SUBURBAN WORLD; The most prestigious conference in Urbanism ever, Washington DC

Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech host "the SUBURBAN WORLD" conference.

These 3-days activities, which is One of the most prestigious conferences in Urbanism, with a concentration on issue of suburbans around metropolitan areas, insights, problems and opinions, will be carried out at the Virginia Tech Urban studies institute, Washington DC.

The conference includes 13 tracks with different titles and subjects. This shall end up with a wide spectrum of articles.
The reading and accepting process of articles has been done and 119 abstracts accepted by chair of each track.

Initially, it's supposed that the event will be hosted between April 6th and 8th 2008.

Good luck for all the sponsors, participants and contributers of conference ...

Sponsors:

See me through Architecture!

When the world ends up with California

Never-ending urban lessons in accompanied with the attractive play of understanding and imagining spaces conducted me to the west of America where is still one of the most developing area in here. The area which is defined by only California state, I believe, is not only a state but an individual country. However the atmosphere of artistic communities and people is not comparable with east coast and specially with New York City. But it is still considerable from other points of view.

Visiting, watching and observing California would be a great chance for every one, specially if he/she is an architect, critic or urbanist.
Urbanist will enjoy watching the urban relation of various segments of this huge machine although some parts of that are wrong and not to be in the proper place.
Architect definitely will enjoy visiting a bunch of architectural masterwork and urbatectist ( which is from Urbatecture)will take a pleasure of relationship between architecture and urbanism specially in south part of LA, Orange County.

It contains the adorable combinations of good and bad, beauty and beast, rich and poor, thoughtful and meaningless subjects, provided and deprived commercial areas which I have never seen. Celebrities on classy streets and just a few steps away poorest people in the world, I believe, are living!
"The shared houses of UCLA's and USC's students next to Beverly Hills!"

It includes the own meaning of diversity!

This year was a busy year for me and now after visiting more than fifteen cities in the US my travel is gradually ending in this huge country but apparently urban lessons and unforgettable urban images never come to an end. Even though I strongly plan to visit one other urban masterpiece; Washington DC in near future which will have further lessons for all of us.

Therefore I decided to review the details of this travel and its lessons more carefully and gently in next steps.

7- Tour de Las Americas! part seven; Boston; Capital of Beauty

About Boston I can just say it’s the perfect sample of beauty with a lots of classy people who behave in a friendly manner with each other.

A plenty of urban events on streets which are known satisfying entertainments by even any difficult people are good combination of summer life of students’ and city’s requirements.
City’s livability degree is a parameter, which is closely related to number and variation of events in a city. About Boston this has been completely well done.
However I assume the level of livability decreases in winter because of the weather condition.

Boston Red Line, which conducts many visitors to memorial sites in city, is extended more than two miles.
Now I easily assume the "Boston's Red Line" is one of its visiting items. The line passes close to many of memorial place like Benjamin Franklin’ grave, USS constitution and a number of museums and other historical places like king’s chapel where are very important in historical battles between British army and American troops.



USS Constitution



Urban Excitement

"New York City" Urban lessons

When I was on Ferry and took a tour around Manhattan area captured the pictures below which means to us many things; Diversity, Contrast, Attractiveness, Identity and such and such, either negative or positive words.

But let us leave them all for a moment. From other points of view it can be counted as a proper urban lesson for many cities as far as using the method for preserving Traditional urban icons for such huge urban area like New York Metropolitan.

Sometimes city councils should pay for something but definitely worth it.

4. Tour de las Americas! Part four; Welcome to New York City

It's surprising to me that lots of British architects and urbanists are not tempted to visit this city.

Amazing city, unique area and never ending lessons for all experts, critics and professionals.

Don't sleep. Keep your eyes on everything, stay on the city streets untill next morning and take pictures as much as you can! It is not just a city, it’s a world. Welcome to New York City!

I would say, just don't miss it. However I will definitely miss it!

Design Oriented and Money Maker Architectural Practices

Architectural practices often survive with common ways to handle the projects and costs, to deal with local authorities, to give acceptable services to their public or private clients as well as their staffs.
In era of “Globalisation” it is difficult to say “Architectural practices must be concerned about design”. In the area some of practices are trying to get ISO 9000 and something like that.
A number of practices are just building to have rising income to grow, targeting to absorb more clients than the other practices who would even be simple developers. However many of them are still struggling to remain in market with providing real architectural works instead of buildings.

But the remained questions are what the mission of architectural practices is, whether they should survive however and what an real architectural work in this new globalising world.

Manchester Congestion Charge

New wave of Manchester city centre development since 1996, has had a great effect on central zone of the city. Moreover the effecitveness of the new role of Manchester in North-West which has been defining and redefining is undeniable. The procedure has chenged the city function and face overall the region namly the Greater Manchester.

Manchester Congestion Charge is the second shocking urban news about the city since January. Although in line with the sustainability policy in the country, some of experts and people believe this will certainly be the ideal solution for Manchester city centre increasing traffic. It seems these people and Lord Mayor are thinking that the plan can contribute to provide a greener city through the encouraging the people to use the public transportation. Meanwhile Manchester can benefit from this opportunity to improve the public transportation system efficiency.
Now the remained question is whether the congestion charge can affect decentralization process of the city.

Rochdale, Stockport and Trafford councils with almost same reasoning don't agree with this plan.