August 7, 2005
Posted by Paula Thornton
Our buddy, MarK Hurst (of Good Experience fame), recently shared a link to a New York Times article, "Rethinking Skyways and Tunnels" (requires registration).
Based on my own experiences with Skywalks, in particular, I take issue with the conclusions drawn from the article. Or, I choose to point out that this is a far more complex economic exchange of tradeoffs such that the 'reasons' for decline in cities with these structures is not necessarily the result of the structures. Indeed, how much 'more personable' is a street-level sidewalk rather than either skyway or a tunnel, especially in extreme weather. Do you find your interactions more frequent with people on the street than in a similar walkway suspended or depressed? Are you looking for interactions or trying to just get somewhere?
...continue reading.
Comments (0)
+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Commentary
BOB JACOBSON is fascinated by the experience of experience. A planner and technologist, Bob has a Ph.D. in Urban Planning & Design from UCLA. He's been a policy researcher, technology CEO, science writer, and consultant. As a Fulbright Scholar, he studied cellular telephony's impacts on transborder communities in the Nordic Arctic Circle. Bob edited Information Design (MIT Press 2000) and is now writing a book on the theory and practice of creating edifying, transformative experiences.
PAULA THORNTON says, "Understanding human behavior (economics), optimizing interactions (design) and facilitating conversations (markets), are the means to achieve strategic differentiation. This is the focus of our discipline. It is not a 'nice to have'‚ and is not, like documentation once was, an afterthought. It is the means by which to start a strategic discussion and the means by which to drive a tactical initiative. All design should be evidence-based."
