As our cities grow, their transport needs become more complex. If we are lucky enough to live in established suburbs that have a legacy of schools, shops, and parks, our local communities and neighbourhoods may provide us with our basic needs and services, our social and work commitments. However, for most of us, meeting all [...]
An Australian’s house provides major evidence to his claim of living a lifestyle that resembles the majority of the country. A quarter acre block with a backyard spacious enough for a BBQ and patio is synonymous with many Australians’ lifestyle. However, this lifestyle has become harder to attain for the current generation of Australians. From the [...]
Our mobility is bound by the linkages available to us and the built environment that surrounds us. But how does our transportation choices in our city affect our health and well being ? This is a question that is gaining prevalence as cities grow, densify and complicate the daily journey of urban dwellers. A report [...]
Not since the “Conquistadores” have they been arriving in such numbers. Though the current Spanish migration may be more out of necessity than the inquisitive expedition undertaken in the 1500’s, it may also be a sign of the strengthening dependence that Spain will have on Latin America, and potentially become a trend that may become [...]
Melburnians pride themselves on their food culture, and they will go to any lengths to find good food. The city’s multicultural background, coupled with residents’ fascination with global gastronomy trends, has changed not only what city goers eat, but how neighbourhoods and streets are designed and function. Ethnic Restaurants in many established suburbs such as [...]
The coverage that natural disasters receive usually only captures an audience for a few days. While the initial visuals may shock and distress the viewer, the fast media cycle means that the recovery that follows the disaster is observed by comparatively few. The Christchurch earthquakes of 2010-2011 certainly fit this model. 181 people died, thousands [...]
In a period of rapid urbanization, many cities are faced with the challenge of reconciling seemingly contradictory objectives. One of the most pressing of these challenges is the imperative to conserve valued and significant buildings and streetscapes of the past whilst providing the infrastructure for modern, efficient, and sustainable public transport. The experience of the [...]
After forty-eight hours in a city, you usually have an idea about whether you enjoy it, or if you just want to leave. This time frame may allow for a walk through the city’s center and, perhaps a visit to a few well-known attractions or landmarks. On a visit to Ecuador’s commercial center and principal port Guayaquil, you [...]
A big Global Site Plans welcome to our newest blogger, Steven Petsinis from Melbourne, Australia. Steven Petsinis is an Urban Planning graduate from Melbourne, Australia. He has been involved in Urban Research and Development projects in Medellin, Colombia and Saigon, Vietnam and is currently pursuing his masters in Melbourne, Australia. His main interests lie in [...]
It is amazing how crisis can affect us. When times get tough, customs and lifestyles are often altered, and life can get stripped closer to the primitive. Through Spain’s current economic crisis, as well as through Barcelona’s populous nature, the platform for the development of humble community gardens within the city’s few uninhabited sites has [...]
In a European Capital, one imagines that people from all demographics would be entitled to contemporary resources and basic services. However, in the Southern European country of Macedonia around ten percent of the capital’s population consists of a Roma community that is practically economically and socially excluded from the first world. The Romans have origins that [...]
In “Writing About Architecture,” Alexander Lange treats the reader to a process as well as a list of critiques that we can employ to deem the importance and worth of a building. Chapter 3 entitled ‘Whats Worth Preserving’ promotes famous art historian’s Alois Riegl’s five values that help the critic utilize a framework, which he can [...]
Whenever flying into developing Latin American cities, one cannot help but notice the characteristics of the peripheries of the city. The city may be fringed by informal dwellings where evidence of infrastructure trails off as you peer further away from the city centre. Equally, it may be located within a valley where an agglomeration of [...]
