Urban relocation is often used, whether justifiably or not, as a part of the urban renewal project of Istanbul in its endeavor to become a “world-city.” As the main actor to carry out urban renewal projects, Mass Housing Administration has the authority to relocate squatter communities whenever it’s deemed appropriate, and usually these communities are relocated to [...]
In a desert climate, such as Tempe, Arizona, rain is sparse. At only 4.5 inches per year, it is a very dry place. The city gets water, nevertheless, as is demonstrated by the unusual amount of lawn-grown grass surrounding the suburban and urban sprawl. The question then is how? How do residents get the water [...]
Istanbul will host its first design biennial between October 13 – December 12, 2012. The theme is proposed by the director of London Design Museum, Deyan Sudjic, as “imperfection.” This theme refers to Istanbul, a city far from being perfect, yet one of the most inspiring centers of the world, with infinite layers. Istanbul Design [...]
In the last few years there has been a clear tendency in the towns close to Zarautz, Spain to install the “door-to-door waste collection system.” The aim is to reuse, recycle and reduce waste so that minimal amount goes to landfills. It seeks to ensure the correct segregation of waste, and creates a low-cost waste [...]
There is a strong paradigm shift in the literature recently, on how rural development and urban development affect one another. The conventional wisdom of the last three decades suggests that urban and rural developments are separate and compete with each other for resources. However, a closer looks reveals that this is far from the truth. [...]
Tempe averages 211 days of sun every year. In addition, the city is only a 2-hour drive away from Mexico. This makes for a very warm, very bright place. It seems to never rain. Since I arrived 10 months ago, it has only rained twice, and heavily only once. This is why I call this [...]
The podium microphone could not quite reach Will Allen, standing six-and-a-half feet tall and in front of a sold-out lecture hall in Providence, Rhode Island. Allen, a former professional basketball player and MacArthur Genius Award recipient, was speaking on behalf of his work at Growing Power, a Milwaukee-based environmental non-profit focused on sustainable urban farming [...]
Being a current grad student at Arizona State and having an undergraduate history at Ohio State, I can say that I know both these university cities quite well. There are many differences between Tempe, Arizona and Columbus, Ohio. For one, the art and music scene in Columbus is far superior than Tempe. On the other [...]
Have you ever heard about clothes swapping? If you are Turkish, probably not. Because in Turkey, worldwide-known brands have their factories located there, providing people the opportunity to purchase clothes at very low prices. Additionally, Turkish people tend to underestimate the advantages of using one anothers’ old clothes, even-though most parents made their children wear [...]
We’ve all had the experience of peacefully strolling along a city street at night, enjoying the scene around us. We’ve also had the experience of walking somewhere after dark where we feel unsafe, and hurrying to reach our destination. But what is it exactly that creates this dichotomy of experience? The urban planning theory of [...]
