Big windows connect cafes to the street.
They extend the public realm inward; they create eyes on the sidewalk, and they signal openness.
One of the simplest ways to make a storefront feel like it belongs to the neighborhood or district.
#knowticingthecity #urbanobservations
Overflowing public trash bin on a Stockholm sidewalk at dusk, stacked with takeaway coffee cups and food packaging beneath a municipal sign reading “Tack för hjälpen!” while pedestrians walk past storefronts including Dr. Martens, the bin visibly beyond capacity
Cleanup request exceeded available attention
#stockholm #streetphotography #urbanlife #citystreets #sweden #scandinavia #everydaycity #publicspace #urbanrealism #citydetails #streetmoment #civiclife #urbanobservations #moderncity #nightblue #documentaryphotography #streetphoto #urbanstories
The other buildings of downtown: normative fabric. The everyday structures that don’t stand out, but frame the landmarks we notice. Often overlooked, they’re the backbone of downtowns. When cities value them, real local character emerges. #detroit #urbanobservations
Accessory Commercial Units. Commercial additions to residential buildings.
I see them as a viable option for intermittent amenity type neighborhood retail along tertiary res or comm corridors.
Of course, the aesthetics and strategic urban design application are crucial.
#urbanobservations
Talbot Street. #LeamingtonCanada #TodaysMainstreet
Visiting reminded me how smalltown mainstreets endure. Some struggle, others adapt, like Leamington. With well integrated new housing and #AdaptiveReuse, they can revive or continue to thrive. Big city avenues could learn a lot. #UrbanObservations
How do you keep an old historic market fresh in the face of competition from newer “food courts“?
It takes a mixture of old traditional vendors and new contemporary vendors, keeping up the authenticity while also keeping up with the times.
#urbanobservations
From the early anchors of Sugar Beach and the George Brown College buildings to the new additions of the extended waterfront promenade and community center, along with the new timber construction Limberlost building, the #toronto east bayfront is becoming its own unique place.
#urbanobservations
Parking lots in front of buildings.
Legacy anti-urban conditions such as this can be found in many traditional cities, big and small. The travesty is when we don’t learn from this and just repeat the mistakes of the past.
The city can’t out-suburb the suburbs. #urbanobservations
Jenoves Place in #Toronto sits tucked off Front St., buffered by apartment blocks north & south and townhouses east & west. Secluded yet accessible, it’s a fascinating typology of mixed densities responding to very different urban edges.
#urbanobservations
#NYC I’ve always been intrigued by the existing median spaces along Broadway as public space.
Why would people want to sit there?
I’ve noticed in my travels to New York that they seem to always be in use.
#todayspublicspace #urbanobservations
Chillin’ outside of the Bruges Tower. A place for respite, a place for waiting.
The accommodation of seating at buildings, in shade, is one of those little details that make for a delightful urban find. A place to meet, a place to gaze. A place to take in the urban environs.
#urbanobservations
Simple principles can lead to outstanding urbanism.
Materials, scale, simplicity, colour, view, informality…all can lead to a rich urban environment.
Too often we try too hard to create visual interest with our buildings and streetscapes, to the detriment of the environs.
#urbanobservations
Are public pools still a thing? I drove past a former one—now a substation—and started thinking. With the latest heatwave, their value is clear. But, many in NA have become splash pads, consolidated into large single sites, or residents-only, making access harder for many. #urbanobservations
During my recent tour in Boston, came across this interesting use of shipping containers dotted around the evolving Seaport area. These types of flexible , mobile uses are perfect for containers, ceating an intimate place for dining relaxing, and/or just watching the world go by. #urbanobservations
Clarendon Court.
ByWard Market. Ottawa.
I’ve always enjoyed this space and the architecture of the building that surrounds it.
The scale of the space, the permanence of the materials, and the sense of history that it imbues, make it a great example for #todayspublicspace .
#urbanobservations
Development grafted onto the exteriors of churches. Something I saw in Brussels, Ghent, and Amsterdam. Further research needed. There’s always some interesting anomalies that one finds when studying cities.That’s part of what makes studying cities so rewarding! #urbanobservations #globalurbanstudy
With each passing year, this sign becomes more and more prophetic. The real question becomes: Will we take advantage of the new opportunities that zoning changes bring? Time will tell. Soon. #UrbanObservations.
#MainStreets
Whether as active storefronts to sell wares, temporary display space, artistic expression to provide visual interest, or supplementing a blank wall with seating or graphics to give it life, the building wall is key to successful walkable/rollable experiences. #urbanobservations
We tend to debate about adding new buildings of different sizes, scales, and textures to the streetscape over time.
Yet, historically, it’s been done fairly well. Why?
The city is adaptive over time and its different eras can coexist if basic #urbanism is followed.
#urbanobservations
I love newsstands! Newsstands are a piece of urban infrastructure (along with hot dog vendors, food trucks, and the like) that add that special vibe to cities. Quite often it’s the little moves that create a memorable street experience. #urbanobservations #urbanelements #newstandsarecool
