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. 

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.  

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.

My Vision

"Your vison of where or who you want to be is the greatest asset you have. Without having a goal it's difficult to score." 

One of the first sentences of Paul Arden's book "It's not how good you are, It's how good you want to be" was one of profound impact. As I sat trying to design my business cards to be produced for upcoming graduate interviews, I was stuck with the problem of how I would refer to myself. At the end of this year I can no longer hide behing the term "student" but as I will be graduating with a Town Planning degree do I simply call myself a town planner? What about my interests in urban and graphic design? sustainable and temporary architecture? I started to think "How good do I really want to be?" and the answer was I want someone to feature me in their "Urban Hero" article just like mine on Candy Chang and a number of others to come. The solution came to me unexpectedly when I realised "Urban Hero" was not the right term - I want to be someone who brings about change and challenges the way cities function. What I want to be is part of a network of; 

Urban Hero - Candy Chang

I have decided, due to how much I love doing city. design. buys to start another weekly column, dedicated to modern urban heros that are doing their bit to make our cities more sustainable, functional and fun. As much as I love Jane Jacobs and Kevin Lynch I feel like everyone doing something to shape our urban realm deserves a little credit and a little praise. So today I want to lavish praise on Candy Chang who I have been a die hard fan for since I first saw her TED Talk. 

It's Good to be Here project via Candy Chang

Candy Chang is an artist (one may even say an urban artist) in New Orleans, who based on her biography, aims to make people more contemplative when within cities. Despite me saying that urban heros didn't need to be urban designers or architects, Candy is both - with a degree in graphic design to boot. She has undertaken a huge variety of public art and design projects to make people really think and interact with the urban environment. Most renowned is her "Before I die _____" wall where people were provided with chalk to fill in the blank (live abroad, change the world, hug a sloth). Her "It's good to be here" project featured above was designed to make people stop and appreciate the city. But the project I find the most exciting started with the "I wish this was" project. 

"I wish this was" bollard via Candy Chang

Free stickers starting with "I wish this was" were provided with the direction to place them on vacant shop fronts throughout the city with what you wish they were being used as. Not only does this provide a great form of guerrilla public consultation and free expresion, it also allows for greater personalisation (there you go Kevin Lynch) of the public realm. Candy Chang also gives full permission for public use of her photos and recreations of her projects in other cities as long as the original inspiration is credited, what a way to give back and change our cities! 

"I wish this was" store front via Candy Chang

Transport Accelerator

So, I recently discovered the blog Pop Up City and have fallen head over heels in love (despite being slightly jealous of how amazing it is). One of their features (of many) that really caught my eye is for the "Transport Accelerator" which is a super cool slide that has been installed next to the stairs at a Dutch railway station in Utrecht for commuters trying to catch their train in a hurry. 

Dutch "Transport Accelerator" via Pop Up City

The project was not only used to bring some more fun to the city and encourage urban play but also used as a catalyst project to help revitalise a disadvantaged area. Having an awesome slide also shows that just because something is fun does not mean that it isn't also functional. And I mean, who doesn't want a little more fun on their daily commute?

Changing Urban Landscapes - Technology

As I unwrapped my (albeit wonderful) kindle touch at Christmas and thought of the myriad of other wonderful technological gadgets friends had received, I wanted to take some time to think about how the way we use technology and the level that it integrates into our daily life is changing. As awesome new gadgets such as the Ipad mini (I am very jealous of anyone who received on) have shown us, even good new technology can be improved and made increasingly portable. 

With many of my university friends overseas on big adventures I am amazed at how often they can call, text, email and of course update their Facebook with plenty of photos to ensure complete jealousy. Compared to a story I heard the other day where a friend was backpacking a few decades ago and to meet up with his friends had to wait at the same spot at 8 every morning and every night until his friends appeared (which took 3 days) - our ability to remain in constant contact is fairly breathtaking. 

It also is something that needs to be increasingly incorporated into the design of our cities - if we can now take our Ipad or laptop and access wireless throughout the city why are there not more public places which allow us to do so comfortably and easily. Why should WI-FI access and the opportunity to work be limited to coffee shops and chains like McDonalds? Why can't attractive, WI-FI enabled office pods and meeting areas be available for use in the public realm alongside the BBQs and benches?

Urban Submarine design for a WIFI pod - Park Image via Newton Research and Explorations

Not only would these pods allow us to change up our daily routine and spend more time out in the fresh air (especially in generally sunny climates such as Brisbanes) but they could also be designed to reflect the character of a city e.g. refurbished cable cars as WIFI pods in San Francisco. What do you think, is this the way we should be heading in the future or am I totally barking up the wrong tree?

The Process of Temporary Urban Design

What first got me excited about the idea of temporary urban design is the diagram below by Rick Agnes which was discussed on the Gehl cities for people blog in relation to the processes currently being implemented in Christchurch. As a concept it has only evolved relatively recently in response to a number of factors (e.g. natural disasters and the GFC) and really incorporates those intermediate, unplanned uses that can be put in place immediately in empty spaces throughout the city.  

The process of Temporary Urban Design @ Gehl Cities for People Blog

For the purpose of this blog I want to look at temporary urban design in terms of achieving a number of goals, namely; 

• Increasing activation and community involvement within our cities 
• Rebuilding a sense of community and bringing people back into the city after damaging natural disasters 
• Allowing for "unplanned", intermediate use of undeveloped land within a city 
• Creating unique uses which bring fun back into the urban realm 

So this basis leads us to the fun part from now on, looking at different temporary urban design that has been put in place worldwide, what it has achieved and in some cases even future ideas for temporary urban design! 

P.S. I promise this will start getting more colour and interest on the blog and I am working on learning my HTML to make the template more exciting!