background preloader

Jane Jacobs

Jane Jacobs

Living systems Some scientists have proposed in the last few decades that a general living systems theory is required to explain the nature of life.[1] Such general theory, arising out of the ecological and biological sciences, attempts to map general principles for how all living systems work. Instead of examining phenomena by attempting to break things down into components, a general living systems theory explores phenomena in terms of dynamic patterns of the relationships of organisms with their environment.[2] Theory[edit] Living systems theory is a general theory about the existence of all living systems, their structure, interaction, behavior and development. This work is created by James Grier Miller, which was intended to formalize the concept of life. Miller said that systems exist at eight "nested" hierarchical levels: cell, organ, organism, group, organization, community, society, and supranational system. The processors of matter–energy are: The processors of information are Limitations[edit]

Rational Urbanism - A site for people who love cities Философ Джанни Ваттимо: «Люди, верящие в истину, крайне опасны — это агенты «здравого смысла» Итальянский политик и философ Джанни Ваттимо является одним из ведущих теоретиков постмодернизма. По его словам, современная культура характеризуется не только процессами в искусстве, но явлениями в социально-экономическими (наступление постиндустриальной эпохи) и религиозными (секуляризация и наступление постхристианской эпохи). «Теории и практики» поговорили с итальянским ученым о субъективности и интерпретации как главном сдерживающем механизме от тоталитаризма и перехлестов. — Для меня это открытый вопрос. На самом деле тут речь идет о том, что Хайдеггер называл «Eigenschaft» — в смысле аутентичности/характерности. «Что вы бы назвали плохим или хорошим? Индивидуализм всегда связан с тем, что Хайдеггер называл метафизикой — с иллюзией, будто можно занять собственную позицию в споре, схватив первые принципы отношений и говорить о том, что тебе доступно понимание «естественных законов», абсолютного добра и абсолютного зла и тому подобного. Но откуда же приходит произведение искусства?

Smart Growth: A Missing Metric | Jefferson Policy Journal In the lead article Peter Katz (profiled here) elaborates his thoughts on fiscal analytics and growth management. He starts with the argument, which I have embraced, that the fiscal impact of development projects is better understood by comparing revenues and costs per acre. He goes on to suggest that local governments adopt what he terms “the missing metric” — the number of years it takes property taxes to pay back a a municipality’s up-front investment to accommodate a new development project — as a tool for determining the kind of growth a community wants to encourage. Citing examples from Sarasota, Fla., Katz contends that the taxes generated by a particular mixed-use tower downtown would pay back the public investment within three years. By comparison, a two- and three-story garden apartment complex near the Interstate would take 42 years to pay back. Fiscal impact is not the only factor municipalities consider when reviewing a development project. Email this author

Исследование зимнего пейзажа Волхонки Проект для тех, кого интересуют различные методы изучения городского пространства. Он будет полезен недипломированным студентам: пейзажистам, урбанистам, архитекторам, ботаникам, фитосоциологам, лесотехникам, историкам. В рамках курса изучаются пейзажные и биоклиматические составляющие городской среды в районе Волхонки. Участники освоят методологию проведения пейзажного исследования итальянской школы пейзажа, адаптированной к российским условиям. Исследование проходит по нескольким направлениям: фото-фиксация улиц, элементов городской идентичности и парковых зон; изучение зимних видовых коридоров и панорам, оценка состояния пешеходных поверхностей, скверов и периметров общественных пространств; исследование проходимости внутренних дворов на всей территории квартала. Результаты исследований станут основой для последующего создания Атласа пейзажных микрокластеров района и выработки рекомендаций по предобразованию территории с учетом соблюдения условий максимального средового комфорта.

Balancing growing up and growing out Waterloo Region Record In January, the Ontario Municipal Board made a decision that is one of the biggest threats facing our community. It ruled against the Region of Waterloo's official plan and in favour of a few land developers with financial interests in continuing the outdated urban sprawl of the 20th century. Fortunately, regional council is standing up for our community by appealing the decision to the Ontario Divisional Court. Peter Shawn Taylor's recent columns seem to suggest he believes that the region is simply being a poor sport in fighting this decision. In an alarming turn of events, our regional government has now said it has reason to believe inappropriate interaction may have occurred between the Ontario Municipal Board and the primary witness for the developers fighting the plan. There's a lot of support in our community for the region's official plan. The region's official plan strikes the right balance between growing up and growing out. This fight is far from over.

Torsten Hägerstrand Torsten Hägerstrand (October 11, 1916, Moheda – May 3, 2004, Lund) was a Swedish geographer. He is known for his work on migration, cultural diffusion and time geography. A native and resident of Sweden, Hägerstrand was a professor (later professor emeritus) of geography at Lund University, where he received his doctorate in 1953. His doctoral research was on cultural diffusion. His research has helped to make Sweden, and particularly Lund, a major center of innovative work in cultural geography.[1] He also influenced the practice of spatial planning in Sweden through his students.[2] Early life[edit] Hägerstrand's father was a teacher at a remote elementary school and the family lived at the school. He was taught local geography, history and folklore at home in the Pestalozzi tradition which was being introduced at that time. Academic career[edit] Hägerstrand entered Lund University in 1937. In 1969, he presented a paper entitled What about People in Regional Science? Legacy[edit]

Life in a Mobile Nation - Room for Debate The ‘Serial Move’ Is an Insidious Ideal Alan Ehrenhalt, author, "The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City" It’s tempting to envision a series of hometowns tailored to an affluent American’s life cycle. But one city really can work for every generation. Not Cutting Ties, but Adding Them Kevin Noble Maillard, law professor and author To judge families on a single detail of “stability” overlooks the diverse ways that kinfolk connect and survive. SoundAffects NYC | Tellart A ten-day audio experiment that listened to more than just the audible noise of a New York City street corner, SoundAffects took the form of a wall on the corner of 5th Avenue and 13th Street that collected data input including temperature readings, color analysis of video feeds, precipitation measurements, noise levels, cellular phone activity/interference, and proximity sensors. All of this raw data was fed into the SoundAffects generative music algorithm and visualizer system. We worked with mono for client Parsons The New School for Design, and the goal was to encourage engagement with the city environment. The music, and the corresponding visuals and video, were available in near real-time through the browser or your phone. The project was completed using HTML5, JavaScript, Max/MSP/Jitter, Ableton Live, and various other software tools. On the hardware side, Tellart rigged industrial sensors to an Arduino micro-controller, and also captured live video throughout the ten days.

Chrome Web Lab | Tellart Web Lab is a groundbreaking, year-long exhibition, featuring a series of interactive Chrome Experiments that bring the extraordinary workings of the internet to life. Google Creative Lab and Tellart created the concept of the Web Lab–from the user-experience as an integrated online and onsite experience, to its science museum context and audience, to the optical Lab Tag method for collecting artifacts, to the interactions between digital and physical touchpoints which allow in-museum and online audiences to collaborate. Visitors to the London Science Museum are able to play with five unique installations, while at the same time, online participants can visit www.chromeweblab.com and interact with the same installations. Together, in-museum and online visitors will bring web technologies to life through five experiments: Universal Orchestra: An Internet-powered eight-piece orchestra creating harmonious music Photos: Andrew Meredith

Unitech2010 - Conference Proceedings Unitech2010 The International Conference on Universal TechnologiesOslo University College, Oslo, Norway, May 19-20, 2010. The conference proceedings is published by Tapir Academic Press, 2010. 297 pages, ISBN 978-82-519-2546-4 (cover by Kirsten Ribu). Message from the organizers, Frode Eika Sandnes, Magne Lunde, Morten Tollefsen, Aud Marie Hauge, Erlend Øverby and Rudolph Bryn Web Accessibility Preferences Aren't for Sissies: Inclusion and Personalisation Approaches to Usability for All, Jonathan Hassel, BBC (pp. 11-12) Paving the Way for Inclusive e-Services for All by Identifying Enablers for Upcoming Interaction Technologies Martin Böcker, Helge Hüttenrauch, Michael Pluke, Alejandro Rodriguez-Ascaso and Matthias Schneider (pp. 13-23) Design-for-all in ICT – Management and Networking Christian Bühler (pp. 24-33) Diversity in age: the challenges of reaching the ‘hard to reach’ Suzette Keith (pp. 34-45)

Norbert Streitz - Smart Future Initiative Dr. Dr. Norbert Streitz (Ph.D. in physics, Ph.D. in psychology) is a Senior Scientist and Strategic Advisor with more than 30 years of experience in information and communication technology. News:A Special Issue in the International Journal Universal Access in the InformationSociety was published by Springer: “The Streitz Perspective: Computation is Ubiquitous, Yet Must be Designed for Human Use - A Festschrift for Norbert Streitz”. "An Interview with UbiComp Pioneer Norbert Streitz" by Nigel Davies (editor in chief).published in IEEE Pervasive Computing, January-March 2012, pp. 62 - 66. Research Topics His research activities cover a wide range of areas*: Human-Computer Interaction, Hypertext/Hypermedia and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), Ubiquitous Computing and Ambient Intelligence, Interaction and Experience Design in the context of Hybrid (real and virtual) Worlds and more recently Smart Cities. Publications and Talks Working Groups and Committees

Urban HCI: Spatial Aspects in the Design of Shared Encounters for Media Façades | Eva Hornecker different types of spaces and displays.Most of our inter-ventions were re-corded to identifyinteraction patternsand spatial effects.Collected data in-cludes photos andvideos recorded ‘onthe ground’, as wellas maps, aerial pho-tos and videos froman elevated posi-tion, as well as fieldnotes and inter-views with users.Analysis and com- parison of this ma-terial informed thedevelopment of our model (Fig. 5). Thiswas derived via asystematic iterativeanalysis of the data,focusing on the im- plications of spatialconfigurations,from which thecategories in our model successivelyemerged.In the following we characterise types of spaces and dis- plays to describe the different venues and compare configu-rations of urban installations. Comparing these with other systems installed at the same location, we highlight coredifferences in configuration and propose a terminology thatoffers a framework for describing spatial setups for SharedEncounters. Basic Categories Display Space and Interaction Space,

Related: