Month: November 2005

  • Habitat Jam: a new way to talk about cities?

    Listening to the most recent Smart City I was intrigued to hear about the Habitat Jam project. It’s a worldwide online conversation (a chat room on steroids?) comprised of six forums, including one titled “Humanity, the Future of our Cities”. There’s also a forum on Environmental Sustainability. The Forums run December 1st-3rd. I think it…

  • Who Needs an SUV?!

    One of the most striking things we saw in the Netherlands was whole families traveling together by bike. Perhaps the most touching scene, which we saw several times, was a parent riding side-by-side with a younger child, with a hand outstretched on the child’s shoulder to guide him or her. While unfortunately I didn’t get…

  • Speak up for Bikes!

    Head over to Bike Portland to get clued in on two important opportunities for public input on bike-related issues. I’m particularly enthused about the idea of a waterfront bike connection from the Eastbank Esplanade to Cathedral Park.

  • A Milestone and a Crossroads

    Sometime early this morning (I didn’t stay up to watch), we passed 20,000 visitors since Portland Transport was launched this summer. Here are a few other statistics to mark this occassion…

  • Bookshelf: In the Bubble

    A while back, I referenced some interviews with John Thackara, author of In the Bubble. The focus of the book is the importance of design in a world as complex as ours. He has an interesting perspective on the problems of our world, perhaps best illustrated by the chapter titles…