How “Small Change” Leads to Big Change: Social Capital and Healthy Places @PPS_Placemaking http://t.co/japPYjL1G0
— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) June 27, 2013

From myurbanist —Three Simple Methods To Inspire Urban Change

Charles R. Wolfe The photo shows the first part of the Nice, France tramway—a city-center transit line which has helped change an automobile-oriented downtown. Experiencing this image in real-time, applying the full range of human senses, compelled my understanding of what is achievable amid the urban fabric of today. Immersion in the real look and feel (and sometimes sound and smell) of a more compact and sustainable local experience can feed arguments for change, justify expenditures or tell how to cast a strategic election vote. Personal involvement is the most powerful and verifiable way to champion the city cause, over and above mere acceptance of empirical data, article prose and illustrations. Read more: three simple methods to inspire urban change

From Architizer Blog — What Happens When You Demolish A Highway?

San Francisco, it seems, can’t take down its interstates fast enough. The city began dismantling its elevated highways out of necessity, when the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged the Central and Embarcadero freeways beyond repair. Instead of rebuilding them, city planners and local architects transformed the plots into tree-lined surface boulevards that stitched divided neighborhoods back together and beckoned pedestrians and cyclists alike. Without that urbanist about-face, we wouldn’t have the Embarcadero’s palm-tree-studded waterfront promenade, the Ferry Building would never have been redeveloped, and Pier 1 would still be a parking lot. Read more: Architizer Blog » What Happens When You Demolish A Highway?

Geospatial Cyberinfrastructure!

geospatial cyberinfrastructure! Welcome new follower: @planyourplace

— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) June 20, 2013

@planyourplace Many of my favourite urbanists are wonks. Meant in best possible sense!

— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) June 20, 2013

From GOOD.is — People's Parks: 5 Public Spaces That Launched Social Movements

1. Gezi Park - Istanbul

The protest movement that has now gripped Turkish society, galvanizing calls all over the country for social change, began when activists only sought to save a local park from being replaced with a shopping mall. Gezi Park, a simple park lined with towering sycamore trees, is the last significant green space in Istanbul, a city now overwhelmed by luxury hotels, pricey lofts, massive shopping malls and gleaming tourist attractions.

Though they began as an effort to save the park from being demolished, the protests have evolved into a full-scale movement for political change. The park has come to represent, for many Turks, the government's disregard for the public's voice. For the Turkish government, however, the park wasn't just the location of a new mall—it was also a space where their opponents could organize against them. When Turkish police attacked protesters with water cannons and tear gas, they only served to anger and empower protesters and allies who were watching from the sidelines.
Read more: People's Parks: 5 Public Spaces That Launched Social Movements | Free Speech on GOOD

Skytrain Side by Side Views 27 Years Apart

Skytrain side by side views 27 years apart.

Snuneymuxw First Nation Calls for Collaborative Process, Intends to Exercise Treaty Rights in Nanaimo Colliery Dam Park Resolution

NANAIMO (British Columbia) – Snuneymuxw Proposes New Public Process on Colliery Dams

The Snuneymuxw First Nation has informed the City of Nanaimo about growing concern it has about the approach being taken to the matter of the Colliery Dams, and is suggesting a new public process be put in place that will transparently review alternatives and engage multiple stakeholders.

"I recognize this matter has gotten extremely complicated for everybody. I know the Mayor, his Council, and staff have been making strong efforts to deal with this complexity, and that many citizens are dedicating their time, intelligence and energy to this matter. Snuneymuxw's goal remains to try to play a positive and constructive role, while also ensuring that our Treaty protected fisheries on the Chase River are respected," said Chief Douglas White III, of the Snuneymuxw First Nation. Read more: PRESS RELEASE - Colliery Dams | Snuneymuxw