Canadian based rock band Arcade Fire is one of those indie bands that has buck the trend instead of selling out or watering down as they get bigger they just keeps getting better. This week they introduced a revolutionary new music video format.

The Wilderness Downtown uses a mashup of Google’s Street View, HTML5 video and some impressive overlays to create a multimedia viewing experience. All you need to do is input the address you grew up in and it will build an immersive film by director Chris Milk with Arcade Fire‘s “We Used To Wait” around it.

I recommend watching it as soon as possible. While it is not perfect (few pioneering experiments are), it is an extremely cool idea put into action.

Screenshot via designboom.com

The video is especially powerful for me, as the move I grew up in, is the home I watched my first music video in and this memory is only strengthened by the nostalgic atmosphere of the video.

Caveat: The clip requires Google Chrome (or a fully HTML5 Compliant browser). If you aren’t already using it, you really should be, so use this opportunity to download it! Also, for best results, close as many running programs as possible, all the interactive goodness taxes even the speediest processors.

We Used to Wait is found on Arcade Fire’s latest album, The Suburbs. The entire album has an urban planning theme, which makes it all the more awesome. Canadian, interactive AND urbanist, what more could I want!?!

When I was going to school in Vancouver I shared a series of dingy basement suites with other people,  On had closet doors for walls, the other had ceilings that were so low, my friends had to stoop while inside (at 5’6” I was fine—barely).  But I didn’t really care, because my I only real slept, kept my meager belongings and had the odd meal there.

My real living space was the neighborhood around me the local park was my backyard where I could stretch my legs, get some exercise, or just relax with a good book. The local cafe was my living room, where I would hang out with friends. There was a repertory theater not too far away (for cheap) entertainment. The local pubs allowed me to keep up with my hockey fixation. When I was dead broke, I could always walk up and down the main drag, and be entertained by the sidewalk ballet that performed daily in front of me.

Sure you may say, but that was when you were young and single;  it isn’t a practical life for families. I would say you are wrong.  Sure there are practical reasons to raise kids in the suburbs (the quality of school skein a major consideration), but these can be overcome.

To this day, many of my friends have remained in the same neighborhood albeit moving ‘above ground’ to slightly larger, but still tiny by suburban standard apartments and subdivided houses. They now take the kids to the local parks and pools for entertainment and socialization. When they are school age, they are able to walk, with the other neighborhood children to and from the local school, and be baby-sat in the afternoons by the retired couple who live across the courtyard. Their kids learn to take public transit to get around, freeing themselves (and their parents) from being chauffeured in the family car.

Admittedly, this life is not for everyone.  But, in an era where the we are questioning the viability of the McMansions and basing our live savings on a wood and stucco box, it is appealing to an increasing number of people. So instead of thinking about the number of square feet you will have to give up if you move from a suburban home, start thinking about the amenities that you will gain (not to mention the time you will recover). For many of you, you will find it a more than favorable trade-off.



[Originally posted  on Phxated.com]

Right now, an important conversation is occurring about how people can, need to, and should engage civically, and with civil discourse toward a more positive evolution for our communities and state.

Five of Arizonaʼs premier organizations have come together over their collective concern for and impassioned work to inspire civic action and conversation-changing dialogue that leads to a better future for our state. The Arizona Foundation for Women, Arizona Town Hall, Girl Scouts – Arizona Cactus Pine Council, The Center for the Future of Arizona and The OʼConnor House have joined forces to support thoughtful civic engagement and civil dialogue.

On September 23, 2010, these groups are hosting Itʼs Up to Me AZ: A Day for Civic Action at the downtown Wyndham. This full day of programming will include gatherings and discussions focused on inspiring Arizonans to understand key issues, to plan their course of action, connect with one another and important resources, and to bring forth the leadership the state needs to achieve social and economic success.

The day’s activities begin at 7:30 a.m. and continue until 8:30 p.m.

They include:

• Who Votes? Who Helps? Who Speaks for Arizona? at 7:30 a.m.
• The Status of Women in Arizona: A Special Report and Call to Action by the Arizona Foundation for Women at 9:15 a.m.
• Arizona Town Hall Fall Luncheon starting at 10:30 a.m., lunch at noon.
• It’s Up To Me AZ: The Action Starts Now starting at 1:45 p.m.
• Inspiration & Action for AZ reception and dinner starting at 5:30 p.m.

Sign up and get more info here. Interested folks can sign up for the entire day’s slate ($200) or can pick events a la carte (as low as $free).

Special note: The afternoon session is meant to engage the broader community who might not be able to attend a full day event or cover the cost. The Itʼs Up to Me AZ: The Action Starts Now is only $10 for a dynamic session that will delve deep into your concerns and actionable ideas. Thatʼs why itʼs set for 1:45 p.m.-5 p.m. Several community leaders will be listening to the outcomes and discussing them at the eveningʼs dinner event, include former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OʼConnor. Students are welcome too!

In creating this event, the collaborative partners recognize the power and importance of the individualʼs voice to help reshape and define our state. They realize that it should not be just the traditional institutions and organizations that guide our future. The title “Itʼs Up To Me AZ” is meant to encourage each resident of our state to take on the responsibility to “be the change” they seek. More information on the event is available at: ItsUpToMeAZ.org.

To make sure that this is a dialogue that reaches as many Arizonans as possible, there is an active Facebook page to encourage discussion leading up to the September event. The “Itʼs Up To Me AZ” page is a virtual gathering place where residents can connect with one another and share ideas, questions, concerns and hopes for the future of Arizona. Please check it out and join the conversation. The input received on the FB page will be incorporated into the events on September 23rd.

For more information, please contact: Rhonda Bannard at 602.370.3560 or Yuri Artibise at 480.319.2067.

• Arcade Fire’s new album tackles suburban sprawl, providing compelling city planning commentary: With Arcade Fire’s latest album, urban planning has officially gone ‘pop’. (SPUR)

• Aesthetics and the City: Building Community: How a city’s aesthetic experience can amuse, start dialogue, inspire creative and, ultimately build community. (Huffington Post)

• Wrestling With Jane Jacobs: Bill Barnes of the National League of Cities argues that “we don’t need acolytes of Jane Jacobs; we need people who will think as hard and as well as she did about ‘the kind of problem a city is.’” (National League of Cities)

• Housing Fades as a Means to Build Wealth, Analysts Say: How and why the era of ‘real restate as investment ‘is over… for good. (New York Times)

• Great Good Places: New restaurants that look like they’ve been part of their neighborhoods forever all share a subtle but ambitious social agenda: to create and celebrate community.(MetropolisMag.com)

Photo Credit: Nick Bastian on Flickr

‘Mixed-use’ is one of the most over-used, yet most misunderstood phrases in urban development. In recent years, ‘mixed-use buildings’ has become the new planning dogma, just like ‘specialized buildings’ was before it.

Many cities have invested a lot of money in developing mixed-use buildings, streets and neighborhoods, but haven’t achieved the urban vibrancy they want. This is often times because their underlying urban fabric remains coarse (i.e. large and monotonous).

In most new urbanist mixed-use developments the residential units are often all high-end condos and the retail is usually a series of chain stores. Moreover, little in the neighborhood is more than a few years old. Thus, although the uses may seem mixed, the culture is monolithic. At the same time, many arts districts face the same fate of attracting monolithic culture (albeit completely different from the previous example). A block of live work galleries doesn’t make for a vibrant neighborhood bur rather an artists ghetto.

Looking for a Phx

In downtown Phoenix, these two extremes are seen in the artist collectives and bars that have functioned, but never flourished along Grand Ave for the past decade or so on one hand; and the monotonous collection of upper middle-class restaurants and retail outlets being rolled out at CityScape on the other.

The reason that these types of mixed-use areas fail to live up to expectation is that they are too economically—and therefore, functionally limited—to be lively, interesting and convenient for a range of people. They lack the intermingling of class and functionality that offer the stimulation and interest essential to a vibrant urban core.

So the question remains: If mixed-use isn’t the answer, what it?

Urban Diversity

Perhaps a better way of looking at mixed use, is ‘diversity’. This was a basis tenant of Jane Jacobs in her classic tome, The Death and Life and Great American Cities. Diversity, according to Jacobs, isn’t simply a mix of uses but an integration of business types:

Photo Credit: UrbanGrammar on Flickr

“True diversity requires the “mingling of high yield middling yield, low yield, and no-yield enterprises” —Jane Jacobs

To me, “mixed use” means more than mixing residential and commercial. It also means proximity to other uses like schools/universities, parks, museums, courthouses, industries, meditation, train stations, etc. The reality is that not every building needs to have multiple uses or tenants but each block should and each neighborhood must.

These kinds of destinations help to define a city’s identity. They do so through the variety of uses and public spaces that highlight local assets and unique talents and skills of the community—educational, cultural, and commercial—that are all open and available to all visitors to enjoy for free.

Such neighborhoods allow residents to visit, become involved and stay awhile. They are not defined by architecture, but rather the uses that are front and center and the buildings and design elements that support them.

Replacing Mixed with Multiple

“It is fatal to specialize… the more diverse we are in what we can do the better.” —Jane Jacobs

Perhaps then it is time to move beyond the simple concept of ‘mixed use’ to a more robust style of development. The time of simply thinking of urban development as “Starbucks over condos, maybe with a train that comes every day” has passed.

Instead we need to start thinking of creating neighborhoods that build authentic places through multiple uses that are intimately related, interconnected and interdependent. After all, true urban diversity comes from the relationships between uses, tenants, and the organizations within a place.



I wanted to let my Arizona based readers know of an upcoming event that you may be interested in. I know the organizers and many of the presenters and promise that it will be a great introduction to social media for businesses and entrepreneurs.

Please note that I am an affiliate of SMAZ 3 and if you use this link to register I will earn a small percentage of the ticket sale.

A full access ticket costs $120. There are special deals for students ($25) and non-profits ($85).

Social Media for Business AZ is the largest Social Media event focused on business in Arizona.  Want to learn about Social Media and Digital Marketing focused on business?  This is the event you should attend!

Thursday, September 9th, 2010 from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM, MapCap Theater, 730 S Mill Ave, Tempe.

SMAZ is a business-focused event designed to help businesses understand, improve and learn about Social Media. Learn from Industry Experts and Corporations that are well versed in using Social Media to reach and support their clients. Presenters range from Fortune 200 executives to Social Media authors and SEM architects with years of experience willing to share the challenges and rewards of implementing internal and external Social media strategies. Learn policies, processes, tool sets, and monitoring techniques from the experts.  Bring your questions and meet the right people.

Interested?  You can register HERE.

The Ever Growing list of Speakers & Panelists include:

• Greg Chapman President, Sitewire
• Matt O’Brien President, Mint Social
• Michael Roberts President, SpyFu
• Sheila Kloefkorn Founder & President, KEO Marketing
• Katie Van Domelen Social Media Manager, Off Madison Ave.
• Bart Steiner CEO and Founder, BulbStorm
• Arnie Kuenn President, Vertical Measures
• Laurie G Buczek Enterprise 2.0 Program Manager, Intel Corporation
• Tiffany Winman Social Media Strategist, IBM
• Fred von Graf Managing Partner, Web3Mavens, LLC
• Mike Corak - Vice President of Strategy, Tallwave
• Bret Giles President, AgencySide
• Linda Gorman, Director Public Affairs, AAA Arizona
• Jeff Moriarty Director Social Media, Sitewire
• Evo Terra Digital Marketing Strategist, Sitewire
• Fionn Downhill President, Elixir Interactive
• Dean Wright Vice President Marketing, Crexendo
• Still More Coming Soon!

• Click here for bios!

Interested yet? Please register HERE.

Why join us?

• Focus on Real World experiences!
• Learn from and meet the best in the business!
• The major Digital Agencies will all be there.
• Everything from the 101 session, Small / Medium Business to Enterprise.
• Join our panel of experts in a comfortable environment allowing for direct interaction.  Ask questions that are pertinent to your organization.
• Hear and see how other companies are approaching Social Media, the challenges and successes.
• Case Studies will be emphasized, real world information!
• What tools are being using?
• How do you measure success?
• How do you convince your management?
• What questions do you need to ask to be successful?
• How to address corporate policies around Social Media?
• Meet others with similar goals and make new connections.
• Oh and there’s some great food too.
• Exceptional prizes are being given away as well!

For additional information please go to: SocialMediaAZ.org

Use #SMAZ on Twitter: SMAZ conversations on Twitter

Register HERE.

Ooops. I missed my weekly Friday 5 post this week! To make it up, I’ll include a bonus article this week. So here is the ‘Saturday 6’: a selection of the articles I found interesting over the past week.

• Free Parking Comes at a Price: Economist Tyler Cowan reminds us that free parking, which many people see as an entitlement, is actually a subsidy that wastes space and money. (New York Times)

• Planning, Not Just for Planners: Why the future of our cities should not be confined to file cabinets in municipal offices, or at best, grad school charrettes. (Next American City)

• Use it (transit) to lose it (weight): How light rail help communities lose weight. (NRDC Switchboard)

• A Scene for City Life: Not a traditional post, but an evocative description of city life. (Streaka Institute)

• Tolerance and a mosque: Tolerance is an essential aspect of urban life and western democratic principles. (Chicago Tribune)

• Libraries Advance Against All Odds: Returning to their forgotten roots may help libraries succeed in the future. (Citiwire)

On Monday, I was invited to take part in Arizona State University’s Barrett’s Urban Experience. BUE is a 4-day intensive introduction to downtown Phoenix for Barrett Honors College freshmen enrolled in programs at ASU Downtown. After participating last year, I was asked to make another presentation on “Placemaking and Phoenix.”

Here is a copy of my presentation:

Overall, the 4 day program provided a good overview of what living in downtown Phoenix is all about. Highlights include a public art tour, a trip to the Downtown Public Market (including a discussion about community food by Maya Daily of Maya’s Farm), a talk about Local First, and a tour of Roosevelt Row, among other things.

Unfortunately, a planned visit to Grand Ave was quashed by the bureaucrats in the ASU Office of Student Engagement due to safety and security concerns. However, Barrett students will get a second chance to check out the vibrant neighborhood during the Grand Avenue Festival on September 25, 2010.

This year, local architect and good friend Taz Loomans joined me. We were supposed to share the morning with Tony Arranaga, the Light Rail Blogger. Tony was going to take the students on a light rail tour. Alas Tony fell ill that morning and Taz and I fileld in for him. While I’m sure that we didn’t do Tony justice, we did manage to show them a few of our favorite haunts along light rail, including a stop at Lux for a refreshing lemonade.

When we made it back downtown, we gathered at the Phoenix Urban Research Laboratory (PURL)—probably my favorite space in Phoenix—to give our talks. During my presentation, I realized that the 1,100 ASU students living at Taylor Place represent a significant percentage of the 6,000-8,000 residents of the downtown core. More importantly, they represent an even bigger part of the ‘creative class’ that downtown is so eager to cultivate.

As a result of their sheer presence, these students have become ‘urban pioneers’ whether they like it or not. Their very presence will help shape the services and types of businesses, entertainment and public spaces in our city’s downtown core. (It isn’t a mere coincidence the Mill Ave was once the urban hub of the Valley, at least until the chains moved in).

This is a fact that is too often overlooked, by not only the developers but also the mayor and city government. Instead of meeting the needs of existing residents, these so-called leaders are futilely trying to attract suburbanites and their sales tax dollars by mimicking the corporate schlock that is readily available elsewhere in the Valley. (Again, Mill Ave shows the danger of corporatizing an urban environment).

The good side is that these student genuinely seem happy attending classes in downtown (several noted that they specifically chose to attend programs at the downtown campus over ones in Tempe). The majority have spent their entire lives in small towns our suburban environments and are looking forward to being able to actively participate in urban life.

Be sure to check out Taz’s account of the event. she has some very similar observations, not surprising since we were there together!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Light Rail runnin’ (tdhurst.com)
• Urban Thinking (yuriartibise.com)
• Let’s Hear It For Phoenix (jennifermaggiore.com)

Five article that  I think you’ll enjoy:

Image: Amy Casey, Courtesy of Zg Gallery, Chicago (via NYT)

• Home for Life. Allison Arieff takes a look how resale value has hijacked home design, and how the real estate meltdown may allow us to again think of our houses not as investments but as homes. (NYT Opinionator Blog)

• What Would Get Americans Biking to Work? How decent bike parking could revolutionize American cities. (Slate)

• Economic development gets sustainable. Evidence shows we’re rapidly evolving toward sustainable economic development as the norm (Cooltown Studios)

• How much do you spend on transport? A new application gives homebuyers and renters a more realistic picture of what it costs to live in auto-dependent neighborhoods. (Grist)

• Spontaneous order on the road. What happened when a small town in Britain turned its traffic lights off (video below). (Marginal Revolution)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi0meiActlU

• Barry Weisberg on “The Rights of the City”: A provocative post (and podcast) on the need for a ‘new paradigm of governance’ that is less dependent on the nation-state and more focused on the city. (Chicago Public Radio)

• Beyond decibels: Planning the new sounds of the city: City-dwellers may hate traffic noise and loud, late parties, but they enjoy a “vibrant calm” soundscape, says Trevor Cox, and we should cultivate it. (New Scientist)

• Saving Shrinking Cities: Roberta Brandes Grantz takes a look at the rise and fall of neighborhoods and how plans to ‘shrink’ cities and demolish neighborhoods are the latest is a wave of misguided plans destined to fail. Instead of taking things away, Brandes Grantz argues that we should be adding something positive. (Huffington Post)

• Wet day, cold beer and a warm smoke: What makes a city livable? Tyler Hurst argues that it isn’t light rail or shiny new parks, bur rather the ability to enjoy simple pleasures. I agree. (tdhurst)

• Why Isn’t Traffic Reduction a Top Public Health Concern? Traffic is the leading cause of death among children worldwide and the leading cause of death among 1-34 year olds in the United States. So, why isn’t traffic considered a top threat to public health? (StreetsBlog)