Parking Lot Picnic
By Emma Chow
You’ll find that good cities are sprinkled with little parks great for soaking in the sun, meeting people, reading a book, and… picnicking! However, the development trends of the past century have covered the land with vast swaths of pavement. Pavement that caters well to the automobile, and not much else. Here, in a typical [...]
Read more →Are New York, London And Tokyo The Real Unhappy Cities?
By Joop de Boer
How’s big city life? On its Meaningful Innovation website, Philips has published some useful data visualizations about how people feel in different cities in different parts of the world.
Read more →Literature In The Copenhagen Metro
Metro Litteratur is a recently launched campaign that helps to promote talented Danish authors, poets and graphic artists by distributing their works at various metro stations in the city of Copenhagen. The program is a collaboration between the Milan-based organization Subway Letteratura and the Copenhagen Metro Authority and is “a result of a competition held earlier this year, which led to the publication of thirteen small booklets that are offered to passengers free of charge”, writes Guerrilla Innovation. Every booklet is published in 300,000 copies and can be downloaded over here.
Read more →Insect Art From Amsterdam
By Joop de Boer
As you know we’re very interested in temporary structures and and flexible living, but what if life itself is ultimately temporary?
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An Inflatable Cathedral
By Joop de Boer
Earlier this year, the British designer with Indian roots Anish Kapoor launched his Leviathan, which is without any doubt his largest ever artwork. Leviathan is a truly enormous cathedral-like space made from inflated PVC. The black inflatable construction with the dimensions of 33 × 99 × 72 meters, temporarily filled the Grand Palais in Paris in May and June. These images by photographer Cyril Sancereau show the immense impact that the giant installation has on the space inside the palace.
Read more →Colors Against Cuts
By Anna Triboli
Under the financial crisis, the ones who pay for the problems of governments and markets are usually the same as the ones responsible for making possible the development of a country, and not only under an economic point of view. I’m talking about health, education and culture. We are sadly used to see politicians trample on what represents the strength and pride of their countries, but when it happens in a place like the Netherlands, we are overwhelmed by a deep feeling of discouragement. Some weeks ago, the Dutch government announced a 40% cut to all cultural fundings (a measure approved on the 30th of June). This decision will fall not only on the heads of dutch citizens, but on every of us who has always looked at the Netherlands as a cultural headlight.
Read more →Self-Service Bicycle Repair Station
By Joop de Boer
Cycling becomes increasingly popular in big metropolitan centers around the globe. That is perhaps the reason why new services for bicyle riders start to become interesting business concepts. Bike Fixtation is a DIY bicycle repair station recently launched to serve stranded bicycle riders in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. The smart initiative offers self-service kiosks on an extended-hours basis for bicyclists.
Read more →Currywurst By Train At FC St. Pauli
By Joop de Boer
FC St. Pauli is a great football club, doing everything different compared to the others. Since last year’s promotion to the Bundesliga, the traditional club is among Germany’s finest again. Their stadium along the Feldstrasse, located in Hamburg’s vibrant district of St. Pauli, is too small for the club’s current success. For instance it has no real business club or proper grandstand. A temporary extension made of shipping containers now functions as an alternative business club. Not that chique, but definitely inspiring. The speciality on the grandstand is, of course, ‘Currywurst’, and it’s exclusively delivered… by train. One can stay seated and just pick one out of a wagon-lit passing by.
Read more →Karel Appel House Opens In Amsterdam
By Joop de Boer
It took us two years, but it’s here. Yesterday the Karel Appel House opened its doors in the east of Amsterdam. The Karel Appel House is a mixed-use housing and art project developed by housing association De Key with our collaboration and advice. It’s a tribute to the famous avant-garde CoBrA painter Karel Appel who was born in the Dapperbuurt and started his tremendous international painting career there. He passed away in 2006.
Read more →Eno, The Black Dog And The Airport
This is the first time I will discuss music on this blog. But it’s relevant, and yes, of course we love music. Especially the music that is written, mixed or composed to perfectly capture the atmosphere of a situation in a physical environment — the city.
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