Design v 2.0

Take that asphalt!

2010-11-15T08:50:00.003-05:00

Very Clever, I like the use of the white paver for delineating the bike lane. Who says you can't place unit pavers quickly.

Take that asphalt!

Landscape Inspires Architecture

2010-11-14T11:51:00.003-05:00

Some Great Architecture on Fogo Island, NF. The landscape never looked so awesome.

Long Studio, http://architecturelab.net/11/fogo-island-studios-by-saunders-architecture/

Fwd: Trains go electric

2009-02-25T10:13:00.005-05:00

In Europe, train infrastructure is being adapted to high speed train traffic. Meanwhile here in North America we are still plodding along with an outdated and much slower diesel counterpart. Our tracks are an outdated, a vestage of a bygone era of slow freight traffic. Our rail needs to update or we risk being left behind. I think we know this, but lobby groups (auto/truck/other) have too much power directing our transportation decisions.

Shared Space: mixed-use transportation?

2009-02-23T12:56:00.005-05:00

I really like the concept of shared space. Maybe we've dumbed down our streets too much. Delineation creates less organic movement of people, bikes, and cars. I think it's strange that the more we separate uses, the more stagnant we make spaces and interactions. Look at the segregate planning examples. The example below is an intersection in Drachten Germany.

Dundas St.: Toronto to Mississauga

2009-02-13T07:59:00.012-05:00

I don't understand why we seek to redefine urban or residential space. We should plan spaces that have succeeded in the past, where people want to live. We can simply look at where the highest property values and community vibrancy? This does not happen at Eglington and East Mall. So why do we still seem to cling to these outdated design principles. Unfortunately planning (and developers) have an antiquated design standard for the past 50 years. These two images show the comparison of older planning as compared to post war planning. Is modern planning beneficial to urban development?

I'm not convinced.

Road traffic in the new Transit City?

2009-02-13T07:58:00.007-05:00

Why widen traffic corridors to allow for the proposed 7m LRT ROW? Just adapt the existing road condition.

It seems that Transit City seems to confuse transit construction with the accommodation (or increase) for road capacity. This seems to defeat the purpose of the whole process. Creating a ROW that is 36m wide to accommodate traffic flow with transit does not create a liveable community centre public realm. However, it does follow the suburban model of smooth traffic flow, wide corridors, large turning radius, and bleak spaces.

Unfortunately the new concepts and approaches seem to doom suburban models of built form - to be just that, a relic of a traffic engineered route. If we want to condone the use of transit we should at least think outside our North American concern for car accommodation and create innovative approaches to transit use and construction.

Widening roads is not the answer.

Urban Imprints

2008-11-23T10:11:00.004-05:00

Diverse and interesting urban Imprints are derived from combined land forms of prior generations. Post suburban developments will build upon their bland underpinnings.

Bis ans Ende der Welt

2008-02-28T12:42:00.003-05:00

I was thinking of a scene from the movie "Until the End of the World". It was a scene in a bar where the leading actress was localizing. The Scene took place in 1999, and the song playing was 'Until the End of the World' by U2. When I first saw the movie (which was in 1991) I thought, funny that song is old in the move, since the song was released in 1991. At that time I wondered how far in the future 1999 was. What mysteries lay ahead. Now that we have flew by the year 1999, I realized how little really the world has change, when we always think it should. I thought that things don't move as fast as we think, yet when looking back the big changes largely go unnoticed at the time. Change is so glacial. I need to view that movie again.

Marble Transportation - Golden Age of the Train Reinvented

2007-12-08T10:04:00.003-05:00

I always loved the train, and I think we are heading towards a new interest in trains, probably the biggest resurgence since the Victorian Age. Why? Well fuel cost, environmental concerns, global warming - you name it, the reasons are there. However our existing train system is sorely inadequate. I live in Dundas and we have a train passing right through our community, but there is no opportunity to use it? Since we can't seem to live without personal mobility, I thought it would be interesting to have a system where vehicles travelled like units within a marble chain. One unit could break free while the other units would rejoin - like marbles. This would be like a interchangeable train with individual modules for personal and private mobility. WE could retrofit our existing system of transportation routes and reinvent mobile transportation notions

Utter fantasy, but a thought.

Function Follows Form

2007-12-08T09:50:00.001-05:00

I am sitting here thinking about how our latter twentieth century design foray has gotten everything wrong. From our sprawling suburbs to our lack of thinking about detail. I blame the mantra we were all taught in school "Form Follows Function". Here I am proposing something else. The following will a haphazard view of the world and how a new viewpoint needs to adopted. Perhaps function should follow form - Bauhaus had it all wrong ...

Norway Maples: the Purple Loosestrife of our Hardwood Forests

2007-06-19T06:36:00.000-04:00

I call the Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) the Purple Loosestrife of or our hardwood forests. Silently invading our woodlots, it is replicating and efficiently eliminating native species. While the media discusses the issues of tree preservation and planting, there are issues of a tree invasion that are not being addressed. Because of this, I feel compelled to write this letter regarding the commonly overused Norway. While we need to protect and promote our forest canopy, we also need to understand that not every tree is sacred and decisions must be made to remove invasive species allowing for continued future forest diversity.

When I recently read about the Dundas tree count (Dundas Star, June 15, 2007 which I am shamefully not a part of), I recalled admiring the strength of conviction Julia Kollek and her volunteers have for promoting a long-term strategy for our urban trees. Dundas trees are getting old and are declining. Strategies need to be developed to map out how trees will be replaced and managed. I also started thinking about species diversity and common misconceptions regarding street trees and urban planting. I thought about the abundance of Norway maples on our historic streets and wanted to discuss why our previous (and perhaps continuing) urban planting methods are the detriment to our forests.

We live in a unique setting, the reason that so many of us love this region. We have the Niagara Escarpment, a world recognized UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the RBG lands (including Cootes Paradise), and the diverse forest pockets of the Dundas Valley Conservation area. This is what encompasses us, inspires us, and we all reap the benefits of this intricate combination. I think it’s Southern Ontario’s best kept secret.

Unfortunately, our 20th century tree planting practices have ensnared us in loop of planting exotic trees while destroying our own forest diversity. From my walks along the Niagara Escarpment (and this is by no means a scientific analysis, merely observation) and the local forests, I notice how much of an impact the Norway (other species too, but the Norway is the for now my main target) is having on our natural vegetation systems. It is slowly naturalizing and dominating our native hardwoods. We started the exotic seed source – it was largely carried from our urban trees and parks. Who hasn’t pulled out the many seedlings of the Norway from their garden? The prolific seedlings, transported by winds, animals (including humans), and birds, are infesting local forests, hindering native groundcovers, and ultimately the growth of native hardwoods. People need to know that despite it having a trunk and leaves, this tree is severely impacting our deciduous forests.

Why plant the Norway Maple? There are so many other native species that better suit our location. Problems with the Norway: it has shallow roots causing an arid root infested planting bed; the root (and leaves) emit toxins to prevent most living things from growing beneath it (except it’s own seedlings) hindering this species to have a legitimate use in the cultured landscape.

Why do people plant it? Because it is fast growing, provides shade quickly, tolerates urban conditions, and to some it looks attractive. However people seldom realize the dark legacy when standing there with the salesperson at the nursery. I feel the landscape industry sometimes sells without responsibility. Should we start selling and planting Purple Loosestrife or Garlic Mustard since they also do well in our wetlands and forests?

I suggest an outright ban on selling or planting of the Norway Maple or any related variety (including the ubiquitous suburban tree the ‘Crimson King’). Nurseries also have a role in promoting responsible planting.

From all levels of government, a policy needs to be created. One which promotes the removal of Norways (not all at once! but slowly - with a plan) while hardily replacing with native species. Hopefully the tree count initiative not only represents pure canopy and condition, but also endeavours to evaluate invasive potential and possible recommendations for future removal and replacement. Let’s not get ourselves trapped by the notion of planting native species, but at the same time witnessing our native forests slowly being decimated. This is exactly what is happening in most Cities. The forestry department wants native vegetation, but does nothing to eliminate the potential Norway seed source. This situation is often caused by a lack of political will, budget constraints, and a misunderstanding by the public.

Don’t misunderstand me, I am a strong tree advocate, but tree protection, like any task, should not be without careful forethought of species selection and weighing it against future impact. Unfortunately not every tree is sacred and thoughtful but decisive management is sometimes warranted.

Biking without helmets! You must be crazy.

2007-05-06T18:51:00.001-04:00

I don't like helmets...

Riding on my beater bike today I was thinking about helmets and the funny rational of why we wear them. Who is responsible for our own safety when we leisurely ride our bikes? Are the government agencies so concerned with our safety that they create laws to wear them? If they are why are roads not designed with bicycle friendly guidelines. We have many examples around the world. Why am I asking, why does this perturb me?

Why are roads not designed for bikes (including most new and renovated ones), yet we are told that a simple helmet will protect us with an allotment of 1 foot of road shoulder. I don't think so, but let's fool ourselves into thinking helmets are the panacea for an improper planned transportation system.

In terms of bicycles, responsibility of road safety has been misplaced. A common scenario of the 'be safe culture'. You are safe but really you are not, but here, embrace this lobbied safety product and you can once again enjoy your ride! Here within a framework that is unsafe, ride safely.

I really dislike seeing families out for a leisurely stroll donning a sea of helmets. Biking is not dangerous, so why must we make it an extreme sport? By creating a dangerous vibe about bikes, people will start to avoid the hassle of donning the gear and taking the car. Other cultures have managed to survive (most European countries), why must we purchase yet another device to complicate a simple recreational act. North Americans are obsessed with equipment driven activities. I think it's part of our consumerist culture.

North America Needs More Big Fire Trucks!

2007-04-14T14:07:00.000-04:00

I was watching City TV and they had a story about fire truck access being the blame for extent of a fire in downtown Toronto. Recent reno's to a complex off of Queen St. had required upgrading of a laneway for rear access. Of course it's the laneways fault for restricting firetruck access, not the size of the vehicles. Kate made a good point, "What do the do in Paris or other places in Europe?" Unfortunately North America suffers from a little too much of function determining size. For example, take a look at baby buggies. Holy Cow, what has happened? Try fitting one of the new style carriages into your new Mini. Better go out and buy that GMC Yukon XL. You'll need it!

No wonder our Cities are getting a big dose of the uglies! We need a new mantra, we need a little of size restricting development. Let's make our streets 3m wide and design accordingly.

Baby buggies? Don't get me started.

Sometimes there is only one way

2007-03-18T16:56:00.001-04:00

Ghost Trees.JPG
Originally uploaded by pheyblom.

I really love it here, but sometimes I am not really sure why. The pollution and craziness should probably overwhelm me. Still I love the energy. Being here is a great opportunity for both design (and stress).

China can be frustrating as you learn the 'spots of the leopard'.

Woman on Bike

2007-03-13T16:04:00.000-04:00

Woman on Bike
Originally uploaded by pheyblom.

Funny situation when the older generation still travel and move goods the old fashion way. The newer generation drive Audi's.

Slug Cake

2006-06-02T19:32:00.001-04:00

Kate has now turned 30. Strange really, thinking then when we met that she had just turned 25. Time sure does fly. We had a great party with everyone there. I have never been so busy in my life, but it was worth it. I felt like I was getting ready for or wedding.

Happy Birthday Slug!

Lifeless Saguoro Cactus

2006-05-23T07:24:00.001-04:00

DSCN2090.JPG
Originally uploaded by pheyblom.

Being a Ontario native, I had never seen these remarkable Cactus'. I saw them on my trip to the Rainbird facility in mid April 2006. Once the Cactus dies it forms a hollow shell of wood. It is punctuated with holes formed by the local bird population. Very Architectural

Post Migraine

2005-04-25T12:41:00.000-04:00

Primer on my mind after a fog of post migraine melaise.

Second Post

2005-04-25T12:36:00.000-04:00

Today is very cold with a minor head but from yesterdays migraine. I wish I could go home and just kick back. The movie Primer is in my head.

Birth of Design v2.0

2004-12-21T18:51:00.000-05:00

Ahh! the birth of Dv2.0!