The idea that city-dwellers live in ‘concrete jungles’ no longer holds true. According to a recent study, 30% of Australia’s threatened plant and animal species exist within urban landscapes.
So what does this mean?
Urban ecosystems aren’t an easy place for biodiversity to exist. But if we design our cities to manage biodiversity, argues urban ecologist Amy K Hahs, we all stand to benefit.
To build innovative, ecologically-designed ‘soft’ cities – cities that are healthier and more sustainable for both people and biodiversity – we have a lot of rethinking to do.
Read more about designing for urban biodiversity on Foreground.
Image: Moonee Valley Urban Ecology Park Scenario, Zoe Metherell.
The prophecies of Jane Jacobs:
“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”
These are the words of Jane Jacobs, a journalist, writer and activist whose considerable influence on American urban life continues to be talked about.
In books such as The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) Cities and the Wealth of Nations (1984), Jacobs critiqued urban planning policies that led to the decline of city neighbourhoods.
She believed sidewalks, stoops, laundries and mailbox areas were just some examples of ‘social hubs’, and that sterile, vacant outdoor spaces served nobody.
Much of what Jacobs espoused has become conventional wisdom, but urban life remains vulnerable to poor urban planning. Read more or seeCitizen Jane: Battle for the City at the upcoming Sydney Film Festival.
To celebrate the unveiling of the Piatto Chair at our annual product launch party with AILA NSW in Sydney, Jazz at The Mint, clients were invited to enter this quirky contest. The competition called for teams to incorporate Piatto Chairs into an ‘Awkward Family Photo’ portrait, for a chance to win Piatto Chairs of their very own. Congratulations to the creative crew from Yerrabingin, who delivered the strongest awkward family vibes on the night. Highly commended goes to the entrants below, and the full photo gallery from the event is available for viewing. Please contact marketing@streetfurniture.com if you would like to request a high res file to print and frame for your best room.
Clients from Sydney, Adelaide, California and Texas joined Street Furniture Australia and AILA NSW to celebrate the unveiling of new products on March 14, 2024, with margaritas and live music. Jazz at The Mint is an annual product launch held at The Mint, an iconic site in the heart of the Sydney CBD. It is an elegant affair and a unique opportunity to connect with landscape architects and built environment professionals at a global scale. This year’s party featured the new Linea Planter System and upcoming Piatto Chair, a single-seater hybrid between cafe and robust public space furniture – available now for specifications. The gathering was opened by Uncle Allan Murray, representing the Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council, with speeches from: Ben Stockwin, AILA CEO, acknowledged the 10 year relationship with …
The Street Furniture Australia factory, in Regents Park, Western Sydney, is both a manufacturing hub and R&D studio for our Australian-designed and made street furniture products. We run fun and informative group events for customers throughout the year, to share how products are designed, tested and built, and the latest products and projects. This tour is open to design specifiers such as landscape architects and architects, and place custodians including Councils, government agencies, developers and other place managers. Director of Tract Julie Lee said: “It was a great opportunity for our team to look behind the scenes and understand the innovation, research and climate positive outcomes Street Furniture Australia is focusing on. Thank you for having us!” Place Design Group Associate, Liam Isaksen, said: “The factory tour is a fun …
Science backs ‘forest bathing’: We knew we felt good after a long bush-bash on the weekend. Now science has more information as to why. The Japanese practice of forest bathing, says the World Economic Forum, is proven to lower heart rate and blood pressure, reduce stress hormone production, boost the immune system, and improve overall feelings of wellbeing. Not only are swathes of green nature said to be soothing, there may be a chemical reaction going on unseen to improve human health. Trees emit various essential oils known as phytoncide, to protect themselves from germs and insects – inhaling this seems to improve our immune system function. See the article here. Photo by Abdur Ahmanus on Unsplash. Are smart cities doomed to be stupid? Rem Koolhaas, Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and Professor in Practice …
7 park hacks for an aging population: Researchers from the Queensland University of Technology have engaged with older people living in high-density Brisbane, to come up with key design considerations for more usable and comfortable public spaces. Here are seven: A wide variety of places to sit, to enjoy being out in public and watching people. Usable, universal design seating – rather than having to sit on the grass – is especially important for older people as rest-stops or destinations. Hand rails on stairs and steep paths for safety and confidence. Drinking fountains and trees for shade and comfort. Plentiful and clean public toilets. The lack of such facilities can be debilitating and an obstacle to some older people’s enjoyment of the public realm. Wider paths and safer buffers between pedestrians and high-traffic roadways. Safer …
The best kindergarten you’ve ever seen: At Fuji Kindergarten outside Tokyo, kids are encouraged to follow their impulses to run, climb, slide and play. Their oval-shaped school, with a low round roof for infinite running games, is designed by Tokyo-based firm Tezuka Architects to dissolve boundaries and invite the outdoors inside. “We had to build around the trees already there on the land. It wasn’t easy — we couldn’t cut the roots, which spread as wide as the tree crowns. We added these safety nets so the students wouldn’t fall through the holes around the trees,” says designer Takaharu Tezuka. “But I know kids, and they love to play with nets. Whenever they see a hammock, they want to jump into it, to shake it. These were really just an excuse …
