Like cities across the country, Cedar Rapids has made a wish list of projects vying for federal funds through President-elect Obama’s proposed national economic stimulus package. Top funding requests include: $17 million to repair the flood damaged public library or $21 million for a new facility, $35 million for a new bridge over the Cedar River between C Street SW and Otis Road SE, and $155 million for the long planned extension of Highway 100 (Collins Road) around the western edge of town to Highway 30. According to the January 8, Gazette report, the city is requesting money for a variety of other projects including local road improvements, wells, sewers, and buses, among others.
Author: Brady Dorman (page 16 of 22)
On the train ride home yesterday, I watched “Helvetica,” Gary Hustwit’s 2007 documentary celebrating the 50 year history of the typeface that has become an integral part of our everyday lives. I suggest it for anyone who has any interest in fonts or graphic design. It is available for purchase or to rent on iTunes.
The Gazette reported Tuesday of a new website set up by an area software engineer, Thaddeus Ternes, to solve his frustration of unforeseen traffic hold ups on his commute along Interstate 380. Daily traffic levels have increased over the years as more and more people are commuting between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City for work.
Since I-380 is only two lanes in each direction between CR and IC, traffic can be dense, but is generally not a problem. However, when major accidents happen or bad winter weather, long back ups and delays can occur.
CorridorCommute allows contributing motorists to post live updates via Twitter to let other drivers know instantly about any delays or adverse traffic conditions. Drivers can check updates on the website, RSS, or have them sent via email, instant message, or text. A cool implementation of new technology and communication tools locally.
I arrived back in Cedar Rapids this afternoon (Tuesday) after riding the Amtrak California Zephyr overnight from Denver to Mt. Pleasant, about an hour south of CR. The train was already running about three hours behind early on Monday when I checked the train status online. Scheduled to depart Denver at 8:10pm, the adjusted time was about 10:30. Around 10:15pm, the train had arrived and conductors began checking tickets and issuing boarding passes. Then we waited, and waited, and waited. Almost an hour went by before we boarded, as they were having some trouble adding an addition coach car to the train. Unfortunately no formal announcement was made concerning the issue, so the 50 plus passengers waiting to get on were unaware of the cause of delay.
When I finally boarded I got on car 611, second from last and went on upstairs to find a seat. I didn’t see any empty row so I took a seat near the middle of the train by the stairs, next to a man who had been riding since Saturday all the way from Seattle, heading home to Kentucky. Not sure why he was on the California Zephyr (he must’ve gone from Seattle down to California, then eastward on the Zephyr), when the Empire Builder is much more direct to Chicago going through Montana, North Dakota, and down through Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The train began moving by about 11:30, and I soon made my way two cars ahead to the lounge. At this point the upper observation level was pretty empty and the cafe on the lower level was closed until morning. The lounge car was peaceful and more comfortable than crowded coach. I also planned to watch some movies on my iPod and did not want to disturb my elder seat mate.
Heading out of Denver, eastbound, the train goes through rail yards and passes mostly industrial sites in Commerce City. The TAXI redevelopment caught my eye in particular, which Will Bruder discussed in his keynote speech last Wednesday at FORUM. The eastern gateway into Denver via rail is not particularly inviting, but most aren’t. Denver Union Station is impressive, though, providing a grand gateway right in to the heart of downtown. The interior is large, but pretty plain and outdated. The elegant exterior is more dramatic at night with the charming “Travel by Train” neon sign and colorful spotlights on the building’s stone walls.
Denver plans to turn Union Station into the city’s prime intermodal transportation center, centralizing Amtrak, SkiTrain, intercity buses, RTD transit bus and light rail. This is already in progress with the C and E light rail lines terminus, endpoint for the Free Mall Ride shuttle, and several RTD bus routes. When completed it should be quite the place.
I woke up this morning around 7am, from the breakfast announcement. The northern sky to my left was a dim, gray blue, and a warm yellow glow from the sunrise to my right. It’s a pleasing view to wake up to – if you were able to fall asleep in the first place. I eventually went to the lounge car and had a hot breakfast sandwich. After reaching Lincoln and Omaha, a number of seats opened up so I moved across the aisle to two opens seats and was able to sleep for a few more hours.
I arrived at my destination, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, around 4pm, just about five hours late. An announcement had been made earlier by the conductor that nearly all connections would be missed in Chicago, and emphasized our safety was their top priority. He asked us to, “Sit back, relax, and enjoy our train trip through the breadbasket of America” – how cute.
Overall I was satisfied with my experience this time on Amtrak, but then again I was anticipating delay and understand their current situation. The consistent issue of lateness on certain Amtrak routes is somewhat out of their control. The majority of trains, especially cross-country ones like the California Zephyr, operate on track owned by freight railroads, whose operations get priority over Amtrak. As far as service, all train attendants were generally pleasant and tried to keep passengers happy considering the significant delay. In today’s case, they were offering a complementary meal in the afternoon (served after I deboarded), but I was able to benefit from a complimentary snack just before reaching Mt. Pleasant.
I have ridden Amtrak in the past, mostly on the California Zephyr, but also once on the Three Rivers (now defunct I believe) to Pennsylvania, and one short trip on the Empire Builder from LaCrosse to Fargo. It is quite obvious Amtrak service has gone downhill over the years. It is not terrible, but there are a lot of band-aids, it is merely getting by.
Passenger rail service is a critical part of our nation’s transportation system and needs to be reinvested in and expanded. Amtrak provides transportation access to numerous small communities that may be hours from a commercial airport. Train travel is also much more efficient and more affordable than flying. While cross-country train travel is no longer practical for most people, it makes a lot of sense regionally between distances about 500 miles or less. Not only is it easier and less stressful than flying, rail typically takes passengers right into the center of cities, unlike airports that tend to be located miles away from downtown.
Several states, such as Illinois and California have partnered with Amtrak to expand passenger rail service. Regional associations have been established to promote regional high speed rail networks around the country. The Midwest High Speed Rail Association, which includes Iowa, promotes an expanded regional network originating from Chicago and providing more frequent service to more locations throughout the midwest. The proposal includes a new line that would run through the Quad Cities, Iowa City, and Des Moines, through to Omaha. A new line from Chicago to Dubuque is currently the most promising for Iowa in the works right now.
Amtrak and passenger rail service deserves much needed investment and support from the federal level. It is a matter of national security, sustainability, and accessibility. It is my hope that we will see much greater support for Amtrak and alternative transportation from the new Obama administration.
A few days ago when I was walking around downtown Denver, a woman was selling the Denver Voice street newspaper along the 16th Street Mall for a suggested $1 donation so I ended up buying one.
Unlike a regular publication, the Voice is a street newspaper that focuses on issues related to poverty and homelessness. The papers are sold by area homeless or marginalized people, providing them employment and an outlet for expression and communication to the general public through writing articles and publishing their artwork. A small portion of the proceeds (usually 25 cents) go to the cost of publication, with the remainder (75 cents) going to the vendor.
Similar publications exist in other large cities, such as Street Sense in Washington, DC. Street papers not only provide a means of self-help for homeless to get back on their feet, but can also foster more positive interaction between the homeless and the more fortunate. Many people in large cities get turned off by the homeless who ask for money and change, but do not appear to be doing anything to help themselves. In contrast, street newspapers should be supported and the vendors deserve respect for taking responsibility to better their own lives.
> Denver Voice
> Wikipedia: Street newspaper
> North American Street Newspaper Association
> International Network of Street Papers
Today at FORUM I went to a seminar by Maria Cole, who worked with Daniel Libeskind (most famous for the Jewish Museum Berlin) on the addition to the Denver Art Museum. Coming from a very pragmatic, program-based approach to building design, it was a contrast to Libeskind’s more sculptural approach. Instead of producing a design through space programming, his first compulsion is to develop a sculpture that can address urban forces and implement the program later.
In the case of the Denver Art Museum, a large, triangular form extends to the north, gesturing, but not quite touching the original museum building (like God’s finger extending to Adam’s, but not touching, in Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam”). On the south side the museum steps down to a more human, pedestrian scale to relate to the Golden Triangle mixed neighborhood that is adjacent.
The structure of the addition is not aesthetically significant to the design and is mostly hidden. Libeskind considers the building as sculpture, so the structure inconsequential. Therefor the structural design of the building was made as simple and efficient as possible with the complex design.
Interesting presentation. The art museum addition is quite an intrigue from the outside…I will need to check out the inside sometime. There are numerous examples of modern galleries of art building new additions that are as fantastic as the art itself. It raises the question: are these new spaces buildings for holding artwork, or are they their own piece of art? The addition to the Denver Art Museum is not only a building expansion, but an addition to their art collection.
> Denver Art Museum
> Studio Daniel Libeskind
> Wikipedia: Denver Art Museum
Today was the second day of FORUM 2008 in Denver. Each night features a keynote speaker and election and business matters. As the VP of our Iowa State chapter, and the only ISU member attending the conference, I am participating in the Council of Presidents, which met this morning and will meet again Thursday to elect the next leaders of the organization. Today was the college and career fair expo with reps from a number of architecture grad schools around the country, a few, mostly, local firms, as well as a few professional organizations and businesses. I had the opportunity to speak to a few firms and visit some offices in Denver with the FORUM “Firm Crawl” today. I also stopped by two other neat firms on my own.
I’ve been commuting into the downtown for the conference each day from Castle Rock, south of the metro, where I’ve been staying with my brother’s family. I’m taking the RTD light rail from the County Line park-n-ride near my brother’s workplace up to downtown. Initially I found the numerous lines confusing since the majorities of each line are shared along the I-25 corridor (each different line has a slightly different terminus), but it is certainly easy enough to figure out.
From County Line, second to last stop on the E,F, and G lines, takes about 35 minutes to get downtown, and so far has not been too crowded. The ride is pretty comfortable, though the seats aren’t very easy to sit on for that long. My only major complaint, though understandable, is the high transit fare. $4 one way from County Line to downtown (spanning four fare zones) – soon to increase to $4.50 in January. So I am spending quite a bit of cash on transit this week.
I took the #32 bus from downtown to a firm office about 30 blocks away – on a 40 foot Orion V. The bus was pretty clean and comfortable, with padded seats. One way fare on local buses is $1.75; $2 beginning in January.
All in all it’s been good so far and the contacts I’ve made should be helpful in landing an internship this summer – especially with the economic downturn where unfortunately many architects are facing layoffs. Check back for more updates.
Finals are over at Iowa State University and Christmas break has begun. I stayed in Ames until Monday to work at CyRide. Very few passengers on my bus this weekend as half the population of Ames has left. The city feels very empty and lonely right now – partially because it lacks a singular city center / “downtown”. I decided to start writing about my interpretation of place and mapping of Ames, but did not quite finish in time, so that post will be coming soon…
This week I will be traveling to Denver to visit family for Christmas as well as attend AIAS FORUM convention over the New Years week. I plan to visit a few architecture / urban design firms while I’m there. It should be an enjoyable time… will post updates as it goes.
When I return to Cedar Rapids next week, look for an update on Cedar Rapids Tranist (“new” buses), a downtown flood recovery post, and the current status of the Veterans Memorial Building (City Hall) where I worked this summer.
Also… learned tonight the GAP will be closing at Lindale Mall in January. A store worker told us it was the decision of mall management, not GAP. He told us Barnes and Noble (currently located in Northland Square shopping center adjacent to the mall) will be moving in to this area of the mall. Certainly an interesting development… B&N should be a big draw for the mall but at the expense of one of it’s top stores. Another question is what will go in the old B&N space at Northland? Will be fun to watch and see…
Have a blessed Christmas and Happy Holidays!
I was in Chicago for a few days over Thanksgiving week with my brothers family. I was able to get down to Hyde Park and walk around a bit – even passed by Barack Obama’s home. The scale of this neighborhood is charming and pleasant. Dense, but not overbearing, it provides a harmonious mix of quiet residential streets and walkable, diverse commercial avenues.
One evening I went with my brother to visit his friend who lives in Wicker Park neighborhood just northwest of downtown. A little bit louder and eclectic than Hyde Park (at least on the main commercial streets), the fellowship of cheap furniture stores, numerous bars, apartments and townhouses was great. Within the neighborhood a small urban park – appropriately called Wicker Park – provides some communal open space for nearby kids and adults – surrounded by active edges.
Saturday afternoon before leaving town, one of my brothers and I took the Red Line north to Addison to see Wrigley Field. Just a quick stop so we just walked around the stadium. To the south is a built up commercial strip with many bars and restaurants endeared, I’m sure, by thousands of Cubs fans. Townhouses and apartments to the north and east all have “Beyond the Ivy” stadium seating on the roofs – as well as advertisements visible from within the stadium. The neighborhood to the east of the Red Line (which is about half a block east of Wrigley Field) is inhabited with handsome brownstones and townhouses. The view from the train was a peak into another nice urban neighborhood of Chicago.
See all my photos from Chicago on Flickr.
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Two Years of Urban Thinking
Happy New Year! As 2008 came to an end, I look back at the past two years I’ve been blogging. Urban Thinking officially went online in January 2007, and has taken some time to develop. The first year was slow and inconsistent. With only 17 posts for the entire year of 2007, some month-long spans of time went by with no new entires. I’m proud to say, however, 2008 was a year of great growth and development of my blog – both in content and frequency of posting, as well as increased readership.
This past year I wrote 45 entries, a 265 percent increase from 2007. Averaging 3.75 posts per month, frequency still fluctuated with spotty posting in the first months. The June flooding in Cedar Rapids provided a great deal of content, resulting in a steady stream of posts through the fall.
Around April 2008, I switching operations to WordPress from Blogger – allowing a lot more customization, features, and available design templates. Over the summer I also added Google Ads and began collecting visitor statistics with Sitemeter. Next I plan an internal redesign of the site and development of a comprehensive online portfolio of my studio work at Iowa State.
I hope to continue developing Urban Thinking in the new year, increase and maintain a steady frequency of posts and attract more readers – and more discussion. The great thing about blogs is that they are interactive, two-way; readers can contribute through comments and share their views as well as the author. The dynamic power of blogs is endless and quickly gaining popularity and respect as a significant medium of communication.
If you regularly or occasionally visit my blog, or even if this is your first time reading, I’d love hearing from you! If you enjoy the content and topics I discuss, even if you don’t, let me know. What else would you like to see here? I’m particularly interested in readers that I do not know personally – how did you come across my site? Do you plan to return to read more? Would you engage in discussion? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading and please leave a comment!