The Urban Flâneur Guidebook

Some more Photographs from Hamish Stewart

2013-10-22T01:37:00.003-07:00

Here are some more great photographs from a fellow urban flâneur, Hamish Stewart with his comments:

I recently spent an afternoon wandering around Granary Square in Kings Cross London – a new public space arising out of the goods yards and sidings that surround the Victorian railway station.

Granary Square is just a one part of a vast re-development of central London. From 67 acres of post-industrial landscape a new district is arising from the detritus of the 'railway lands' that were build in the 1850s and 60s.

New streets and public squares are being created as well as thousands of new homes, and a university campus. Granary square is host to the new campus for the University of the Arts, social housing and the Global Generation Skip Garden – which uses the symbol of re-construction, the skip, to provide a new home for a garden in a landscape of cranes and barriers as the 'railway lands' are re-born for a new purpose.

If you want to find out more visit http://www.kingscross.co.uk/

Le Flaneur – the random urban photographer
http://www.le-flaneur.co.uk

Reverse Graffiti Art

2012-12-09T22:13:00.002-08:00

Here is something that baffles public officials, the cleaning of surfaces to create 'reverse graffiti' art. It is anarchist in nature because: How can you prosecute a person who cleans wall to create art." Can this be considered vandalism? Those who are urban flâneurs see the humor in such graffiti.

Here are a few examples of reverse graffiti (the links also contain some interesting narrative):

(From Durban, South Africa, located at: http://inhabitat.com/reverse-graffiti-south-africa n-artists-tag-walls-by-scrubbing-them-clean/ )

(Alexandre Orion – Skulls in São Paulo, located at: http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/35-greatest-works-of-reverse-graffiti/1949?image=20 ; the other images in this slide show are also noteworthy.)

(Singapore: located at: http://1outdooradvertising.blogspot.com/2009/01/reverse-graffiti-by-caltex.html;

what is surprising is that this is a legal advertisement.)

More to Be Added!

Graffiti: Art, Political/Social Statement, Vandalism, Meaningless Tagging, Violation of Property Rights?

2012-12-03T14:58:00.002-08:00

(Provocative urban graffiti by Banksy, found at: http://seamartin.wordpress.com/banksy-the-urban-graffiti-artist/ )

In one of my past blogs, I posted some examples of urban graffiti with commentary. On various groups on Linkedin, I posed questions about urban graffiti for the professionals on this site. All of the responses were heartfelt and many were eloquent; varying from statements exclaiming its social message of graffiti to stating it was vandalism and against property rights. Here are some of the selected comments in one location:

Only if it is actual art and not just people writing their names or an insult. Glasgow is covered in graffiti a portion of which is the latter. I wouldn't mind lots of funky art! I just don't want to know all the local kids names or what they think about the police. If they want to protest they should learn how to produce proper art... smART protesting only please!

To an artist spray paint can be a medium, not the statement. Picking a disused, dismal or ignored corner of a city to work with can be the message: "Hey, look here! You've been walking/driving by this corner all year -- do you even know this place matters?" Curated, sanctioned public art is usually more decorative: "Isn't this pallet more pleasing than the dirty bricks and cement underneath?" You can same the same about public sculpture cast in steel or bronze versus assembled out of less permanent or valuable materials. It's not the point of the exercise.

Hmmm...interesting thoughts. There are probably more questions than answers in the article which would open up several topics for a master's thesis. For instance, is there a population density at which this happens? If so, why are only a small cohort of the citizenry involved? Should advertising in public spaces be banned? Should there be a limit imposed on population density? Should there be constraints imposed on morons who vandalise private property? Should we open up advertising spaces for graffiti?

In Australia we had a subversive group called buggaup or bugaup who attacked billboards that advertised unhealthy products such as cigarettes, alcohol, coca cola etc. Some of these activists have gone on to become public servants and one is a serving state politician. See http://www.abc.net.au/gnt/history/Transcripts/s1248541.htm and http://www.bugaup.org/

I guess that we could say that these people were using humour to perform a public service, but can we say the same thing about the mindless tagging etc that is claimed as art?

Bansky

…space is increasingly devoted to commercial messages and advertising – communication that is exclusively one-way: the public is being spoken at, in areas where the social expectation is one of shared interactions between people, so the same is expected of the shared visuals of the areas. So the one-way visuals and communications of the city run in opposition to the instinctive behaviour of people in the city. Therefore people are increasingly reversing the communication streams of the city and are communicating back.

So far, this process has largely occurred through subversive and marginal activities as people take individual action to shape their own urban spaces, to surround themselves with adapted objects and visuals in the urban environment with the same passion usually applied to domestic spaces.
Forward by commenter from: http://www.ciudadesaescalahumana.org/2008/04/creative-citywhen-do-we-actually-get-to.html

Graffiti - which is mostly an urban phenomenon - is the outcry of some people. Legally seen is unlawful. From the art-oriented sight, it is art (bad or good). Additionally, I don't "judge" the emotional or mental condition of graffiti people, as respectively I don't "judge" the emotional or mental condition of famous painters or famous sculptors who gave us fantastic art crafts.

Urban graffiti shouldn't be viewed of as an either/or situation (good/bad, public art/not), it would e helpful to think about the causes of it. One point to keep in mind is that urban graffiti is also a form of expression of those who feel silenced or have no voice in the bureaucratic/political system surrounding them.. it can be an informal form of engagement by communities and individuals. I agree that defacing public/private property is unlawful, but when there aren't resources for, or these people aren't satisfied with the current environment of things, they need a form of outlet, and some take to this because it's either what they feel they can immediately do, or be a part of, have a sense of control over. An interesting documentary to look at is a documentary called "Style Wars" which looks at urban graffiti (and subsequently the hip-hop movement) in a more in-depth manner.

Sometimes art is destructive. But just because something is art doesn't mean it should be granted impunity. Civil disobedience is at the soul of graffiti, and all of the graffiti artist I know have been arrested. Os Gemeos started out painting illegally on public infrastructure before they were commissioned to do it legally. However, there is value in these works of disobedience. While some works of graffiti tastelessly deface property, others are placed on vacant properties in disrepair or on large works of public infrastructure. Some governments, like São Paulo, have commissioned artists to cover their plain cement walls with art. But in my mind, this really detracts from the spirit of graffiti artists, which is essentially a protest to the established institutions. Many graffiti artists state that they began tagging buildings just to say, "I'm here." I found much of the graffiti covering the city of Rio de Janeiro to be provocative and beautiful.

So to answer the original question, yes. And all we have to do for that to be a reality is start appreciating the good ones.

Vandalizing private property is never art...it is a crime and should be punished.

In Santa Barbara, art non-profits partner with landlords of derelict buildings to provide spaces for urban art, helping to revitalize a neglected neighborhood: http://www.independent.com/news/2010/may/18/laura-inks-helps-funk-zone-flourish/

Check out the movie "Exit through the Gift Shop". There is a difference between graffiti and street art and when it is done right, it can be extraordinary. What I loved about this movie was that shed light on the most public - but anonymous - form of self-expression. It is a quirky movie, but fascinating. Also, Philadelphia has a non-profit called the Mural Arts Program that paints amazing murals on buildings throughout the city. (“Exit through the Gift Shop” is a documentary by Banksy )

Each safety-wall put up by a private developer, during construction, chould be offered as a location for a graffiti competition

Art is something created by an artist, public art is art that has been created in a public space with the permission of the public authority and/or the owner of the property. Taking to private property with a spray can without the owner's permission is criminal vandalism and demands punishment.

It is a waste of time and paint but graffiti is like cancer; it spreads. I agree. What is the point of wasting time by doing an act that is illegal and destructive, and will be removed within 14 days?

So who wants graffiti all over their city? Not me. I feel that the more we stand up to graffiti, and work together to find solutions to deal with it, the cleaner and richer our city would be for everyone.

Graffiti spans from the banal to the truly artistic. The evidence of graffiti signals that the general society and particularly that in urban areas is experiencing economic and social chaos. Those that are amateur or professional graffiti artists are expressing impromptu protest against government and a society which they feel is alienating them and the general public. It is meant to provoke. A local government may clean the walls of graffiti temporary, but until social and economic issues are addressed by local and national governments, it will always return. Essentially, most citizens and governments want to 'whitewash' the underlying problems behind graffiti because it is simplistic and means that they do have to deal with the underlying societal and governmental issues.

View of Regents Canal in London, U.K.: Courtesy of Hamish Stewart

2012-10-31T07:55:00.002-07:00

Regents Canal in London runs from Paddington to Limehouse basin on the Thames. Through its journey it passes through the splendour of Regents Park but also through the areas of re-generation around Hackney.

These images follow a walk along the Regents Canal from Camden to Victoria Park near Mile End. It takes in recent changes to the area around Kings Cross station and then along the Canal from Islington to Hackney where new housing developments, council estates and a decaying industrial landscape define an urban landscape that is undergoing a rapid period of change. It reflects a broad gentrification of the East of London and a reminder of the constant tides of re-development and change that have marked London over the centuries.

For more urban landscapes go to : Le flâneur: the random urban photographer.

Comment by Hamish Stewart

The Café: an essential stopping place for an urban flâneur

2012-10-14T21:42:00.001-07:00

(Image from Lilit café Bethesda Maryland.)

When an urban flâneur becomes weary of wandering the streets, s(he finds himself a café that offers the best vantage to observe the outside street and the inside activity. The flâneur always has in her/his possession, a book, a notebook and maybe a camera if s(he is an urban flâneur photographer.

The flâneur makes reads furtively when the scene is boring or writes in a notebook of his/his observations, but is always watching the inside and outside activity. Sometimes, s(he is fortunate to overhear conversations.

The following might be some of the observations of a flâneur while siting in a café:

There is the couple looking at webpages on a laptop

Another couple are holding hands across a table and talking quietly.

A student who is reading a textbook in the corner.

The old man who is circulating from table to table stricking up conversations with whoever will listen.

The young mother with a young child in a stoller having a pleasant a conversation with a friend.

On the street, people are passing on the sidewalk.

There are two retired gentlemen speaking Italian.

The young teenage with a mobile in his hand talking in earnest with a friend while walking down the street, oblivious to the surrounding environment.

And.. there is one of your friends walking up and sitting down at your table.

Such is the varied, complex and rich environment that the urban flâneur observes contemplates.. and participates. A café represents a microcosm of the neighborhood and city that sh(e resides or is visiting. It can tell about it composition and diversity, giving insight to its participant observer..

Urban Graffiti: Spontaneous Artistic Expression

2012-10-07T01:00:00.001-07:00

(Location unknown. Graffiti art by Guy Fawkes: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/09/14/tribute-to-graffiti-50-beautiful-graffiti-artworks/ )

Urban graffiti is an 'art work' which is often ignored as a visual distraction. However, from seen in the photographs below, it is art. The urban flâneur wandering the streets would also view these public displays of art with amusement and contemplation. One can see in these selected works, political statements, particularly the one by Banksy, color schemes reflecting the culture of the area (e.g. example from Cuba) and abstract art (as seen above.) May we always have these artist that present ideas that should be in the public sphere.

If any readers of this blog has seen excellent examples of urban graffiti where they reside, please e-mail them to me and I will post them. Some explanation about the work, including city, location within the city etc. would be appreciated. Please do not send images more than 1 Mb.

(From Utrecht, The Netherlands.: http://www.neamgraffiti.com/urban-graffiti-mural-art-graffiti-utrecht-collection/ )

(

(Location unknown: http://optoons.blogspot.com/2010/12/contemporary-urban-graffiti.html )

(From Bethlehem, Palestine, by Banksy: http://newsflavor.com/world/middle-east/banksy-in-bethlehem-art-and-the-barrier-between-two-nations/ )

(

(From Cuba: http://www.kontain.com/ondaweb/entries/104465/images-of-the-week-urban-inspiration/)

Be a Virtual Urban Flâneur

2012-10-04T05:58:00.000-07:00

(Street scene in London. Captured on Robot Flâneur: Exploring Google Street View )

I chanced upon this site: Robot Flâneur: Exploring Google Street View website where you can explore:

London; San Francisco; Manhattan (New York City); São Paolo, Paris; Berlin; Johannesburg; and Mexico City via Google Earth.

You can also explore the city of your choice by going to Google Earth and selecting the street view option, if it available for your selected city.

This is an interesting way to view cities and be a virtual urban flâneur. However, being an authentic urban flâneur means being involved with the urban environment, hearing sounds, awareness of activity and spontaneity. Nevertheless It still holds your interest and could provide a teaching tool for Geography instructors.

Images of abandonded factories: Essen Germany

2012-10-01T10:28:00.003-07:00

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-62112655/stock-photo-old-steel-production-in-essen-germany.html
For a image of how this place was reused later go my blog entry on The Chaotic, Fractal and Complex City: http://mcadamsfatih1.blogspot.com/2012/10/regeneration-new-life-for-abandoned.html

http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/mining,zollverein/Interesting

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-62112625/stock-photo-old-steel-production-in-essen-germany.html

http://www.opacity.us/site182_kokerei_zollverein.htm

http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/landschaftpark/Interesting

Let a mobile app help you be an urban flâneur

2012-09-28T09:54:00.001-07:00

(Image found on GetLostBBot )

In an article by Catherine de Lange in The New Scientist, “Let's get lost: Apps that help you wander to happiness”, she mentions several apps for your mobile that can assist you in your efforts to be an urban flâneur. (To see the full article, you must register and subscribe to The New Scientist. It can also be obtained if you have access to online databases at public or university libraries.) Her comment on being an urban flâneur might also be of interest to my readers.

Here are a sampling of app links to help you be an urban flâneur:

GetLostBot
This ‘bot’ examines your regular patterns and then suggests new places to visit, breaking up your routine. It does require that you be a FourSquare user.

Highlight
If others have Highlight around you, you can see their profiles and maybe strike up a conversation. Although, this may be a little bit too personal for many.

Roamz
This app searches through social sites and finds interesting things near you.

A less high tech approach would be to pick random places on Google Earth app on your mobile or use another navigation device (such as TomTom) within a city and then go to the places you have selected.

The urban flâneur view of urban decay: Detroit

2012-09-18T16:02:00.003-07:00

Urban decay is found in all cities. When a urban flâneur views or photographs abandoned or derelict buildings, it is not a view of a building, observed as a meaningless object, as a structure that should be considered as a blemish on the urban landscape or as a location for a new structure. S(he views the underlying text of the structure and marvels at the serendipity of its beauty.

While rambling around the Internet, I found some interesting websites, some having exquisite photographs of urban decay. In this blog entry, I decided to concentrate on those blog/web sites related to Detroit-the ‘poster child of urban decay.’ In the future, I will feature other sites with photographs of urban decay.

Forgotten Detroit

The Ruins of Detroit by Marchand and Meffre

Urban Adonia: Abandoned Buildings of Detroit

The technique of being a Suburban Flâneur (revised 15 September 2012)

2012-09-14T07:43:00.001-07:00

(This image was found within an interesting piece, "Unit 1: A Crisis of Place and the Alternative of the New Urbanism" , on New Urbanism Online.)

One of the defining aspects of an urban flâneur is the activity of strolling down streets, stopping in cafes, observing people and thoughtfully contemplating the totality of the present urban environment that sh(e is immersed. This is usually accompanied by note writing and perhaps photographs. To an urban flâneur, the urban environment is multi-layered and not just a collection of houses, shops, streets, or factories, but a dynamic entity in which people conduct their lives and experience the world outside of them.
In our present age, suburbs are now a significant part of all major cities in the world, developed and developing. Yet, they are often overlooked being overshadowed by the central city, which often holds more interest due to its diversity, compactness, history and dynamics. Should we consider the suburbs as unworthy of the flâneur’s attention? No, unless we want the concept of being a flâneur to be anachronistic and restricted to the urban core and oblivious to the modern urban world.

As previously mentioned, one of the major distinctions of being an urban flâneur is the aspect of strolling or walking aimlessly. In suburban areas, walking can be possible, but difficult because the suburban scale has defined by the automobile. Therefore to adapt to this different environment, the suburban flâneur has to drive ‘aimlessly’ to observe the suburb from the perspective of a driver (auto-flâneurism) and also stop when something catches his/her attention. In places that have public transportation, this can be accomplished by observing the urban fabric from the vehicle (preferably a bus or tram) and then picking a stop and getting off to explore a suburban particular area. It should be noted that one can observe only people at stations (which might be of some interest) if travelling in an underground trains, but panorama of the suburbs as in a vehicle on the surface will be lost.

The traditional urban flâneur approach is altered in the suburbs, with vehicles, buildings and the physical landscape being blurred into a ‘kaleidoscope’ of images in the consciousness of the flâneur due to the perspective of being contained an automobile or public transportation, instead of walking. In an interesting article, worthy of further inspection by my blog readers, “Taking the flâneur for a spin to the suburbs: The auto-flâneur and a way of looking at the subject in suburban culture” by in the online journal /seconds Paul O’Neill expounds on this experience:

Looking from the inside (interior of the automobile) to the outside (exterior to the automobile) created a perceptional distance between physical body space inside the car and the landscape space occupied by objects by the roadside. Through the frame of the windscreen, a new mode of spectatorship and seeing was at play; one which allowed a certain visual command over objects and images without actually having a physical relationship with them. Structures of perception work with the colour and contrast of the roadside images and the distance of objects from the body as it is in motion.

When the concept of being a flâneur was developed, personal automobiles had not made their appearance. However, the overall concept and technique of being an urban flaneur, can be adapted to suburban experience. The surface banality of the suburb often conceals the interesting aspects of suburban life and its fabric. As the suburbs change due to structural forces, the present suburban life should be observed and documented by photographs and writing. The simple technique, as described early, is a portal into the suburban environment.

As discussed in previous blog entries, the methodology of flâneurism is appropriate for urban planners (see "How to be an urban flâneur and city planner"), urban geographers, photographers, urbanists, writers, or self-proclaimed urban flâneur. The observations from the flâneur experience can be interpreted in numerous and creative ways. An excellent example of the modern flâneur methodology can be found in the article "Barcelona 2004: A "Redeemed" Flâneur’s Report" in Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy and also found in a edited book compiled of selected articles from the online journal in The Geography, Politics, and Architecture of Cities: Studies in the Creation and Complexification of Culture (McAdams, Michael A. , Ivani Vassoler-Froelich , & Jesus Treviño-Cantú , editors) published by The Edwin Mellen Press.

Consider advertising on this blog

2012-09-12T16:02:00.001-07:00

Is your business or organisations involved in creative endevors that highlight the vitality of the city?

Consider advertising on this blog.

My blog entries are provocative, timely and ‘go beyond the pale.’ All posts are original, not spun versions of entries on related webpages or blogs.

The audience for this blog is varied: urban planners, academicans, photgraphers, writers and the general public. It is for those who view the city as more than a collection of building and people and see an underlying sub-text and deconstruct urbanism to see a deeper meaning.

I can offer a $10 per day rate per blog to place your logo and a link to your company. A weekly discount of $50 per week per blog can be applied if you pay by the week. Monthly rates are $200 with one blog entry per month highlighting your company or organizations activities. Annual rates are negotiable. No contracts are required. If not satisfied; you can withdraw your payments.

Payments can be made via PayPal to, iwritepapers@yahoo.com

For further information, please contact me at michaelamcadams@yahoo.com

Photo Contest Entry #1

2012-09-11T04:51:00.001-07:00

Daniel Boon sent thèse two photos . Photo #1 is from Brazil , Photo #2 is from Cuba. Photo #3 is from Brazil ( a favela near some upscale housing.)

Photo #1

Photo #2

Photo #3

Thank you very much Daniel for the first entry for the contest of hopefully many to come.

Comments are welcome. Also, the number of comments (exluding mine) will help determine the winner.

Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy is now listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)

2012-09-07T12:01:00.003-07:00

Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy is now listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ.)

Please consider publishing in Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy if have manuscripts that have an urban focus.

Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy is a peer reviewed, multidisciplinary open-access scholarly journal focusing on urban issues at an international level, exploring all aspects of cities and urbanization including urban planning, economics, history, politics, international relations and literature.

If you have questions about your manuscript before you submit it, or need further information about the submission process please contact Jesús A. Treviño C. at jtrevino41@hotmail.com or Michael A. McAdams at michaelamcadams@yahoo.com .

Please submit your manuscript to either of the editors, Jesús A. Treviño C. at jtrevino41@hotmail.com or Michael A. McAdams at michaelamcadams@yahoo.com as a Word attachment. The guidelines for the manuscript are found within the webpage under the tab Manuscript Submission.

Did you find this site interesting?

2012-09-06T23:17:00.003-07:00

Did you find this site interesting?

Show your appreciation, by clicking on my advertisers' links and visit their sites.
You may find some of their products of interest to you.

By clicking on these links, you provide income for the blog author, who can use it for life's essentials.

Donations are also appreciated

Are you an Urban Flâneur ? Consider submitting your photos of your wandering around the city for a contest.

2012-09-04T21:19:00.001-07:00

(image located at StKildaFlâneur)

Are you an Urban Flâneur?

Do you:
wander around the city,
sit in cafes;
speculate about people and their lives in the city;
see the meaning in urban landscapes;
love all parts of the city--even its decaying parts;
revel in urban life;
and see its complexity beyond superficiality?

Then, you are an Urban Flâneur!
If you still are not sure , go this description of the 'new' Urban Flâneur at StKildaFlâneur.

Why be a lone Urban Flâneur Send me your pictures of your walks around a city with comments, your name and e-mail address. Videos will not be accepted at this time. This will be another contest if this photo collection is successful.

All photographs can be sent to michaelamcadams@yahoo.com.
Please, do not send any over 1 Mb.

I will post all photographs that are within the broad concept of this website.

On 1 November, 2012, the top five photos will be given a prize of a custom designed t-shirt based on the number of individual comments given to each photo. Any ties will be decided by the blog author.

Followers encouraged, donations appreciated

2012-09-04T13:02:00.001-07:00

For those who are visiting this blog for the first time, you may want to follow future blog entries that I might publish. Blog entries are published at least twice a week.

Donations to the blog are also appreciated for compensation to the blog author for the time spent in research and writing of the blog entries.

Clicking on the links for advertisers will also help provide support to maintain and improve this blog.

How to be an urban flâneur and city planner.

2012-08-30T07:24:00.001-07:00

(Imagine found on the bog Paper Pills: http://www.paper-pills.com/2009/05/10/this-weeks-goal-be-a-flaneur/ )

Often city/urban planners merely sit at their desks, go to meetings, interact with other government officials or politicians, but rarely wander around the cities or regions that they assist in guiding development. Perhaps, part of a planner’s activity should be to sit at a café, watch the people, watch passing pedestrian and vehicular traffic, listen and engage in conversations with his/her fellow citizens in this informal setting; or perhaps wandering or driving around the streets of a city, observing the everyday lives of its citizens.

However, in the modernist framework of urban planning, this would be considered wasting time, as you are not pursing knowledge in a systematic way. It would be frowned on by local politicians who expect public servants to be sitting at their desks ‘slaving away’ and not ‘goofing off.’

Being an urban flâneur is not one which has rules. In fact, there are no real formula for being an flâneur. It is one of being aware of ones surroundings. With the trappings of the modern world, we are often not aware of the urban or physical environment. It is ultimately awareness of space and being engaged with it. It is being aware of ‘the now.’ This is also congruent with Zen philosophy. I remember one Zen book which advised its readers to “wash the dishes!” What this meant was for a person to be totally concentrated on one task—in this case, ‘washing the dishes’-- and not thinking about other things-- practicing awareness in everyday events.

Here are some suggested steps on how to be an flâneur and city planner:

1. Pick a regular time convenient for you and the staff and block it on your calendar to go out and wander the streets.

2. Turn off your cell phone, when you are being an urban flâneur. Tell everyone, including friends and spouses, that you can not be reached during this time.

3. Bring a notebook or laptop to write down your observations.

4. Select one area of the city and either sit there or wander about or both. You should select different areas so that you can expose yourself to a variety of experiences.

5. When observing, be totally aware of your environment. Do not think about other things—be in ‘the now.’ A good way to be able to do this is by practicing meditation. Notice the people: activities, mannerisms, and listen to conversations.

6. Take a cheap camera along to record memorable things you see and reference in your notes.

7. Near the end of your ‘walk about’, put your observations in a notebook or an electronic devise. A suggestion would be post them internally so other planners could read them or if you are bold, post them in a blog or webpage.

In a complex and chaotic way, you will see themes start to emerge that maybe you have not thought of before. Some of your observations may prove to useful in identifying opportunities and problems which will be inserted into the planning process. Also, it will help in your credibility because you are seen out in public and not just some city employee behind a desk or counter.

The author of this blog entry, Dr. Michael A. McAdams, is a university professor seeking employment and independent consultant specializing in urban planning, spatial technologies and transportation planning. He can be reached at michaelamcadams@yahoo.com .

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec: Pioneer Urban Flâneur (draft)

2012-05-11T02:46:00.001-07:00

Henri de Toulose-Lautrec, Au Moulin Rouge, Art Institute of Chicago (http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/61128 )

There is not doubt that Touluse-Lautrec was an urban flâneur. He was enamored with the street life, the cafes, the music halls and people of Paris during his lifetime. . He was not just an observer, but a participant. This painting, Au Moulin Rouge, as many of his, brings you into Lautrec’s world and the bourgeoisie society of Paris during the 1890s. In this painting he is criticizing the vanity of the upper Middle Class and its rigidity. His criticism of the vanity of women of this era is evident by the women primping, and posing, particularly prominent in the face of the women dominating the right of the painting. The table of men and women are not enjoying the occasion, but are notability somber, except for the insertion of Lautrec on the side of the painting, who appears to have a smirk on this face; perhaps implying that he was amused by the soberness and status conscious stance of his companions. The perspective of the painting as one who is looking passively onto a scene. But, by Lautrec putting himself in the painting, he is implying that is was both an outside observer and interactive part of the environment itself. Like all urban flâneurs, Toulouse-Lautrec is saying ‘here is ordinary daily event set it an urban setting which is unworthy of contemplation, but look closer and see it with my eyes.’

May Day 2012

2012-05-01T05:17:00.002-07:00

Solidarity with those who are protesting around the world!

All urban planners should be urban flâneurs.

2012-04-16T09:30:00.001-07:00

Many times urban planners sit in their offices, go to meetings, 'crunch numbers' and do not really explore this city that they practice their trade. An enlightened administrator should his/her urban planners to ' go out, explore, and become part of the fabric of the city!'

However, when urban planners are out exploring their planning area, they should have on badges indicating that are part of a planning organization. While they are sitting in a cafe observing the movement of the city, perhaps random citizens may come up to them and express their concerns. What a great way to get the pulse of the city as an urban planner. However, the 'factory' mentality of urban planning is that you must be at your desk and hard at work so that you can please your supervisors that you are not 'goofing off.' The idea of the urban planner as an urban flâneur needs further discussion. I welcome comments on this topic.

Are you an Urban Flâneur?

2012-01-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

You are an urban flâneur if you live in an urban area (city, town, suburbs) and are observing things and pondering about what you saw as a reference to a larger concept. For example, when walking outside you may have noticed a building that strikes you as different. What message was the occupant (if a house) or architect conveying. Or, maybe you noticed an unusual sculpture or poignant graffiti. What was the person saying in this sculpture or graffiti.

If you would also like to do a guest blog entry, I would be interested in posting it.

Send your observations to michaelamcadams@yahoo. com

I will try to post as many as possible.

Occupy tthe Internet! Oppose SOPA and PIPA

2012-01-18T06:28:00.000-08:00

Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.

Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.
The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late,

Go to:https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy has a New Home!

2011-09-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

The on-line academic journal Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy has a new design and a new server. Go to http://www.urbanauapp.org/ . The old site will soon refer those visiting to the new site. This has taken almost six months to complete. The Editorial Board thinks the audience of Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy will be pleased in its ease of use. The journal is peer reviewed, and will soon appear in various indexes.

For fifteen years, Urbana has sought quality manuscripts demonstrating the diversity of the study of urban areas. This new phase represents another evolution in this unique journal. Please e-mail to your associates the new link. Manuscripts are accepted at any time during the year and published as soon as they are reviewed and edited in our Online First page. After the volume is closed they will be included in the appropriate volume. Please send manuscripts, inquiries, comments etc. to michaelamcaams@yahoo.com .

Urbana also accepts donations or sponsorships by organizations, companies, foundations or individuals who support the mission of this journal in giving a forum to a unique collection of academic authors who are interested in the multi-dimensional, complex and chaotic nature of cities/urban areas.

Being a Urban Flâneur and Urban Planner

2011-09-06T11:32:00.003-07:00

An urban flâneur is one who casually observes what is going on in an urban environment making critical observations while strolling about the city. A city planner collects data, attends meetings prepares future plans for a specific town, village, city or region. The flâneur is seen as operating in a fuzzy, objective/subjective and qualitative milieu; while, the urban planner is involved in quantifying and analyzing data (‘hard facts’), applying standards and regulations to aid in the effective and efficient operation of an urban area. The training that as a planner receives is based on the rationalist-lineal approach and does not include training about how to be a good observer in an urban environment. Most of all the public and the elected officials view the urban planner as a government employee who is at the disposal of elected officials and the public---a public servant. The idea of wandering about a city would not be considered productive or would be done on the off-hours. It would be safe to say that many urban planners would be castigated by most administrators for leaving work during office hours to go wander the streets, talk to people, sit in cafes and restaurants, ride public transportation, sit in parks, or indulge in other seemly ‘frivolous’ activities. If an urban planner is the one who is directed to suggest future plans for an urban area is this served best by sitting at a desk?

As a practicing urban planner for many years, I would have very impressed if any of bosses said to me: “Today, I don’t want you to be at your desk…in fact let’s make this a weekly thing…go out an just wander around the city and observe what you see. Come by my office and we will discuss what you found out.” I will continue this discussion in up-coming blog entries.