Planning Commissioners Journal

A Remarkable Invention Linking People an Ocean Apart!

Imagine if you could stand next to the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City and wave greetings -- in real time -- to folks in London, England. Big deal, you might say. We have video teleconferencing, and we can even easily do this with webcams on our laptop computers. But then, why was the Telectroscope so popular last year. Yes, I said Telectroscope. They say it's a marvelous invention linking two giant telescope-like devices in New York and London via an underwater tube. Take a look at these two short news videos about it, one from the Associated Press, the other from the Wall Street Journal.

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OK, so what if the Telectroscopes were just elaborate pieces of temporary public art (installed during May and June 2008) making use of two video cameras linked by a VPN connection transmitting images using MPEG-2 compression? Thousands flocked to the Telectroscopes' viewing screens to wave and smile at those waving and smiling back at them from across the Atlantic. Why? In part because of the creativity, imagination, spectacle, and plain fun involved. It's a "public art event" -- and events like this help enliven our cities. 

You can also see hundreds of photos of the devices -- both in New York and London -- on the Flickr web site. I have to say, they're really quite remarkable pieces of interactive art.

If you have a few minutes, you should also read about the history of the Telectroscope. Here's how it starts: 

"This is the story of an extraordinary invention called a Telectroscope. Miraculously, using only a tunnel through the earth and a Telectroscope, people can simultaneously interact with others who are many miles and hours away. ... Some years ago an artist by the name of Paul St George opened a battered suitcase. This suitcase had lain unopened on the top of a wardrobe for many years. In the suitcase he found a treasure trove of journals, drawings, diagrams, correspondence, notebooks, scribbled calculations, boxes of papers, an album of press-clippings and even one or two photographs. On further inspection he discovered that they had been the property of his great-grandfather, a little known Victorian engineer, Alexander Stanhope St George. The notebooks were full of intricate drawings and passages of writing describing a strange machine. ... Continue the story on the Telectroscope.net web site.

For more about the Telectroscope installations, see articles from The New York Times and from the BBC.

Picasso vs. Chagall in Chicago

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

The week before last I was in Chicago briefly on personal business. I had a bit of free time on Friday to wander through the Loop. One observation: Pablo Picasso seems to fare much better than Marc Chagall. 

Here's what I mean. Within two blocks of each other are two open plazas featuring outstanding works of art. Daley Plaza is the site of an inspiring Picasso sculpture -- simply referred to as "the Picasso" -- while just to the south, framing the east side of Chase Tower Plaza, is Chagall's beautiful wall mural, The Four Seasons.

Two wonderful pieces of outdoor art gracing downtown Chicago. Yet, there's a dramatic difference -- not in the art, but in the setting. Daley Plaza in mid-afternoon (around 2:30pm on Friday) was full of people, sitting, talking, snacking, and looking up at the Picasso. Five minutes later in Chase Tower Plaza there was quite a different scene.

I don't know Chicago well enough to know if what I saw is typical of both plazas. Why the difference? 

One element that struck me was the fact that the Chagall mural is set in a sunken plaza, not directly on the street. 

Perhaps it's too hidden for many to notice? 

Perhaps people don't feel comfortable walking down into the enclosed space? 

Perhaps, in contrast to the Picasso in Daley Plaza, the Chagall mural is simply not aligned with pedestrian flows? 

I certainly hope more people look in on the Chagall mural -- it's a wonderful work of art, there to enjoy at no cost.

I'd look forward to hearing from those of you who live or work in Chicago, or have seen the plazas on visits to Chicago -- how do they compare?

p.s., I committed a cardinal sin for a planner visiting Chicago -- I didn't take have my digital camera with me! I took the photos with my cellphone, so they're not quite as sharp as I'd like.

A Blast of Creativity in Lexington, Kentucky

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

This past Thursday & Friday I followed -- via Twitter -- the "Creative Cities Summit" in Lexington, Kentucky. Wish I had been there. From the Tweets being posted, it's clear there were terrific speakers and topics -- and a great amount of positive energy. [I've included just a small sampling of the more than one hundred tweets on the left; if you use Twitter, you can find them using the hastag: #ccslex]

Fortunately, summaries of most sessions (including some audio clips) have already been posted online on the City of Lexington web site. There's also a good wrap up column posted today by Tom Eblen, Creative Cities Summit: Good talk, now for action. Eblen's a columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper. I'm taking the liberty of briefly quoting from parts of his column below, but I encourage you to read his full column:

"Downtown developer Phil Holoubek and other locals who organized the Creative Cities Summit last week had three main goals. They wanted to have out-of-towners feel Lexington’s creative buzz. They wanted to expose Lexington’s leadership to new ideas. And they wanted to show more of their neighbors the economic and social vitality Lexington could achieve through greater creativity and broader community engagement.

... The real show-stopper was Bill Strickland, author of Making the Impossible Possible and founder and CEO of the Manchester Bidwell Corp., a wildly successful job training and community arts program for poor people in Pittsburgh. Commerce Lexington will visit Manchester Bidwell on its annual trip next month. [See video on TED about Manchester Bidwell]

What made Strickland so inspiring was his message that poor people, who are often treated as society’s liabilities, can become productive assets.

... Charles Landry, author of The Art of City Making, delivered a powerful message about the importance of beauty in city design -- and the economic and social costs of ugliness.

... Hosting the Creative Cities Summit was a reflection of the change happening in Lexington. But the summit will have been worthwhile only if it inspires people throughout this city to get more creative and put the talk into action."

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There's already an interesting follow-up. People are being invited to send in their thoughts about "Your Ideal City." As the Conference organizers note: "As the Creative Cities Summit draws closer, we want to gather up lots of thoughts from people about what cities need to do to encourage startups, creative clusters and the role municipal governments might play in encouraging success." Take a look at ideas people are already starting to post. 

Any folks out there want to host a Creative Cities Summit in your hometown? If so ... be sure to send us an early invite!

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Just added: good short creative Conference "take aways" by Eric Patrick Marr of LeXenomics:

The Other GPS

We all know what GPS stands for, don't we? I assume you said, "Global Positioning System"? But do you know about that other GPS -- the "Global Poetry System"? 

Take a look at the GPS Web site, a site that combines geographic location information with poetry in a way totally defined by those who upload their poems (or videos of poems being read). While GPS is based in the U.K. -- and that's where the bulk of the poem uploads are from -- there are entries from across the world, including the U.S. and Canada (for example, Mississippi Overflow or A Departure, from Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore). 

Here's a brief video about GPS:

Take some time to browse the GPS site by location or by using the tags they provide. But don't expect to find a well-organized, hierarchical structure. There's a randomness to browsing and stumbling across poems that's part of what makes this site so enjoyable. I'm impressed by the creativity. One of the featured poems is on dirty feet, and I mean that quite literally.

Some background from the developers of GPS: "Global Poetry System is a Southbank Centre project to explore and map the poetry of the world. It’s based on the idea that poetry is all around us, from gravestones to graffiti, from birthday cards to blogs, in the landscape and in our memories. GPS invites you to take a fresh look at where you are and find the poetry that inspires you. Photograph it, video it, audio record it or write it down -- tell the world where it is on the map."

Enhancing Our Understanding of Landforms

Many of you may be familiar with the remarkable Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., dedicated in 1982. It was conceived by a then quite young architect, Maya Lin. Over the past 28 years, Lin has continued her work on memorials, while also exploring how art can enhance our understanding of landforms and the natural environment. 

Last Fall, I had the chance to see her most recent work, Wavefield, situated on 11 acres at the Storm King Art Center near Newburgh, New York. The first video below (by the New York Times) focuses on Wavefield. In the second video, Lin goes into greater depth in discussing her work. If you ever have the chance to be in the New York City area, I'd strongly encourage you to take a day trip to visit Storm King -- a truly amazing sculpture park.

Piano Stairs

You might have noticed that we previously posted separate stories about the health benefits of using stairs and a piano map of Ohio. Then we came across a video that actually combines both! This very enjoyable short (under 2 minute) video was filmed in Stockholm, Sweden. If you like it, take a look at the two other videos on thefuntheory.com web site. 

"We Broke the Law Literally ... But All Stood There Together"

A fascinating project in Portland, Oregon, is described in this video. It focuses on bringing neighborhood residents together by building special places, often at local intersections. After seeing this video, I want to organize one of these for my hometown -- it looks like a creative idea that's also great fun! (Just don't tell our Public Works Department I said that). 

For more about City Repair.

Bike Racks Don't Have to Be Bland

It's always good to see examples of creative thinking. For example, do bike racks have to be bland? Apparently not in Nashville, Tennessee. Know of any other examples? Add a comment at the end of this post. Also, take a look at our online resource page: Where's Art in Our Communities?

Fanciful bike racks coming to local landmarks, by Joey Garrison in the Nashville CityPaper

Read a brief excerpt; use above link for full article (also use link for illustration of bike rack):

"Cyclists riding in the urban core of Nashville can park their bikes at a giant padlock, a row of soaring cornstalks or a winding microphone perhaps as soon as late spring.

Those are just three of the seven imaginative bicycle racks approved Thursday by the Metro Nashville Arts Commission out of 139 designs submitted in the open contest, finalizing the first wave of an undertaking billed as a “template” to install more public art in Nashville. 

... The project’s total price tag of less than $100,000 came from funds collected through Metro’s “Percent for the Arts” program, which dedicates 1 percent of all net proceeds of general obligation bonds issued for public construction projects to the funding of public art." 

Individual Article Downloads From Our Fall Issue Now Available

Subscribe to the Planning Commissioners Journal, and start with our Fall issue. Order online, or call our office: 802-864-9083. Note: government orders can call and request to be invoiced. OR order a print copy of the issue for $17.75 -- delivered by first-class mail OR download a copy of this issue for $16.75 (or $75.00 for license to print up to 20 copies) OR download individual articles from our Fall issue -- click on article titles below, and then use the download article button
Contents of our Fall 2009 issue
	Zoning for Religious Institutions by Eric Damian Kelly, Esq., FAICP The impact of zoning regulations on religious institutions is a complex and evolving area of law. A primer on key issues citizen and professional planners should be familiar with.
Planning for Public Transportation in Rural Communities by Hannah Twaddell There's a strong need for public transportation in rural communities -- with benefits both for individuals and local economies.
	Stand by Your Plan by Jim Segedy, FAICP, and Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy, AICP Ten tips to help you better prepare and implement your community's long-range plan.
The Role for Planning in Sustainable Communities by Elaine Cogan Communities throughout the country are see growing interest in sustainable development. Some ideas on how to take sustainability into account.
	Where's Art in Planning? (free download; use link to download article as pdf file) by Ric Stephens It's rare that art is considered relevant to planning -- and that's unfortunate.
Considering the Regional Impacts of Local Actions by C. Gregory Dale, FAICP Do we have an ethical responsibility to take into account the regional impacts of local land use decisions?
	CircleTheUSA Three reports from PCJ Editor Wayne Senville's travels: -- are Cleveland, Ohio, planners' new strategies for the reuse of vacant land realistic? -- how a Detroit, Michigan, suburb is seeking to reshape its future. -- why regional planners in northwest Indiana are focusing on 46 miles of lakeshore.

Recent Back Issues:	Special Focus Issues:
Summer 2009: Libraries at the Heart of Our Communities | Learn to Speak So People Will Listen | Are We There Yet? | Circle the USA Reports | and more	Winter 2006: Bright Ideas: 21 creative planning-related ideas & programs you should know about
Spring 2009: Getting the Density You Want | Growing Safer: Improving Roadways for Everyone | Dialing for Citizens | Learning to Enjoy Your Service on the Commission | and more	Fall 2005: This Land Is Your Land: on "takings" and property rights, and how planners can respond
Winter 2009: Managing Stormwater Runoff: A Green Infrastructure Approach | Taking Low Impact Development from Research to Regulations | The ABC's of Transit-Oriented Development | and more	Fall 2004: Back to School for Planners: on the impacts of school location, and the relationship between planning and school boards
Fall 2008: Pattern Books: A Planning Tool | GIS & Planning | Where Do We Want to Go? | and more	Spring 2004: Sphere of Influence: water and its impacts
Summer 2008: Greenways | Developing at the Edge | An Introduction to Charrettes | and more	Fall 2003: Planning for Historic Preservation: an introduction to historic preservation planning
Spring 2008: Car Sharing | Revisiting Ex Parte Contacts | Chairing the Commission | and more	Winter 2002: Opening the Door: planning for affordable housing
Winter 2008: Downtown Futures: continuing a series of reports from planners across the U.S., focusing on downtown issues	Spring 2000: The Promise of America: an historical look at 10 successes & 10 failures that having affected America's cities

Art & Soul in Planning

The Orton Family Foundation has done some terrific work in Vermont, Colorado, Maine, and other parts of the country in engaging citizens in local planning. A recent project of theirs in the small town of Starksboro, Vermont, is especially interesting as it uses storytelling and art as key elements in the planning process. Take a look at this short video. For more on the Starksboro project.

For more on the importance of the arts to local planning, see Ric Stephens' short article, "Where's Art in Planning" (free pdf download) from the Fall 2009 issue of the Planning Commissioners Journal.

Take a look also at our new Resource page on Art in Planning. It's a work in progress, and we'd welcome your suggestions for additional links or resources to cite.

Art, Traffic Calming, & Community

Is it possible to combine art, traffic calming, and community involvement? The answer in Ocean City, New Jersey, is a resounding "yes" -- as you'll see in this interesting 10 minute video. To learn more about Ocean City's Community Art Projects. Our thanks to Bryan Davis of the Chittenden County (Vermont) Regional Planning Commission for alerting us to this video. If there are any online videos you'd like to alert us to, email us at: pcjoffice@gmail.com

Walking through Pilsen

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville: You never know what you'll encounter in Pilsen -- a Chicago neighborhood I visited last month. The street art (in at least one case encompassing the exterior of an entire house) often involves political or religious themes of particular importance to the neighborhood's many Hispanic residents.

Murals can strengthen communities -- something I highlighted in a blog post last Summer while visiting the small town of Ely, Nevada. Take a look at some of the other Pilsen murals. This highly visible art seems to attract not just amateur photographers (like myself) but film crews, like the one we happened on while walking through the Pilsen neighborhood on a hot Friday afternoon.

Pilsen is one of a number of neighborhoods that make Chicago truly a mosaic of a city. For more on Pilsen's history.

What's Round, Weighs 250 Pounds ...

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

What's round, weighs 250 pounds, and plays a vital role in our cities and towns? Want another hint? It can be found just about everywhere you walk or drive. If you haven't guessed (or peeked at the photos), I'm talking about the ubiquitous manhole cover.

Yet it's worth giving them a moment's thought. Consider that besides being functional parts of a city's infrastructure, they can also be works of art. Certainly that's the case throughout Japan, where cities have their own distinctive manhole cover designs, and in other countries as well.

The top two manhole covers above are from Japan. Photos of many more of the remarkable Japanese manhole covers can be viewed on Flickr. See also the blog post, Street Art & Railway Melodies of Japan. I took the photo of the cover on the left in Acre, Israel (north of Haifa).

Even in the U.S., people are recognzing that manhole covers can add a bit of "art" underfoot. Denver, Colorado's Lower Downtown Historic District uses a quite distinctive manhole cover design (below left). And consider this comment from Ketchum, Idaho: "How can we make art part of our infrastructure?" asked Claudia McCain, a member of the Wood River Arts Alliance ... "Manhole covers, sidewalks, grates -- they can be made more attractive, exciting and inviting." See "Ketchum's Creativity Creates a Stir" (Idaho Mountain Express, March 21, 2007).

But also consider that manhole covers and other street gratings have a long and proud heritage, dating back to the middle of the 1870s. You might have a part of the 19th century in your own city or town.

Take a look, for example, at this 1895 Sewer Dept. manhole I came across while visiting the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Washington, D.C.

As Rob Goodspeed notes in a posting about D.C.'s manhole covers and grates, "beauty aside, to the informed reader manholes can tell a story about the history and function of the modern city."

Message on a Pole

I did a double-take when I passed this utility pole a block from my home last week (hit your browser's refresh button to re-run the photo sequence).

Photo taken on North Prospect Street, in Burlington, Vermont. I have no idea who put this worn and faded poster on the pole, or why. Is this graffiti, public art, or something else?

But seeing this poster did get me thinking about how we "communicate" with each other in our neighborhoods -- and how that's changing. More on this in my next post.

Taking Liberties

I'm taking the liberty of sharing a couple of photos -- and an interesting story -- with you.

Above, Lady Liberty in Dubuque, Iowa's Washington Park.To the right, another replica Lady Liberty that I photographed -- in this case, in front of the Finney County Courthouse in Garden City, Kansas. (Incidentally, this Courthouse has another claim to fame, it was the location of the 1960 murder trial of Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, recounted in Truman Capote's remarkable book, In Cold Blood).

But back to the Lady Liberties. What's the story about the origins of these 8 foot 4, copper-clad replicas?

Too Much Traffic in Your City?

If that's the case, you might want to consider installing one of these traffic signals!

It's actually (if you haven't guessed) a sculptural work -- by Pierre Vivant, installed in 1998 on London's Canary Wharf. It apparently replaced a dying plane tree. This photo is posted on Flickr -- if you search Flickr using the keyword "canary wharf tree" you'll find a number of other images.

I saw one web site raise a concern (facetiously?) that this kind of art might be illegal in Massachusetts, as being a "hoax device." But surely this is not an "infernal machine" -- needed for a hoax device to be illegal under Massachusetts law!

CHAPTER 266. CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY

Chapter 266: Section 102A1/2. Possession, transportation, use or placement of hoax devices ...

The Fountain of Time

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

Public art can enhance our lives -- and our cities. That's certainly the case in Chicago. 

I had some time while in Chicago a couple of weeks ago for the Greenbuild Conference to visit with my daughter. One thing we did was to go to Washington Park not far from the University of Chicago campus to see Fountain of Time, a magnificent sculptural work completed by Lorado Taft in 1922.

Made of reinforced concrete, Fountain of Time had deteriorated over time. But the city recently completed a major restoration of the sculpture.

It's a dramatic and moving work -- based on poet Henry Austin Dobson's line: "Time goes, you say? Ah no, Alas, time stays, we go."

Lorado Taft studied at the University of Illinois, and then at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. While best known for his book, The History of American Sculpture, Taft also sculpted a number of large-scale pieces.

[The photo of Taft on the right, from the University of Illinois web site, was taken in 1929.]

His last major design was the Pioneers and Patriots sculptural groups for the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, dedicated in 1932. Taft died four years later.

Note: public art, besides bringing us pleasure, knowledge, and emotional connections, can also bring other benefits. Take a look, for example, at the Project for Public Spaces' web page: How Art Economically Benefits Cities.