is a sizeable task to undertake and one that only a true urban change maker would be behind. I say everyone should key an eye out for what Gap Filler help to implement next, I know I am intrigued. 

Semi Permanent? Super Cool

I am currently in the middle of writing about 3 different blog posts (some awaiting my own illustration- eek!) but as soon as I saw this post over on the Habitus Living blog I had to drop everything and talk about it too!  This is exciting because it is a little bit of a departure from what I had originally considered temporary urban design but something that I can get just as excited about! Basically a fabulous creative Melbourne couple have developed "The Super Cool" and noticing a resurgence in "pop up shops" decided to make that market their own. 

The Super Cool pop up store @Habitus Living

Basically The Super Cool live in a semi-permanent state, constantly popping up in new locations across Melbourne. Although the idea of finding a favourite store and upon heading back finding it missing is slightly horrifying, the idea of using different spaces and constantly moving areas paints a picture of a progressive and evolving city. Creating a mobile business also allows The Super Cool to set up in different spaces then where you would regularly expect a store (e.g. a warehouse or a fishing dock) adding an element of surprise and whimsy to an all ready magical Melbourne. 

I know I want to see more of these popping up in the future, what do you think? 

Merry Christmas!

Manchester Christmas Markets @ Albert Square

As a naturally festive person the Manchester Christmas Markets were my highlight of visiting England at Christmas time and I hope this photo gives you a little bit of the festive spirit. Anything temporary, including a pop up market, has my heart and hopefully I can meet new people with this passion through Urban Submarine. 

My best wishes are with everyone and I hope you all have your perfect Christmas. 

- Prudence