EPA Study Finds More US Communities Are Embracing Infill Redevelopment

Highlights from the EPA's 2012 Residential Construction Trends in America's Metropolitan Regions report indicates that infill development is becoming increasingly more popular. In the US there still plenty of suburban development on the books, interest in urban development continues to increase because of the intrinsic overall access that comes with urban development. As an urban planner I am excited to explore new concepts for urban living that better aligns with transportation networks. I'm sure architects are excited to get out their creativity pens...I can't wait to see new designs for urban residential architecture.

3 out of 4 large metropolitan regions in saw an increased share of new housing development in previously developed areas during 2005 - 2009 compared to 2000 - 2004.

Source: U.S. EPA

21% of new homes in the 209 metropolitan regions examined were infill. 

8 out of 10 new homes in San Jose, California were infill.

Miami increased from 40% to 49% infill, and Providence, Rhode Island, increased from 20%t to 29%.

New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco all saw a majority of new home construction in previously developed areas during the same time period.

Benefits of Infill Development

• Provides economic and public health benefits to metropolitan areas while protecting the local environment
• Saves money and energy
• Takes advantage of previous investments in existing infrastructure such as water, sewer, and roads 
• Preserves open space
• Protects natural resources
• Reduces transportation emissions
• Decreases the amount of polluted stormwater washing off new roadways and other paved surfaces
• Raises property values 
• Increases a community’s tax base 
• Attracts retail businesses to serve the larger residential population

Source: U.S. EPA

The EPA report includes a listing of resources available to local, regional, and state leaders that want to coordinate land use, housing, and transportation policies.

For more information see the EPA press release.

Renzo Piano on Sustainability & the New York Times Building

In an interview with Architectural Record in 2008 Renzo Piano comments on the inspirational nature of sustainability: 

“Constantly present in my mind when designing the New York Times Building was that today's architecture should be inspired by what is happening with the climatic crisis. In the way the last [20th] century opened with an interest in rationalism and the modern movement, I like the idea that this century is opening up with a discovery that the earth is fragile and the environment is vulnerable. Fragility, breathing with the earth and the environment, is part of a new culture. I thought the Times Building should have the qualities of lightness, vibrancy, transparency, and immateriality."

Las Vegas - What is an American City?

In the current book that I am reading, Poker Face, by Katy Lederer I found a very real everyday feeling about American cities, there is something so raw and un-PC about it that I felt compelled to share...

The book was given to me as a Christmas present in 2003 by one of my roommates at the time, and until recently I had been reluctant to read it or give it away... and a month ago while I was packing and getting ready to move out of my place in LA, it was finally time for me to start reading the book. It's a great bildungsroman novel, one of my favorite genre's. It has been a very pleasant surprise with some interesting observations on life and the road to self-discovery.

The commentary that I felt so compelled to share was one on American culture and a take on one of America's most famous cities that many countries try to imitate, ironic considering the roots of Las Vegas. Though Las Vegas is not as "cheap" as it might have been in the 1990s (the time that Katy first encountered Las Vegas), I couldn't help but nod in agreement with the raw truth behind Katy's take on Sin City...."Las Vegas: the most American of American cities - bright and cheap and all dolled up, like a drag queen - a city of hope!"

Must go: BMW Welt in Munich

Must add the BMW Welt in Munich designed by Wolf D. Prix to my Architecture and Urban Planning Pilgrimage itinerary. It's a cyclone- shape that looks a lot like a wave...I can't wait!

The Planner's Triangle

Urban planning is a comprehensive approach to land use and its aim is to improve the built and social environments in cities. With each project urban planners, as Professor Scott Campbell from the University of Michigan appropriatly puts it, must alleviate the tension that is generated from environmental protection, economic development and social equity, or as he calls it "Planner's Triangle" before a project can move forward.

Boyle Heights and Gentrification: A Tale of Two Possibilities ~ An Editorial

Photographer: Daniel Aguilera

We must hold real estate developers accountable for responsible development. I present a strategy for Boyle Heights in Los Angeles, CA in my first published editoral in the debut issue of the Brooklyn and Boyle newspaper: Boyle Heights and Gentrification: A Tale of Two Possibilities.

Originally titled: Boyle Heights is Not for Sale

As I walk the streets of Boyle Heights, I see our people, I feel our energy of a neighborhood in motion. You can't help but sense the vitality of a community embracing itself in rediscovery. Despite the tumultuous Real Estate market, property prices have increased in value but they have not priced us out or pushed us out. We are still here. We are reviving, rejuvenating and taking back our neighborhood and showing the rest of LA the beauty of Boyle Heights.

I see families walking together hand in hand at night and get a tingly feeling of gusto as I see the newly wed couple: the father with his young wife and their infant crossing the street at 10pm, where else in LA do you see that? Only today in Boyle Heights.

Photographer: Daniel Aguilera
I also see new construction activity, shiny new storefronts, and the newly revamped state of the art hospital, White Memorial. I'm not a native to LA, but I have heard the horror stories of the old hospital, before one of our own, Oscar de La Hoya, decided to give back to his community, because it also needs to be about giving back to the community. Oscar helped make the hospital into an institution that could actually service our community.

The best part about the change that is going on here is that there is only a tinge of the dreaded baggage that gentrification tends to pack. New businesses are coming to the community and improvements to existing businesses are also being made. Property values were on the rise before the whole housing market crashed, but the people who have grown with the community and which the community has been their lifeblood are not being pushed out in the way that gentrification has impacted other communities in growth and in need of renewal and improvements. The new middle class people who are coming to the neighborhood are for the most part people who had grown up in the neighborhood and had left and that are now returning on their own accord.

Call it nostalgia or simple economic sense the neighborhood kids are coming back to the neighborhood now that they are all grown up. Boyle Heights is nourishing itself, to ensure that the kids and grand kids of the abuelitos today will continue to want to come back to the neighborhood, and spend their money in the neighborhood. If you want a nice dinner there are places to go now, the amenities are here, there are choices now, there is no need to have to deal with traffic to have a glass of wine when Eastside Love is just right around the corner.

We are undergoing a renaissance and the Boyle Heights renaissance is inclusive, the community is holding change accountable. Gentrification should be about discovery not about greed and displacement, and our rejuvenation is about discovery and making our community better. Sure there will be sour deals, but you as a community member need to speak up if you suspect and see injustice otherwise you are just part of the problem. If we are not going to fight for our neighborhood who will? We know what we most need, so let's make it happen, don't let the evil part of gentrification seep through our streets. We have kept this community alive for so long don't let big money come and taunt us with perceived goods—Question and Verify. Remember the examples our abuelitos and abuelitas have already set, it is not just about us today, it's about our survival, it's about our success, it's about our future, it’s about the future of the neighborhood.

This is our neighborhood, this is our home. We can not become sell outs, we can not let our neighborhood sell out. Gentrification will take the best of our neighborhood if we let it. Lord lead us not into temptation: let us hold our politicians accountable; let us hold businesses accountable; let us hold institutions accountable; let us hold ourselves accountable. Let there be a transformation but let us not lose our essence.

Death To Cookie Cutter Creativity

Natural flowing curves use to be rare in buildings.  Once upon a time only the masters would attempt to conquer this inherent feat. However it seems as though more architects are attempting to add more curvature, it seems to be the new fad, but then again most new architecture seems to mimic each other, why? 

I can't help but ask myself where has all the creativity gone? Is the Architecture industry also suffering from the notorious copycat epidemic that's attacking the fashion industry? Or are architects putting creativity to side for the sake of getting design approval and collect their piece of the pie?

You want examples, just look around, everything is starting to look the same. This needs to stop. Our cities are not monolithic, there are different factors and each city has different needs and there is no reason why laziness should be condoned in creativity. Sure there is something to be said about street scape context and continuity. In these rough economic times when construction activity and real estate transactions are low it would behoove developers and architects to keep in mind that customers are not made out of stone either. I can appreciate competition and the effectiveness of the market to generate better products as a result. Unfortunately,  in most of the recent cases the quality in urban and rural development is at best mediocre with big arrows pointing to the big sign that reads: COPYCAT.

Under Construction the New LA Police Headquarters…

"Bad Boys, Bad Boys whatcha gonna do when they come for you?" What are you going to do when you have to go to the new police headquarters currently under construction in downtown Los Angeles, because it is a despicably hideous structure? It is an absolute disgrace not just financially because of the incompetent and thieving construction managers and contractors they have hired, but also aesthetically.

I was driving by the site last week and noticed the glass facade, which is the only part that really merits any architectural grace. But as I took the whole structure in, I noticed that it is just simply gross.

My intent is not to offend, but certain things just don't make sense to me. For instance, how can any respectable architect design something like this? The contrast of the glass facade with the light peachy stone facade is awkward and clearly not the best choice.  The mistake here is obvious, the stone's use and color encroaches on the refined beauty of the pattern.

Or even worse how can a client planning committee approve something with these characteristics? What kind of taste does the Mayor and his team have? What about the police commissioner, how does he feel about this atrocious building?

Personally, I am ashamed that my tax dollars have to go towards something like this. Buildings cost a lot of money and for the cost of this project they could have done something much nicer, they should seek real professional help, they should hire me as their aesthetics consultant and I know more citizens will be happy with how government spends everyones well-earned tax dollars.

Home is Where ME Makes It

How do we know it's home? 

How do we feel at home? 

How does it feel to be home?

It's about comfort, you just know when it's right. The beauty is that home can really be anywhere, it doesn't have to be in a constructed structure, the structure just makes it a house or an apartment, not a home. After all haven't you ever wondered why the words "house" and "home" exist? A house is an architectural structure created by a construction team. A home is created by a person or a set of persons putting their things and feelings into their space, it is their creation. A house can be empty or full but a Home is always full.  

I've been in transition, traveling from place to place and I'm still at home most of the time. I look at stuff, clothes, books, make-up and other essentials and they all make me feel at home. My clothes especially make me feel at home, and what I wear can influence my mood and behavior. What can I say, it's hard not to wander at Home.

Town Architecture, Part 1 The Case of Mexico

I'm getting ready for a journey down to my mother's homeland, Mexico, in the next 2 weeks. I have not been deep down in Mexico in almost 10 years and the excitement is churning up my insides with more excitement. Since my last visit I have become an architecture and culture aficionada, and I'm sure that my eye will wander and wonder with enchantment at all of the structures and ways in which people move through life.

In doing my usual research before trecking aimlessly through Mexico City, Toluca and S.L.P, I realized thatI do not know much about Mexican architects or architecture. I'm familar with Aztec, Mayan and Enrique Norten architecture, but apart from that I'm clueless, but I know that this trip will help to rectify this knowledge gap.

There is no doubt of the influence from Spanish architectural tradition in Mexican architecture. And of course I am also sure that population, political and economic growth has dictated the installations of formal and informal buildings, but who were these cities and towns built by? In the case of Mexico, have new buildings in small towns been more a result of proactive formal planning or of reactive informal planning? My assuption is the latter, but my certainty is ambivalent, I need more information.

Street Holes

The street is a public space. It is literally the road that gives order to any city. It is the means by which we navigate and explore with a conceptual sense of cultural context.

I hate the fact that we all pay taxes and there are potholes everywhere that ruin my peace of mind while I drive around with all of the psychos on the road.

I wish there were less potholes, perhaps LA would be a nicer place, but unfortunately this is not a priority for our politicians. At a national level politicians care more about having a political penis contest than really protecting the best interests of the people who pay their salaries, at a very local level the mayor of LA can't seem to keep his penis in his pants to actually fix simple things like potholes.

And then I can't help but wonder if the press would get me out of my jam if I didn't pay my taxes because I don't think politicians deserve their compensation, maybe not since I'm not worth much to corporations because I do not have the power to give out government contracts. I say that if we really lived in a democracy then the citizens of the world should be able to have some say in the corralation between the performance of politicians and their pay, but this isn't the case.

A Bang for your Block

Is design even a critical factor for the average end user, my guess is no. Why do I say this with so much conviction, well just take a look at the selection of the buildings around,… building economics perpetuates homogeneity.

It doesn’t take an expert to guess the answer to this question:
What does design mean to the end user vs. the architect?

This question doesn't get asked often enough, even though we live in a society full of opinionated people. Agree or not, if you don’t have an opinion then why are you reading? The process of Architecture today has no choice but to take millions of opinions from all different sides, mesh them into a cohesive design and ultimately form one big gigantic monumental decision (literally).

Have doubts, compare an architect’s initial concept and compare it to what is actually in the ground. The myriad process and the reality of price makes real estate easier to admire than to indulge; end users typically seek the combination of size and price than a building’s architecture merit....Again, one word: Economics.

$$$ Architectual Design Influencers $$$

An architect's inspiration or duty, there is a difference. The overlooked designed influencer: Money.

The architect has a vision but the owner has the money. The owner's money comes from various sources that generally fall under two categories: general operations (and its profits) and donations. The owner's general operations define their purpose and the donors tend to identify key stakeholders that are in one way related to the function and impact of a particular owner. I know it sounds a bit convoluted, and if it were portrayed in a diagram it would be one of those circular ones that show the arrows pointing in both directions. In a way the donors are almost like the president's cabinet, they have an immeasurable influence to the general public; only those in certain inner circles can decipher an idea of their true influence and what may end up on the street.

Even though the building will be in the public eye, the public does not have much say into what it will look like, because even if tax dollars are helping pay for it, the public is not the client, nor is it a big $$$ influencer. In the case of donations and their impact the differences between quality and quantity are very blurred.

So the big question is: How much does money and who is providing the money influence the design of a particular building structure?

Defined by The "Authorities"

As defined by the Oxford Dictionary

Fashion: the popular style of dress, customs, etc. at a given time
Architecture: the art or science of designing buildings
Design: a combination of lines or shapes to form a decoration
Culture: the appreciation and understanding of literature, arts, music, etc.
Technology: the scientific study of mechanical arts and applied sciences

As defined by Wikipedia (abbreviated)

Fashion: a prevailing mode of expression, but quite often applies to a personal mode of expression that may or may not apply to all. Inherent in the term is the idea that the mode will change more quickly than the culture as a whole
Architecture: the art and science of designing buildings and structures
Design: the process of originating and developing a plan for a product, structure, or component
Culture: refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance
Technology: a broad term dealing with the use and knowledge of humanity's tools and crafts

If there was ever a doubt...

From the new architecture curator at the MOMA, Barry Bergdoll, on the power of urban and architectural symbols as recent catastrophic events have demonstrated:

World Trade Center & Hurricane Katrina
" The World Trade Center was clearly chosen by the terrorists because of the place it had gained in the public imaginary, just as the flood in New Orleans struck a very particular cord with the imagination of the world. Even if much of New Orleans was terribly ordinary, its appeal was for its very distinctive culture, architectural and otherwise—a quality that’s growing ever more rare in a world of increasingly homogenized spaces, forms and experiences. It remains to be seen in both cases whether something genuine, with the potential for creating new vitality and new resonance—rather than a controlled themed environment—can be achieved."

New Year's Resolution ~ 2007

What's in store for 2007?

What design concepts will make me a better person?
hmmm...I wonder, but I am always a sucker for chic and sexy.

3 Key Elements of Notable Architecture

1. A Vision
2. Artistic Talent
3. Power Brokers

If you read between the lines in this article on design in Los Angeles there is plenty of evidence.

In the Mist of Holiday Parties, Land Development Projects Prevail

In the past two weeks I have been bouncing from one holiday party to the next. I can't even eat the food. The other day in my delirious holiday party craze I craved cheetos and now my stomach hated me and continually muttered "never again" under its breath.

It is sometimes a mystery how any work gets done around the holiday season, especially around government bureaucracies or universities, but it does, or so certain news stories give that impression. Does it matter if this work got done before or during the holiday season? No. Is it a good idea that it gets news coverage during the holiday season? Yes, because this the time of year people get yearn for the case ADD and look for valid distractions. In my case I am a sucker for news stories from respectable publications such as the New York Times and Los Angeles Times.

This story from the NY Times deserves a mention just because it talks about a Mexican architect, Enrique Norten, on his way to the revered status of an international signature architect and in turn probably national hero, and his participation in Rutgers University's growth vision.

Across the country, the LA Times reports on the 3 Mega-Projects that could, if their visions achieve what they promise, reshape the car and urban culture that defines Los Angeles today. From my cynical realism it sounds like certain big egos are trying to make a legacy in the city’s historic suburban fabric and convert parts of the city into urban hubs. Considering the locations, 2 in downtown and the other by Universal Studios, of the 3 projects (L.A. Live, Grand Avenue and Universal City) I can’t help but wonder if they build it, will they come? And how long will it take for them to come?

Take Note: What I want for Christmas

All I want for Christmas is at least a week at the new Hotel Marques de Riscal that just opened in the town of Elciego.

It was designed by Gehry, one of my favorite 'signature' architects, over an ancient winery and holds a wine therapy spa. The mere thought is relaxing.

East Coast perspective on West Coast Cultural Elitism

Must read: Washington Post article about architectural differences and basically cultural snobbery between the OC and LA: Rhapsody in Orange County

The piece compares concert halls, architects (Pelli and Gehry) and the nouveau riche's insecurities and contributions to the art world.

Here are some of my favorite excerpts:

"Visitors from Los Angeles, the older and more glam neighbor to the north, scoffed with condescension...what would you expect from Orange County, an insufferably vulgar place of rich old men and trophy wives and idle youth bored with dropping C-notes in the Louis Vuitton shop? It's a wannabe place."

"But even if the two buildings are in different leagues, it's worth comparing them, and what they tell us about American cultural life. You might say that Pelli's [in the OC] hall and Gehry's hall [in LA] are bookends on a continuum of American cultural life. One building is an efficient space for a young orchestra, the other a destination venue for an institution that has effectively worked its way into the top ranks of American musical life. Pelli's hall marks an exuberant stage of naive youth, while Gehry's suggests the self-confidence of a cultural organization that has long outgrown the kind of civic bluster one heard in Orange County."

And let us not forget:
"Almost every institution in the rarefied world of American High Culture was built by exactly the same forces that have come together in Orange County's new concert hall: big bucks from the nouveau riche and a huge cultural inferiority complex."

Car culture turning up the need for architectural symbols:
"Orange County is building new cultural institutions because traffic has choked off its access to old ones."

All that being said:
"[While] Gehry hall, despite its dramatic exuberance, exudes a kind of Apollonian calm...Pelli's concert hall captures the energy and brusque pragmatism of art in the age of unsentimental capitalism."