tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21382203101693661652024-03-05T05:42:31.811-08:00narrow streets: los angelesa fantasy urban makeover in photographsDavid Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.comBlogger175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-50163440358351717722013-07-15T08:27:00.003-07:002013-07-15T08:27:56.773-07:00thanks for reading.<div id="titleRepeat">
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It's been forever since a post, so I wanted to let everyone know what's going on. I've been busy working on my own company, <a href="http://www.yoonco.net/">YoonCo</a>, and developing products that help people discover interesting things about themselves. Stuff like:<br />
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<li><a href="http://www.yoonco.net/timelined/">Timelined</a>, a visual, zoomable multi-timer that lets you track things to see interesting patterns of behavior emerge</li>
<li><a href="http://www.yoonco.net/sorta.htm">Sorta</a>, a small journal notebook (yes, paper) that lets you add, remove, and rearrange pages however you wish.</li>
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There's lots of other fun stuff in the pipeline, like the word game <a href="http://www.yoonco.net/fonetik.htm">Fonetik</a> as well as the potential for coffee table book versions of both Narrow Streets: Los Angeles and my other somewhat popular blog <a href="http://microlawns.tumblr.com/">Microlawns</a>. </div>
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This frenzy of activity means I won't be updating Narrow Streets anymore. Thanks everybody for your kind readership, passion, and participation. Onward to the next adventure!</div>
David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-11074452006769935262011-12-03T07:20:00.000-08:002011-12-03T07:20:00.657-08:00Friday Favorites: Point Richmond, California.<img class="standard" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5041/5255537177_ff69b8ac86.jpg" />
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Walk Eagle Rock (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkeaglerock/5255537177/in/set-72157625476046153/">photos</a>, <a href="http://walkeaglerock.wordpress.com/">blog</a>) sends in this lovely little path that also happens to be a two-way street. Yes, drivers, taking turns is a perfectly reasonable way of traveling!David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-52689108574256380262011-08-05T09:43:00.001-07:002011-08-05T09:44:45.042-07:00friday favorites: "the angels" by givot<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19310350?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0"></iframe><div id="titleRepeat"></div> Happy Friday, everyone. Have a magical weekend.David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-10426539101590787362011-07-27T07:42:00.000-07:002011-07-27T07:48:49.547-07:00julie kim's hammock coffee table in the city<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/25165858?byline=0&portrait=0&color=ffffff" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><div id="titleRepeat"></div> Local furniture-maker and space designer Julie Kim put her newly-designed <a href="http://rancho.jaymung.com/index.php?/furniture/the-hammock-coffee-table/" target="_blank">hammock coffee table</a> at a bus stop on the corner of 6th + Vermont in K-Town, just to see what would happen. <br /><br />Okay, not a whole lot happens, but the concept is a really good one: let's make bus stops, I don't know...nicer? So more people will actually want to ride the bus, and all that good critical mass stuff? I would love to see more experiments of urban guerrilla beautification like this!David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-62170834232812150242011-07-23T20:55:00.000-07:002011-07-23T20:59:00.647-07:00Las Vegas Strip (II)<img class="after" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6016/5969099050_297c28a82f.jpg"><img class="before" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6010/5969099520_bf11d21c00.jpg"><div id="titleRepeat"></div> Another view of the Vegas Strip, including Treasure Island, the Palazzo, the Wynn & Encore, and the Stratosphere off in the distance, with the street squeezed down to just one lane. <a href="#" class="reveal">See it narrowed!</a>David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-73703163992692443832011-07-22T09:15:00.000-07:002011-07-22T09:15:01.181-07:00friday favorites: asheville, north carolina<img class="after" src="http://www.iihs.org/research/qanda/images/Asheville_after.jpg"><img class="before" src="http://www.iihs.org/research/qanda/images/Asheville_before.jpg"><div id="titleRepeat"></div> A discussion about skewed intersections on Streetsblog's Google Group led to alternate intersection designs, which led me to this very postiive FAQ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety about roundabouts: those momentary shifts from cartesian to polar (and back) that people seem to be so afraid of, but actually are safer for everyone—and all at a drastically reduced maintenance cost, too! My favorite is this before-and-after conversion in Asheville. I took a Segway tour that crossed this lovely part of downtown. <a href="#" class="reveal">See it rotarized!</a>David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-59896029984755662692011-07-15T09:00:00.000-07:002011-07-15T09:20:46.636-07:00friday favorites: washington street, norwalk, connecticut<img class="after" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtG6znRU_pBsaYKd0p9H7GBedfQkaZwuqDWXIL5fTnjkRR-KT6BCkAJK9IOP7frkjnc2Wu1nKdEQq03P1kLCpcxuo8EN22u_ojGZIkQWetsXcpBMZAbTZRPM8JHZI5BUEi_EinZr1SQ/s400/washst_narrowed.jpg"><img class="before" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuqVtEdsiNSzMoT_2hSw4rqz8Re-GW2mNDLvkVGFFyK9uUVVC7PVQTABSkhwgLxNdKsjd_wefqgN7FLho-LkTnXrQuD8F619IB_7IciLCDmeT-Nc0s_zkJzfOicpa4k_u5qIIqhQpgw/s400/DSC04339.JPG" height=310 width=400><div id="titleRepeat"></div> Finally, finally getting around to sharing this <a href="http://oldurbanist.blogspot.com/2011/03/thinking-small-narrow-streets-movement.html" target="_blank">great post by Charlie Gardner at Old Urbanist</a> with some nicely articulated thoughts (as well as resource links) about the value of narrow streets. He even squeezed down the street above to illustrate his point, drawing inspiration from Nieuwendijk in Amsterdam and...me! <br /><br />Be sure to check out the lively debate that ensues in the comments (are cities just shopping malls?) as well as the rest of his blog. <a href="#" class="reveal">See it narrowed!</a>David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-24819053621395614262011-07-13T08:26:00.000-07:002011-07-13T08:50:15.699-07:00Las Vegas Strip (I)<img class="after" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6149/5933488583_471575ce57.jpg"><img class="before" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6028/5934049676_5494860870.jpg"><div id="titleRepeat"></div> I followed <a href="http://www.nicolayoon.com/" target="_blank">my wife</a> to a work junket in Las Vegas recently (where randomly enough, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidyoon/5566446088/" target="_blank">Ben Mezrich</a> spoke and later ate steak at my dinner table), and I took a break to wander up and down the city's famous Strip. Architects and brainy types love Vegas because of the purity of its simulacra, its uber-meta-ness. I kinda agree. Vegas is so proudly...<em>artificial</em>. No one goes to Las Vegas because of anything inherent to its geography, besides maybe the hot weather. Las Vegas might as well exist at the bottom of the sea next to Rapture—as long as you could still fly there from LA in less than an hour, I doubt anyone would care. People go to Vegas because it's Vegas, and there's no place else like it. <br /><br />That's why I've always been confused by the mind-boggling width of the Strip itself, which at around ten lanes seems to be stubbornly preoccupied with almighty transport as its main function—on paper. It's as if the city planners are still in denial about what the Strip really is: a huge adult amusement park and pedestrian haven for tourists from all over the world, all strolling up and down nursing their yard-long margaritas dangling from souvenir lanyards. Amusement parks don't have freeways running through them. So why not make the Strip feel more like the Disneyland of Sin that it is? <a href="#" class="reveal">See it narrowed!</a>David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-26434229681271708112011-01-16T11:51:00.000-08:002011-07-13T08:51:59.007-07:00NS:LA in MAS Context architectural journal<a href="http://www.mascontext.com/issue08_public/narrow_streets_los_angeles/index.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5164/5360607671_73bd0af0cc.jpg" class="standard"></a><div id="titleRepeat"></div> Got a lovely package in the mail last week: the latest issue of MAS Context, the architectural & urban design journal created by Iker Gil and co. at MAS Studio architects in Chicago, Illinois! This issue is entitled "PUBLIC."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mascontext.com/issue08_public/narrow_streets_los_angeles/index.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5166/5361220942_1217cd6215.jpg" class="standard"></a><br /><br />In addition to my NS:LA spreads, this issue is chock-full of really great, thought-provoking material about how public spaces can represent so many possibilities to local communities. Really awesome stuff. One of my favorites has to be <a href="http://www.mascontext.com/issue08_public/shanghai_streets/index.html" target="_blank">this gorgeous photo essay</a> on Shanghai's older, more multi-functional streets, where village activities spill out onto thoroughfares. I had the pleasure of witnessing scenes like this when I was traveling there back in college:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mascontext.com/8-public-winter-10/shanghai-streets/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.mascontext.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/08_shanghai_streets_03.jpg" class="standard"></a><br /><br />The issue available to <a href="http://www.mascontext.com/issue08_public/narrow_streets_los_angeles/index.html" target="_blank">read online</a>, but do yourself a favor and <a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/mas-context---issue-8---public/14327829" target="_blank">order a printed copy</a> of the real deal to get the full effect. It's a bundle of inspiration you'll want to keep nearby for spontaneous reference.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/mas-context---issue-8---public/14327829" target="_blank">Order MAS Context: PUBLIC on Lulu</a>David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-55051513272210220202011-01-16T11:38:00.000-08:002011-01-16T12:31:49.907-08:00the geography of somewhere group exhibit in echo park: pix!<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidyoon/4782490798/in/photostream/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4782490798_25efe0b2fa.jpg" class="standard"></a><div id="titleRepeat"></div> Those are my prints (on the left) from the <a href="http://unityla.org/shows/somewhere" target="_blank">Geography of Somewhere</a> exhibit back in July 2010. More on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidyoon/4782490798/in/photostream/" target="_blank">my photostream</a>.David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-43097598366530041642010-11-29T06:35:00.000-08:002010-11-29T06:47:01.427-08:00pacific coast highway, santa monica<img class="after" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5163/5212280078_c124282c9d.jpg"><img class="before" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5286/5212280576_52ba2b7987.jpg"><div id="titleRepeat"></div> <br />My wife, who grew up near the sleepy beach towns of Jamaica, asks me every time we drive along PCH: who decided to put a freeway next to the ocean? Blemishing the very thing that makes California so famous? We Angelenos have grown used to the mayhem that happens along this famously fast stretch of road, and not just certain Ferrari Enzos sliced in half by crazed millionaires and careening jaunts by drunk neo-Nazi celebrities — crashes on PCH are a regular part of our morning commute. The road is another classic example of the Angelene Paradox: almost daily violence and road rage, but in an idyllic setting. Part of me wishes we could do a better job of living up to our laid-back reputation, but I know better. Hawaii has its traffic jams, for instance. Crime happens in the Bahamas. No place perfectly aligns with its ideal image. But couldn't we, you know, maybe try a little? <a href="#" class="reveal">See it narrowed!</a>David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-35357477822801504512010-09-22T06:59:00.000-07:002011-07-11T07:04:25.498-07:00"narrow" is to "streets" as "micro" is to<a href="http://microlawns.tumblr.com/"><img class="normal" src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lnblfxFmy01qa49dwo1_500.jpg"></a><div id="titleRepeat"></div><a href="http://microlawns.tumblr.com/">lawns.</a> Microlawns, another <a href="http://microlawns.tumblr.com/">photo blog</a> of mine you may find amusing. It's still urban portraiture, but it's less critique and more absurdist snark. ^_^David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-23978342347921339362010-07-30T10:11:00.000-07:002010-07-30T10:22:21.987-07:00Denton, Texas traffic engineer: "The cyclist should consider actuating the pedestrian push button."<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquJOwsEOahdtZ7sZuAX6UNXfurklFKHhuBg_P5nmSBw-Hzbh5gpA-M8pMdlozJam1HxVVpIVx7rCWBvrELcks0atgWvEtOXmO2JgXR5rf6HZgvUNoqm9Qy9HDYOxUHYoFJ5xO6RlAfHw/s400/denton_TX.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499749402245958562" /><div id="titleRepeat"></div> Amazing quote from the Head Traffic Engineer in Denton, Texas that pretty much sums up the infrastructural corner we've painted ourselves into. Behind all the technical smoke-and-mirror excuses lies a simple unwillingness to question the wisdom of initial urban design mistakes made long ago.<br /><blockquote>"It is worth noting that there are no known published national, TxDOT or regional metro policies/standards/guidelines/etc concerning what a "safer" timing is for a bicyclist at a signalized intersection. There are substantial timing and traffic mix/volume variations at every intersection in Denton, further complicating a determination of what a "safer" timing might be that would not only be beneficial to a cyclist but also be defendable in the event of litigation. <a name='more'></a><br /><br />Inductive loops are installed in the pavement, and an electrical current is sent through it to set up a magnetic flux, which when passed over by a ferrous material, disrupts the flux and in so doing the controller "assumes" there is an object that needs to be serviced. The problem with this technology with regard to a bicycle is that with more and more bikes being made mostly of aluminum, polycarbon, composites and the like, there is less and less iron in the bicycle to be detected. Even specialized inductive loops installed near the gutter exclusively for bikes are becoming more and more ineffective. That is why on heavily traveled bike routes, some "bike friendly" agencies are beginning to install bike push buttons (works the same as the pedestrian push buttons mentioned herein above). Standard vehicle loops are installed in the middle of a travel lane and are typically four to six feet wide. Therefore, a cyclist that is riding near the gutter, even if he is on a bike that has enough iron in it to be detectable by the loop, would not be picked up because he would be outside the detection zone. Because of the likelihood of a bicycle not being detected, even if it occupies an inductive loop, one would have to add green time to each phase and cause it to happen continuously (24/7). For a random and infrequent event, this means that the controller cannot cycle as fast and therefore will cause delay (lost time) and greater pollution (because of the greater vehicle idling) for the cross street traffic, thus defeating the benefits of the bicycle. Placing a "T" marking for a standard vehicle detection zone would require a cyclist to occupy the center of the travel lane, placing them at greater risk with vehicles doing the same thing. The detection of the bike would be suspect and so could cause the phase to be skipped because a vehicle with enough iron was not on the loop, creating further issues. <br /><br />For these reasons, rather than attempting to modify signal timings and equipment to accommodate this highly variable demand, it might be preferable to provide public education indicating that if a cyclist is concerned about the amount of green time that might be provided at any particular intersection because of little or no vehicle activations, that cyclist should consider actuating the pedestrian push button for the signal, thereby obtaining more green time for crossing the street. This type of public education could be provided on the City’s website, possibly on DTV or on one of the local bicycle advocacy web pages."</blockquote><br />Via <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/streetsblog-network/browse_thread/thread/f3e678d561509bc3?hl=en" target="_blank">Google Groups</a>.David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-71838785857747799182010-07-08T09:55:00.000-07:002010-07-08T10:03:42.794-07:00"the geography of somewhere" group exhibit in echo park<img class="standard" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdfJVpteIyYiKKRxQem8_DUGb7foyE2q-S4nCfewoyjJu-sfBQO4wrYfmPjEQlwY7Dy8mF1yVLGEbfPOev8PlWxN64_ckqxabZMwufCk-BNnRr1kJtoy6S-lo3NbotI49JtROq0VrWP8/s400/Untitled-1.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491581975156594034" /><div id="titleRepeat"></div> Sorry about the lack of posts lately--I had some writing deadlines to take care of, which sucked away all my time. But if you wanna catch up, meet me in Echo Park where I'll be showing Narrow Streets photos in a group art exhibit. Woo hoo! <br /><br />Fellow artists include Carlos Reynoso, Christopher Bibby, and Joseph Powers Bowman. Should-be-could-be fun!<br /><br />The show opens tomorrow (July 9) and runs until July 28 at the Echo Park Curiosity Shop ("Echo Curio") at 1519 Sunset Blvd in Echo Park. <a href="http://unityla.org/shows/somewhere/details" target="_blank">More show details</a>.David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-28388509955375555922010-06-17T07:53:00.000-07:002010-06-17T08:11:14.434-07:006th street + spring street, downtown (II)<img class="after" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2728/4504011319_4f1b0ec54d.jpg"><img class="before" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4504011533_f29f0b63c4.jpg"><div id="titleRepeat"></div> I'm endlessly fascinated by Downtown LA. It teems with life during the weekday; at night and on weekends, it becomes a zombie-filled ghost town worthy of a level design from <i>Left 4 Dead</i>. It is crowded with buildings but at the same time overbuilt for cars — a paradox that leaves it neither here (is it a city?) or there (is it a suburb?). The photo above shows what Angelenos would consider a "small" street at only five cars wide. A similarly-sized street in New York City, by contrast, would be considered a major conduit. 8th Ave, for instance, is as wide as the street above because it borders crowd magnets like Madison Square Garden and Penn Station — makes sense, right? But that's New York City, which has a variety of street sizes befitting local use: one-lane roads for residential neighborhoods, and larger arteries for heavily trafficked areas. In Los Angeles, on the other hand, <i>every</i> street behaves as if it were a regional conduit regardless of actual, boots-on-the-ground use. The city becomes merely a place to pass through, not a destination unto itself, leaving only the roar of traffic and the crazed bellowing of its down-and-out street denizens echoing off its walls. <a href="#" class="reveal">See it narrowed!</a>David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-57981785578701943062010-06-04T08:23:00.000-07:002010-06-04T08:24:46.213-07:00friday favorites: power line-free streets<a href="http://donquiposte.blogspot.com/2009/07/conselheiro-nebias-ficaria-linda.html" target="_blank"><img class="standard" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIlGhIXmPVx3igJk-zMvhkNW1I5QE_i-8x_aknwxsHjBNUJaOC11nCYxkSDE_KMI03-pMD34c4qexsxHGmvqEiLT-BVRD1CVbZl2nLZe8IR1shm4xdZ2vs4yR12SjX2nkqN2IuJFzLAk/s400/se-a-conselheiro-nebias-nao-tivesse-postes-grande.jpg"></a><div id="titleRepeat"></div> The wonderfully-named Don Quiposte takes streets in Santos, Brazil and re-imagines them without all those unsightly power lines. Her results are quite satisfying, like clearing cobwebs or untangling a big mess of computer cables at home. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.donquiposte.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img class="standard" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYAADwOY0URIuZ03DdAW16BYMUqvVI9CSJNVXJuWxmBcSmP5UnlOHgQEzfPn-VLj4i_PM4-kzc1xZMxpWwcdu0YQymPLQYmYgbKX_sD3NmnVu83ze4Fulr-gcEb_I3YGLXSvn6UfIdBE/s400/jogo-dos-7-erros.jpg"></a><br /><br />From her profile: <br /><blockquote>Don Quiposte is an urban activist with the impossible mission of finishing with the electric postes of Santos- Brazil and other cities. Her motto is Impossible is Nothing.</blockquote><br />Visualizations like hers do a great job of showing the real priorities of a street's design (is it a place for living? Or an electrical conduit?). More photos and commentary at <a href="http://www.donquiposte.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Don Quiposte</a>.David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-32990756342851389962010-06-04T08:15:00.000-07:002010-06-04T08:25:41.312-07:00press log: quesabesde<a href="http://www.quesabesde.com/noticias/flashazos-camaras-alpa-lujo,1_6431" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgAGX9aTeB9kwnRyyjZR9ai1Swh0qaV1EWc3DXkF-lFXMIZSx2qX61qbEuLPGt6GFSCXjaEcR6IGyOw3K50pUQbBVCV89RQ2xquJ3JTT7SA4e8sSk86ECIlVyzuRgiOrT1q7ggRO6PlA/s400/Screen+shot+2010-06-04+at+8.17.49+AM.png" class="logo"></a><div id="titleRepeat"></div>Hooray! It's always nice to get a mention in one of my favorite blogs — Quesabesde, a camera geek blog, <a href="http://www.quesabesde.com/noticias/flashazos-camaras-alpa-lujo,1_6431" target="_blank">re-posted</a> my how-to video. From the article:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight:bold;">El hombre que estrechaba calles.</span> No, no se trata del poder de un nuevo superhéroe… a menos que el dominio de Photoshop sea considerado como tal.</blockquote>David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-29871975363562015172010-06-04T08:11:00.000-07:002010-06-04T08:25:33.424-07:00press log: adobe blogs<a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2010/05/video_handmade_content-aware_scale.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogs.adobe.com/adobe-lq.png" class="logo" style="height:72px;width:43px;"></a><div id="titleRepeat"></div>Nice little <a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2010/05/video_handmade_content-aware_scale.html" target="_blank">re-post</a> of my how-to video by Adobe's <a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/about.html" target="_blank">John Nack</a>.David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-18905572077443573752010-06-01T12:28:00.002-07:002010-06-01T12:48:15.837-07:00wilshire corridor<img class="after" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2649/4086955277_75f16886ac.jpg"><img class="before" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2495/4087712114_19f6e06d36.jpg"><div id="titleRepeat"></div> I like to think of Wilshire Corridor as LA's own sort of Upper East Side Park Avenue, with its long stretch of luxury condo high-rises catering to the older wealthy. I can even imagine Eloise traipsing along, au pair in pursuit, on her way from Westwood to Beverly Hills. But as with all things Los Angeles, this east coast facsimile has a unique west coast twist: eight lanes of heart-pumping traffic careening up and down its hilly curves at a blistering 55mph. (Try it on a 125cc scooter, and it's even more hair-raising.) The usual paradox is there: heavenly towers with names promising old world grandeur ("The Wilshire Marquis", or the more pastoral "Carlyle on Wilshire") located right alongside what is practically a freeway. Me + the wife looked here once for an apartment, and could not get past the constant echo of traffic, double-paned windows be damned. <br /><br />The toughest paradox about Wilshire Corridor's sheer speed is the impact is has on its residents, many of whom are older. Nowhere on Wilshire is pleasant to walk along, and the Corridor is no exception. So they take to their Lexuses and Jags instead, tentatively nosing them into the automotive stream before gunning it to catch up with the fast flow. The result is a desolate but beautifully manicured towerscape reminiscent of those pearly retirement enclaves in Florida: waiting rooms for those next in line for ascention, cordoned off from the rest of the living. <a href="#" class="reveal">See it narrowed!</a>David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-3260932959273905392010-06-01T09:22:00.001-07:002010-06-01T13:50:30.039-07:00press log: boing boing<a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2010/06/01/narrow-streets-los-a.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.boingboing.net/style/fancylogo.png" class="logo"></a><div id="titleRepeat"></div><a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2010/06/01/narrow-streets-los-a.html" target="_blank">Featured</a> by guest blogger Bill Barol, former senior writer at Newsweek and contibutor to The New Yorker, Time, Slate, and elsewhere. He blogs at <a href="http://trueslant.com/billbarol" target="_blank">True/Slant</a> and <a href="http://pix365.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Pix365</a>.David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-5120742483828682292010-05-27T09:55:00.000-07:002010-06-01T13:50:27.278-07:00press log: planetº magazine<a href="http://www.planet-mag.com/2010/greenspace/jenna-martin/narrow-streets-los-angeles/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.planet-mag.com/blog/wp-content/themes/planetv2/home/images/logo_planet.gif" class="logo"></a><div id="titleRepeat"></div>Really lovely <a href="http://www.planet-mag.com/2010/greenspace/jenna-martin/narrow-streets-los-angeles/" target="_blank">feature</a> in Planetº Magazine's art section by the kind + indefatigable <a href="http://www.planet-mag.com/author/jenna-martin/" target="_blank">Jenna Martin</a>.David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-24082316606068143952010-05-27T09:45:00.000-07:002010-06-01T13:50:24.522-07:00press log: photojojo<a href="http://content.photojojo.com/inspiration/narrow-streets-make-road-narrower/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGcVgPj40OsbYlWERbi5OEwXhHvC2MIXaPQ2DY1sMNzIdqmGB46D5i6y-Fi0M7WF4bA3TAjdauflSupUs6_sicaVArTUDIR8NbJISbwUvHudOV-fuMOXA5iW8LYPKz2PhLxSMgGmx4LBg/s400/Screen+shot+2010-06-01+at+1.09.53+PM.png" class="logo"></a><div id="titleRepeat"></div><a href="http://content.photojojo.com/inspiration/narrow-streets-make-road-narrower/" target="_blank">Featured</a> on their lovely blog, with a handy mention of my how-to video, too.David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-68982997657277845962010-05-26T09:33:00.000-07:002010-06-01T13:50:21.326-07:00press log: zeitgeist studios<a href="http://www.zeitgeistudios.com/2010/05/26/narrow-streets-los-angeles/" target="_blank"><img class="logo" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9x36k35tAi1OsRaKraGRLtMNPP8kb9ySsitReIQ37FaGXrPQAj3OCa93CJj2HDz-1J-LAuNLFsjmNUtDZB7dSc1rp7kXyifJM7NPlx32WQ-e98PX5BgUErpi_4f2JJPdmOkKRI0hWsfQ/s400/Screen+shot+2010-06-01+at+1.05.55+PM.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477899180315115890" /></a><br /><div id="titleRepeat"></div><a href="http://www.zeitgeistudios.com/2010/05/26/narrow-streets-los-angeles/" target="_blank">Featured</a> by architecutural designer <a href="http://www.zeitgeistudios.com/author/Tyler%20Barnard/" target="_blank">Tyler Barnard</a>.David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-39139104851331963562010-05-25T08:30:00.000-07:002010-06-01T13:50:32.657-07:00interview: lost in a supermarket<a href="http://lostinasupermarket.com/2010/05/narrowing-the-streets-of-los-angeles/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XrJmks6IEQYV2VSGIMqi_KkLDouPxcaaiAP4EERfEebuCTMolRpZEJCGPviWWgm5wzABFCFBYxO9Ee9hsOzjHDkoFuuIEVJTELY2NkuxjdLqhEJZbO0e46glnTpVTJwMqBi3m5VRdBQ/s400/Screen+shot+2010-06-01+at+1.14.27+PM.png" class="logo"></a><div id="titleRepeat"></div>Had a really fun <a href="http://lostinasupermarket.com/2010/05/narrowing-the-streets-of-los-angeles/" target="_blank">Q + A</a> with Nicholas Stetcher from his awesomely-named Lost in a Supermarket blog. A silly excerpt:<br /><blockquote>Q: Do you often work with music in the background? If so, what inspires your work or makes the labor more endurable?<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">A: I usually listen to whatever pops up on the iPod. The Shins are a favorite, or Erlend Oye, Vampire Weekend, Nine Inch Nails, or The Futureheads. Pan Sonic makes me drop everything and become catatonic.</span></blockquote>David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2138220310169366165.post-86560088178108802962010-05-21T07:32:00.000-07:002010-05-21T07:47:36.664-07:00friday favorites: university of california at berkeley<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtOb7NyHJRFt7ZrBRagE8j_31uwNFdyann0jxUGuJUWM3tdyxFGCyOrmMstZ1tT9NjV-VThF3LR5E_dAsSFmRnTwem1R3uSLvQ9NiOcXSbvbmdUNLBUoK2o6uTFxPklsrnb1DouThd3Y/s400/100_0406.JPG" /><div id="titleRepeat"></div> Reader Severin Martinez sent in a snapshot of the Berkeley campus (my alma mater...go Bears!) near the Campanile. <br /><br />A campus is a great example of a pedestrian-centric urban development, if you think about it. Roads are narrow, there are plenty of facilities for bikes and people (park benches, water fountains, shaded paths, cafes, bike racks, even emergency police call boxes), and the pace is generally slower and much more pleasant than the freaky nonstop Death Race 2000 happening right outside its gates. This road has sharrows to remind drivers of its mixed use nature, and it's only wide enough to let two cars pass, no wider — a bigger street would only invite speed. <br /><br />Successful models for "car-light" urban design exist all around us (think outdoor shopping malls or even movie studio lots), and there's no reason we couldn't apply the same design patterns to everyday streets.<br /><br />Got a Friday Favorite of your own? <a href="mailto:narrowstreets@davidyoon.com">Send 'em in.</a>David Yoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07978717958027487767noreply@blogger.com0