04-19-13
Call for Abstracts | COLDSCAPES Urban Infill Volume 6 | Due May 31, 2013
Call for Abstracts : Improving livability in cold climate cities
Kent State University’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC) invites writers, designers, artists and thinkers to submit abstracts for Volume 6 of our annual publication, Urban Infill. Urban Infill examines themes in contemporary urban design, architecture, and planning. Past volumes have addressed shrinking cities, temporary urbanism, urban hydrology, storytelling, and diagramming in an urban context. These can be previewed here: (www.cudc.kent.edu/publications/urban_infill/index.html)
Volume 6 is part of the CUDC’s 2013 launch of the Center for Outdoor Living Design (COLD), which is dedicated to improving livability in cold weather cities (www.coldscapes.org). We invite examples and perspectives that challenge common perceptions of cold urban environments and reveal the unique design opportunities that winter cities present. Writings and projects may span across various disciplines, including architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design. We are particularly interested in submissions that correspond to any of these five (5) themes:
CONCEPTUALIZATION
(historical / theoretical framework for understanding the winter experience in cities)
REPRESENTATION
(visualizations and multi-sensory communication techniques that evoke the atmospheric conditions and ephemerality of the winter season)
EXPERIENCE OF VULNERABLE POPULATIONS
(responses to the needs of homeless individuals and immigrants during winter weather conditions)
BUILT CASE STUDIES
(examples of successful constructed architectural or urban design projects in cold climates)
FUTURE WINTERS
(unbuilt projects and evocative possibilities for winter cities of the future)
Submission Requirements:
Abstract / Description (text) : 500 words or less
Images: no more than 5 thumbnails - total file size under 10MBs.
Please send abstracts and/or images via email to cudc@kent.edu no later than Friday, May 31st 2013. We welcome new, in-progress or pre-published, original work.
Relevant Dates:
- Abstracts due: Friday, May 31st 2013
- Notification to selected contributors: Friday, June 7th 2013
- Final entries due: Friday, July 19th 2013
- Expected publication: November 2013
Download Call for Abstracts PDF
Please feel free to share with your friends and networks!
- CUDC
11-05-12
Just Released…Urban Infill Vol 5: Diagrammatically
* Order Diagrammatically from the CUDC Amazon storefront here.
The 2012 volume of Urban Infill is now available through Kent State’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, local book stores, and Amazon. UI5: Diagrammatically applies the techniques of diagramming to urban design practice through critical essays, case studies, and examples. Over twenty contributors from the US and Europe discuss the ways that urban diagrams engage the public, reveal hidden agendas, and navigate uncertainty. The book features innovative and thought-provoking examples of urban diagramming, presented in a lively, full-color format.
A few examples of the work included in the book:
‘Re-cultivating the Forest City‘ is a must-read for Clevelanders. A design proposal developed by PORT Architecture + Urbanism, this series of diagrams and renderings offers a seductive glimpse at Cleveland’s future where urban vacancy leads to economic productivity, ecological regeneration, and increased public use of the Cuyahoga Valley.
image: PORT Architecture + Urbanism
image: PORT Architecture + Urbanism
‘Thinking + Talking Adaptability,’ a series of diagrams created by the Adaptable Futures project at Loughborough University in the UK, provides a toolbox of diagrams that communicate sustainable values and highlight aspects of building performance. This work is useful to designers and lay audiences alike, and provides the basis for a shared understanding of the components of sustainable design.
image: Adaptable Futures
image: Adaptable Futures
‘Strategrams‘ by Susan Rogers at the Community Design Resource Center in Houston and ‘Empowerpoint‘ by Interface Studio in Philadelphia present diagramming strategies in the context of community design practice.
image: Ryan Sullivan, Paste in Place
image: Susan Rogers
image: Leah Murphy, Interface Studio
image: Leah Murphy, Interface Studio
‘Through the Diagram…‘ by Kent State University faculty member Greg Stroh showcases recent work from the graduate studios at the College of Architecture and Environmental Design.
image: Justin Gantz, KSU Graduate Architecture Studio III
Diagrammatically will be of interest to architecture and planning students, urban design practitioners, and anyone interested in better, more livable cities.
Get your copy of Diagrammatically today: CUDC Amazon Store.
For more information about the Urban Infill journal series, please contact the CUDC at: cudc[AT]kent.edu
06-04-12
UPDATE: Diagram Book - Call for Abstracts Deadline Extended!
We’ve extended the deadline to submit abstracts for our upcoming Urban Infill publication focused on Diagramming in Urban Design. Abstracts for this fifth volume of Urban Infill will be accepted until Friday, June 15th, 2012. Submissions should be emailed to cudc@kent.edu.
We invite writers, designers, artists and thinkers to submit abstracts, which include examples and perspectives on diagramming and its place in urban design practice and processes. We are particularly interested in the intents and agendas behind various forms of diagramming within the following framework. Submissions may correspond to any of these six (6) themes:
DEFINING THE DIAGRAM
(historical / theoretical evolution of diagramming, diagramming in design thinking and processes,
conventional and unconventional approaches to diagramming in / for urban design)
MEANING | FUNCTION
(diagrams as a way to represent meaning; to clarify / communicate with accuracy and specificity)
TRANSLATION | INTERPRETATION
(diagrams used to reveal, explore, analyze and represent information and ideas)
VAGUENESS | SUGGESTION
(diagrams used to hint, suggest, obfuscate, subvert, conceal or lie)
COMPOSITION | NARRATIVE
(diagrams that simulate and present composite perspectives, juxtapositions of ideas and objects, and
communicate processes and narratives)
EXCHANGE | ENGAGEMENT
(diagram as process and tool for engagement)
Submission Requirements:
Abstract / Description (text) : 500 words or less
Images: no more than 5 thumbnails - total file size under 5MB.
Please send abstracts and/or images via email to cudc@kent.edu no later than Friday, June 15th 2012. We welcome new, in-progress or pre-published, original work.
Relevant Dates:
Abstracts due: Friday, June 15th 2012
Notification to selected contributors: Monday, June 22nd 2012
Final entries due: Friday, July 27th 2012
Expected publication: September 2012
10-13-11
Cover the City with Lines & ride the dambl II
Saturday, October 15, 2011
12 - 3 PM, rain or shine
Click here for Facebook event page
Join artist Paul Druecke in honoring the legacy of counter-culture icon d. a. levy. Ride the dambl (d. a. levy memorial bike lane) and/or come to the levy Midpoint Memorial where we will create an ephemeral shrine to d. a. levy. Take part in a story that links the culture wars of the 1960’s to current battles for progressive infrastructure spending and bike-friendly cities.
d. a. levy (1942 - 1968)
There are two starting locations for those that want to ride the dambl: West End of Abbey Avenue Bridge (West side Cleveland) and South End of Wade Lagoon @ University Circle (East side Cleveland). Riders will depart from the starting locations at 12 PM and converge at the Midpoint Memorial around 1 PM, stop for refreshments, and can either continue on to the second half of the dambl or join us onsite for the duration of the festivities. Ride coordinators will be located at both starting points: Emilio DeSabato (West side) and Kevin Cronin (East side).
12 PM | Midpoint Memorial
If you prefer not to ride, you can go directly to the Midpoint Memorial location at noon, where the dambl riders will join at 1 PM. The Midpoint Memorial location is 1933 Euclid Avenue, between E. 18th and E. 21st, north side of the street. We will occupy a small park on the grounds of CSU in honor of d. a. levy. We will play recordings of levy, and friends, reading his work. There will be levy artifacts and perhaps an impromptu presentation while covering the sidewalk with lines from levy’s poems. Ingrid Swanberg and Tom Kryss created a contemporary reading of Cleveland Undercovers for this event! Swanberg and Kryss were levy’s friends and have been key proponents of his legacy.
7:30 - 9:30 PM | Post Ride @ Becky’s
1762 East 18th Street, Cleveland, OH 44114
Join us for a drink in honor of levy and the dambl.
See map below for event locations:
View Cover the City with Lines and dambl ride in a larger map
Overview:
Paul Druecke’s project, Cover the City With Lines, was developed in conjunction with the CUDC’s Cleveland Stories: True Until Proven Otherwise. The project’s title comes from the levy poem, Cleveland Undercovers. d. a. levy (1942-1968) was a poet, visual artist, and publisher at the frontline of the 1960’s struggle for freedom of expression. He was twice arrested by local authorities while exercising rights we now take for granted. Since his tragic, premature death in 1968, supporters have called for Cleveland to honor/memorialize him. Cover the City with Lines picks up the story by proposing an extensive urban bike lane named for levy, the d. a. levy Memorial Bike Lane a.k.a. the dambl. The dambl connects Cleveland’s east and west sides while linking 60’s era culture wars to today’s battle for alternative transportation and bike-friendly cities.
Participants from first dambl ride at CIA gallery exhibit.
Download pdf description of Cover the City with Lines project
For more information, contact the CUDC at (216) 357-3434 or cudc@kent.edu
02-15-11
Cleveland Stories: True until proven otherwise
“The world is made of stories, not atoms.”
-Muriel Rukeyser
The CUDC’s upcoming journal will be entitled Cleveland Stories: True until proven otherwise. As the name suggests, we’re interested in exploring the connection between physical place and meaning through the creation of narratives. Following a similar format to our previous journals, we’re working with a diverse group of local and international designers, artists and writers to generate content that addresses the various modes of urban storytelling and to gather an archive of compelling stories in need of embodiment.
The Cleveland Stories project is larger than just a book, it includes a StorySlam event, exhibition at the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Reinberger gallery and neighborhood based temporary interventions.
The StorySlam is an opportunity for individuals to share their favorite story about a Cleveland place - past, present or future. Fact or fiction. Funny, sad, exciting…it’s up to you. The best stories will be published in Cleveland Stories: True until proven otherwise. For the StorySlam, we’re looking for:
- historians and story tellers who can tell us about lesser-known aspects of Cleveland’s history — particularly stories that are about a specific place in the city
- creative writers who can invent a useful fiction for a Cleveland neighborhood and convince us of this alternate reality
- artists and urban designers
Cleveland StorySlam
Thursday, Feb 24th
7:30-9PM
CIA’s Coventry Center
Upper level of 1854 Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights map
Come to the StorySlam February 24 and toss your name in the hat. We’ll pick ten people to tell their stories. Remember that you have to tell a story, not read one. No notes, papers, or cheat sheets are allowed. You’ll have five minutes to tell your story, so come rehearsed!
The StorySlam isn’t only for story tellers - good story listeners are also welcome. If you hear an inspiring story, enter our Shoebox Diorama Challenge by building a small scale model of your design intervention idea. Each winning diorama artist will receive $50!
You can RSVP to the StorySlam on our Facebook event page.
We’ll release more details on the contributors to the book and the gallery exhibit soon, so please visit www.ClevelandStoryBook.com for more information and updates on the project. You can also contact us at stories@popupcleveland.com or use our online form to submit your stories. We’re looking forward to seeing (and hearing) you on Feb. 24th!
06-26-09
Critical Mass Ride TONIGHT!
On the last friday of every month in over 100 cities around the world, cyclists congregate together to ride in demonstration and in celebration. Critical Mass has no leaders and no agenda. People come together to ride for many different reasons. To assert cyclists right to the road, to promote bikes as a fun, healthy and viable alternative to cars, to build a greater sense of community, to get more folks on bikes, or simply to celebrate bike love and ride in solidarity with other like minded individuals and have some fun!
So let’s do it, every last friday of the month, Public Square, Bike / skateboard / roller blade whatever. And bbq after or something. Dance Party?
Tell Your Friends, Invite them, Ride Bikes!
RIDE TONIGHT – June 26th, 2009; 5:30 PM, Public Square (Downtown Cleveland)
Join the Critical Mass Facebook Group
posted by marianne eppig.
05-20-09
Pop Up City Book Trailer
It might not have the quick edits and intense action sequences of typical movie trailers, but we think our star moved pretty fast, for a panda.
Urban-Infill Volume 2: Pop Up City can be ordered from Amazon or from the Shrinking Cities Institute website.
Support for the Pop Up City initiative is provided by the Civic Innovation Lab and the Sears-Swetland Foundation. The publication of the Pop Up City book was made possible by funding from the George Gund Foundation and the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts.
by david jurca
05-05-09
A Piping Hot Slice from Designerosa
Designerosa! from david jurca on Vimeo.
Thank you to everyone that came out to Designerosa! All of us at the CUDC had a great time and we’re really glad to have met so many new people. We especially want to thank Heelsplitter, the amazing bluegrass band that travels to all their shows by bike, Greg Priddy, Indy and Greg Peckham for the miniature ponies (Cinnamon and Doodle), and Lois Moss from Walk + Roll Cleveland for bringing everyone together for Transportainment.
We’d also like to thank Kelly from KRA photography for taking the brilliant photographs shown below. You can see the entire Designerosa photo set and order prints at her client lounge, just type in “walkroll” as the password.
The new Pop Up City book we released at the event should be available on Amazon soon, but in the meantime, please visit our Shrinking Cities Institute website to order a copy.
04-22-09
Pop Up City Eye Candy
Pick up a copy of our new publication! When we get smarter, we’ll put a little PayPal icon somewhere around here so that you can buy our stuff instantly! The possibilities are endless! Until then, you can pick a book up at the CUDC office (currently above the Winking Lizard on Prospect/Huron downtown) or at CUDC events.
by Marianne Eppig
01-21-09
Another Taste of the Upcoming Pop Up City Publication
This is an excerpt from Philipp Oswalt, Klaus Overmeyer, and Philipp Misselwitz’s article “Patterns of the Unplanned” that will be published in the Pop Up City journal to be released in February. Be sure to pick up a copy in order to learn more about temporary use strategies for vacant land!
“Temporary uses are unplanned, but they are present in every larger city. Often, they play an important role in a city’s public and cultural life as well as in its urban development, but they have thus far been almost completely ignored in official policymaking and city planning circles. But why do temporary uses occur in the first place? And how do they develop? Can structures be discovered in the unplanned?“
by marianne eppig.
01-21-09
A Taste of the Upcoming Pop Up City Publication
This is a taste of Jennifer Malloy’s article “What is Left of Planning?! Residual Planning!” that will be published in the upcoming Pop Up City publication:
“Temporary space practitioners are dispersed throughout the shattered remains of shrinking cities in the United States and Europe, within eddies of vacant lots, abandoned buildings, and radical space strongholds - where community and social relations flourish through the production of art - and thrive as a counterculture of resistance to capitalist circuits of place-making. They temporarily remediate the leftovers of capitalism through radical interventions in urban spaces that begin to poke holes in the dominant frame of the city as an avenue for competition and exchange. Instead, the city is viewed as a place where community can be built and experienced, temporarily, while simultaneously creating alternative temporary uses for, and opportunities within, disused urban spaces. This paper discusses such countercultural urban development strategies through two case studies: the Midwest Radical Cultural Corridor in Chicago, Illinois and Hotel Neustadt in Halle, Germany.”
To read the rest of this article and to read others, be sure to pick up the new Pop Up City journal that will be coming out in February.
by marianne eppig.
01-21-09
Second Issue of “Pop Up City” Coming Out in February
The second issue of the CUDC’s journal, Pop Up City, is in production and will be published by the end of February. The urban designers are planning a Pop Up party in March to commemorate the release of the journal.