Closet Art, SkyWalk, Philly Cycling, Motoboys, more
Hayley Richardson | Mon, Jan 21st, 2008 | Category: Commentary | Tags: commentary, hayley richardson, paris, closet art, motoboys, bike sharing philadelphia, vertical hazards, san francisco state university
SF Greening: One Complex At a Time
“Environmentalists and planners say the proposal for the complex south of San Francisco State University is a paragon of 21st century urban development.As envisioned today, the renovation would seek to cut energy consumption by 62 percent and water use by 42 percent in each new unit by installing cogeneration systems that take advantage of the heat given off during electricity production plus highly efficient appliances and fixtures, along with irrigation systems that reuse certain wastewater. It would discourage the use of cars by rerouting the Muni M-Line into the complex, adding a low-emission BART shuttle, providing pedestrian and bicycle paths, and opening a grocery store and other retail space. It would create parks, wetlands and an organic farm.”
“After all the chatter about gerbil cages, obstructed views and LDS Church politics, the Salt Lake City Planning Commission is poised, at last, to make a meaningful move on the proposed downtown sky bridge: a vote. On Wednesday, the commission will entertain a public hearing before a scheduled vote on both the bridge and the overall site plan. The City Council - which amended the master plan last year (albeit with a set of conditions) to allow a bridge - then has final say on the commission’s skywalk recommendation.”
“If you’ve visited Paris recently, you will have noticed the streets teeming with people, all kinds of people, riding bicycles. Pensioners with baguettes wedged into the handlebar basket. Lawyers and businessmen with briefcases. Well-dressed women, (but of course), in high heels.The bikes are gray, clunky workhorses with fenders, fat tires and comfortable seats. Despite appearances, they are high-tech, equipped with antitheft and global positioning devices and they represent the wave of the future. Or so many, including Philadelphia community activist Russell Meddin, hope.”
“Fast, furious but vital. That’s Sao Paulo’s “motoboys,” the army of motorcycle messengers who deliver the documents that keep Brazil’s financial capital ticking, even if it means terrorizing other road-users.Reviled for kicking cars, breaking rear-view mirrors and beating up drivers who cross them, the motoboys are nonetheless essential for companies that need paperwork or other items transported quickly across traffic-clogged Sao Paulo.Now they are up in arms against planned measures to regulate their trade.”
“Building tall is getting more dangerous in New York. The death last week of a worker who fell 40 stories off a Donald Trump tower and a spate of recent accidents at other high-rise construction sites have exposed failings such as faulty cranes, overly tight schedules and an ineffective inspection process, industry observers say.”
Slide Show: Pint-Sized Gallery
![Revise [UPDATED]](http://americancity.org/images/uploads/revise_updated.png)
