Early in the morning on Saturday, October 3rd, Edgewater Beach became the venue for a boat race meant to bring awareness to the exorbitant amount of plastic that makes its way to the world’s lakes and oceans. Led by Cathi Lehn of the Biodiversity Alliance and Dr. Marcus Eriksen of the California-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation, teams from throughout Cuyahoga County arrived with their self-made boats. The eleven small boats, constructed entirely from plastic bottles and otherwise discarded objects, were carefully carried down by the teams to the water’s edge of Lake Erie. The large crowd watched nervously as the teams pushed their crafts onto the water and the selected team members got on board. Would their boats even float?
This question was certainly on the mind of the LoveCraft’s team, comprised of members from the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, the Green City Blue Lake Institute and Environmental Health Watch. In a boat building workshop the week before, Dr. Eriksen had given the rule of thumb, “One two-liter bottle will support one kilogram.” But did he then say to use enough bottles for double the weight or was that just because of the metric system? Well, the team would find out when they hit the water.
As the brave skippers, Marc Lefkowitz and Mandy Metcalf, boarded the LoveCraft, the team was surprised by how little their recycled matress framed rig sunk in the water. The additional pontoons made from discarded wildberry sno cone syrup bottles must have done the trick! Now the LoveCrafters would have to face the 300 feet of Lake Erie out to the marker canoe, make the turn around it, and paddle back to shore against the prevailing wind. They would also have to watch out for the favored boat that day; a sleak two pontoon vessel covered in saran wrap designed by Medina high school students.
The LoveCraft held her own as the skippers paddled furiously to the shoreline, but was just edged out of third place by another Medina craft skippered by two students wearing batman and robin costumes. Maybe the extra pontoons could have been placed closer to the edge in order to make a more hydrodynamic design? Maybe they weren’t needed at all? When trying to determine the right balance of plastic needed, it might be better to favor on the side of simply using less.
For more info on what can be done to combat the plastic plague and for more photos of the regatta, visit the GreenCityBlueLake Institute blog. For behind the scenes shots of the crafting of the LoveCraft, visit our CUDC Flickr stream.
Kent architecture alums Tedd Ferringer, Jeremy Smith and Michael Abrahamson are hosting the event, “All You Can Eat: A Buffet of Architectural Ideas for Cleveland.”
Here’s their write-up of the event, which will be happening in University Circle on Oct. 30-31:
What is a city’s recommended daily intake of architecture? Let’s exceed it…
All You Can Eat: A Buffet of Architectural Ideas for Cleveland, an upcoming exhibition to be held at The Sculpture Center, posits that the city has a high metabolic rate, burning through ideas faster than they can be ingested. In response, the exhibit will present a binge of possible futures excessive in scale and exhaustive in scope, ideas both raw and cooked, half-baked and hair-brained.
Join us in preparing a feast.
For more information on this event, including how to submit an entry (you don’t need to be an architect/designer, although you certainly can be), click here.
Alberto Francini and Andreas Kipar are members of the team developing innovative plans for the expansion and greening of Milan. The plan includes major new green infrastructure for the city, integrated with new and redeveloped commercial and housing areas. This effort and many of the architectural projects resulting from it have become an important model for designers interested in the urban landscape of the 21st century.
Presented by Kent State University’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design and Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art.
FRIDAY July 10th, 6:00pm
MOCA [Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland] 8501 Carnegie Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, [216] 421.8671
parking available
The lecture is free and open to the public, but the Cleveland Playhouse will charge for parking. MOCA’s “There goes the Neighborhood” and other shows will be available for viewing by lecture-goers (www.mocacleveland.org)
After the lecture, go to Playhouse Square, where the Ingenuity Festival will be in full swing. At 8:20, Pecha Kucha begins. What’s Pecha Kucha? Visit http://www.pecha-kucha.org/cities/cleveland
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)
@ Room Service and other locations along the Gordon Square Arts District in the Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood.
Shopping event for local art and other creations accompanied by live music, good food and parties at Happy Dog.
The MADE IN THE 216 event was created by ROOM SERVICE owner Danielle DeBoe to highlight just how many talented designers are choosing to STAY and build their businesses in CLEVELAND; And to underscore their high level of talent by merchandising the Cleveland-made designs seamlessly amongst the items purchased by NYC, LONDON, LA, SAN FRANCISCO and PARIS-based designers.There are no ‘booths’ or traditional craft/trade show set ups that differentiate the designers’ wares.They are integrated in the same creative, narrative-driven way that RS merchandises their products year round.
The other thing that makes this show different is the diversity of the products being offered at the show.The show features a wide weft of creations from menswear, jewelry, tshirts, and personal accessories to stationary, photography, screenprints, household goods, furniture and music. These Cleveland-based creators represent all levels of entrepreneurship, from the craft circuit, to etsy shops, to international sales….all people who have chosen to stay and build their business in the 216 as opposed to leaving for bigger cities…THIS is something I think worth celebrating.
Every year, graduate students at the CUDC take part in a community design charrette, which addresses the urban design needs of a particular site or neighborhood in Northeast Ohio. This year’s charrette will be part of the Bridge Project scheduled for September 25th and 26th.
During a typical charrette, students are asked to gather relevant data about the focus area in preparation for a community meeting where stakeholders and residents share their thoughts and desires for the neighborhood. The students then work along side CUDC staff to quickly develop design solutions and assemble presentations for the community. In years past, the student charrettes have focused on downtown Lakewood, the Jewish Community Federation site, the Howard Street corridor in Akron and Youngstown’s Oak Hill neighborhood.
The Pop Up City animation, made by Gauri Torgalkar and David Jurca from the CUDC, was announced today as a winner of MOCA Cleveland’s Neighborhood Watch Video Competition! A narrative of a proposed development on the port site made by KSU graduate student Sukant Bhatnagar was also selected as one of the eight winning video shorts. The films will be screened in the Commons Area at MOCA throughout the summer 2009 season.
The video competition is a part of MOCA’s new exhibit, There Goes the Neighborhood, whichopens this Friday, June 5th with an artist gallery talk from 6-7pm and opening reception until 10pm. The exhibit runs from June 5th through August 16th.
This is a map of Cleveland showing vacant sites (in red), existing parks (in dark green), and proposed parkland and greenspaces (in light green). The map was drawn by the Urban Design Center for Cleveland LandLab.
The Organizers of The 2009 BRIDGE PROJECT seek YOUR ideas!
The BRIDGE PROJECT—taking place September 25 and 26, 2009, at the Streetcar Level of the Detroit Superior Bridge—will be a Colossal Convening of local and regional artists who will showcase their work in one of this region’s most amazing and underused locations.
BRIDGE PROJECT organizers will showcase the work of approximately forty artists at this location and we invite you to submit a proposal to occupy one of these spaces – which span the entirety of the bridge (from the tunnels and catacombed spaces at the west side of this bridge, to the arched walkway of the span itself, to the large pillar decked area at the east side). We are looking for quality and diversity of form and media. (more…)
Those willing to brave the 65 degree sunny weather and almost non-existent car traffic in Cleveland were rewarded with discounts at Gypsy Beans coffee shop, free breakfast at the YMCA, new friendships and various health related benefits on National Bike to Work Day.
A contingency from the near-west side of Cleveland took a pleasant ride down Detroit Ave., starting at W. 65th St., and made their way to the Downtown YMCA.
Along the way, the group stopped at the Gateway parking garage on the corner of Huron and E. 4th St. for a glimpse of future plans for the proposed bike station to be built inside the garage.
A health-conscious bounty awaited weary two-wheel travelers at the Downtown YMCA. Yes, it was fun to stay there.
Could biking to work become such a common occurance in Cleveland that “Bike to Work Day” would sound as gratuitous as “Complain About Cleveland Sports Day”? Well, if the Cavs don’t blow it, there might be a chance.
Congratulations to our very own Terry Schwarz for being awarded the 2009 Cleveland Arts Prize! Terry is senior planner at the CUDC and an adjunct professor at Kent State University.
Terry was awarded the artist prize in design for her work surrounding the Shrinking Cities Institute at the CUDC, which addresses local population decline. The multifaceted work of the Shrinking Cities Institute includes the Cleveland Land Lab, the Pop Up City! temporary use intiative and two editions of the Urban-Infill Journal.
The awards ceremony will be held Thursday, June 25th at the Hanna Theatre in Playhouse Square. Tickets are available by calling 216 321-0012 or by email at info@clevelandartsprize.org.
Today starts Cleveland Bicycle Week! Some event highlights for the week include an art and architecture bike tour on Tuesday from 5:30pm-7pm, which will begin at Progressive Field, the Northeast Ohio Cycling Forum on Thursday from 4-7pm at the Cleveland Public Library Main Branch, and the official Bike to Work Day on Friday. The GCRTA is also offering free rides to all bicyclists on Friday, so take the opportunity to ride in to work and let a friendly bus driver take you home after enjoying the Bike Week festivities on E. 4th St. after work.
Check out clevelandbicycleweek.org for a full event calendar that extends beyond just this week, filled with all sorts of activities for cycling enthusiasts and everyone that wants to learn more about cycling in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.
If you’re on the fence about riding to work, here’s a little inspiration courtesy of that bike-lovin’ little town, Copenhagen:
Attraction #2: Palladio Exhibit @ CUDC
We invite you to join us on Friday, May 15 for an exhibit opening at the CUDC’s main gallery at 820 Prospect Avenue, from 5-7pm.
Andrea Palladio – 500 Years
The CUDC is pleased to host a photography exhibit brought to Cleveland by the Consulate of Italy in celebration of the 500th anniversary of Palladio’s birth and the declaration of a sister-city agreement between Cleveland and Vicenza, Italy (site of much of Palladio’s work). Word on the street is the mayors of both cities will be in attendance, so come early to beat the crowd to the bruschetta.
This question was certainly on the mind of the LoveCraft’s team, comprised of members from the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, the Green City Blue Lake Institute and Environmental Health Watch. In a boat building workshop the week before, Dr. Eriksen had given the rule of thumb, “One two-liter bottle will support one kilogram.” But did he then say to use enough bottles for double the weight or was that just because of the metric system? Well, the team would find out when they hit the water.
The LoveCraft held her own as the skippers paddled furiously to the shoreline, but was just edged out of third place by another Medina craft skippered by two students wearing batman and robin costumes. Maybe the extra pontoons could have been placed closer to the edge in order to make a more hydrodynamic design? Maybe they weren’t needed at all? When trying to determine the right balance of plastic needed, it might be better to favor on the side of simply using less.
The Pop Up City 
