Rendering of Cruise Terminal and spectator areas, SF Embarcadero (via AECOM)
Have you read about San Francisco’s preparations for the 2013 America’s Cup races? There’s going to be a lot of activity along the Embarcadero and SF Waterfront over the next few years, and it’s going to happen fast. While plans are not yet set, as funding is still being secured, it’s possible that SF will gain not only a new cruise terminal but also improvements to pedestrian and public transit infrastructure along the Embarcadero.
What do you think about the new cruise terminal, designed by Pfau Long and KMD? Do you think it’s going to improve the SF waterfront or is it just another Fisherman’s Wharf-style structure that you’ll never use unless you’re a visitor? What would you like to see happen to prepare SF for the America’s Cup? You can read more and see the renderings in my latest Inhabitat article here.
Have you seen a Parkmobile yet? You might have if you’ve been walking in downtown San Francisco near the MoMa or Yerba Buena Gardens! Be on the lookout for these bright red “dumpster” style boxed gardens – with attached benches – to roam about the district. Portable mini-gardens, the Parkmobiles will be moved periodically from parking space to parking space, taking advantage of a city permitting process for construction debris bins. CMG Landscape Architects has created Parkmobiles as part of the 10-year Yerba Buena Street Life plan, which aims to improve seating (thank god!) inadequate crosswalks (jaywalking downtown anyone?) and streetscapes (finally – a break in the gray concrete under gray skies!). Check out the cheery red mobile gardens next time you’re in the area. You can read more about the Street Life Plan and the Parkmobiles in my most recent article for Inhabitat.
I never heard of Alabama Chanin upcycled/“slow sewn”/sustainable couture until today. Check out that gorgeous corset made from teeshirts! I would love to sew myself something that gorgeous. I might have to check out her book. Anyone want to start a craft project with me?
Have you heard of Mat Pringle? He’s a British illustrator who took the California bear as a subject for a series of delightful illustrations. You should check out his website for more.
If I see one more “modern” home staged with those cowhide rugs, giant flatscreen TVs and faux eames rocking chairs, I’m going to scream. At least it seems like people have finally stopped stringing their balconies with metal cable willy nilly.
Urbanist and architect Inaki Echeverria has spearheaded a proposal to create a giant urban park and waterscape in the central Mexico City valley that would regenerate an area once covered by a now dissipated Lake Texcoco. A prime example of a human landscape, the endorheic lakes and swamplands of the Mexico City area have been engineered, diked, and diverted since the time of the emperor Montezuma I back in the early 1400s. Today, the area is underutilized and polluted, despite its modern-day function as a stopover for many important north-south migratory bird species. Echeverria’s concept is an example of waterscaping as urban architecture, with holding ponds and wetlands functioning to absorb storm runoff and act as wastewater treatment plants for the urban fabric of Mexico City. You can read more and see more renderings in my latest article.
Aerial rendering of SF (left) and Yerba Buena/Planned TI Development (right) via Skidmore, Owings + Merrill
The SF Board of Supes recently gave the go-ahead to a billion dollar plan to redevelop Treasure Island, a flat and wind-scoured artificial island built from fill in the 1930s. Envisioned as a a “green utopia”, there are serious doubts as to how sustainable a 19,000 inhabitant island community can be, considering it will be built on toxic weapons dumps and accessible mainly by car. Read more in my recent Inhabitat post, with architects renderings.
Check out my latest writeup of this design for a border crossing from Shenzhen to Hong Kong masquerading as a high-tech eco-utopia that would employ biofilters to absorb vehicular pollutants.
