Install recumbent bicycle benches at CAP Metro Bus stops? Outdoor stair climbers on Congress Ave.? In-ground trampolines on Guadalupe? Criss-crossing balance beams on 2nd Street? Concrete ping pong tables at intersections throughout town? Climbing boulders on East 5th Street? Let’s face it, many of you would consider me quite out of my mind if I [...]
February 2, 2010
Local governments are the largest industry in the world without an r + d function. What happens if you create an informal r + d unit for a city, bringing together a carefully chosen group of people who are doing great but very different things in the world to re-imagine issues of civic importance where [...]
Can a massive foam sword fight in the crosswalk of a busy street change the street-use culture of a community? This Friday University of Texas School of Architecture students are hosting their once a semester Foam Sword Friday at 12.30 at the crosswalk on Guadalupe between 21st and 23rd Streets. How does it work? Simple, [...]
A six foot long Betty Crocker version of Waller Creek? (not the tiny garden pictured here-kid’s stuff). That’s right, six feet long. Have we lost our minds? Probably. An impossible feat? Maybe but we’re going to have a mighty fine time trying. That’s right ladies and gents, as part of the East Austin Studio Tours, [...]
Waller Creek Is For Beasts And Diorama Making that challenges people’s perceptions of what happens in Waller Creek, AND gets them to look a bit closer at all of the fantastic things found in the Creek. Here are some more pictures from last weekend’s endeavors. You can also check out the group’s flickr stream and [...]
Changing a place by talking about someone’s mom and playing games? Dominoes and Talking Smack? What could be better on a Sunday afternoon at a brand spanking new time (4 pm) in a shiny new (as in we haven’t tried it) domino-themed place? Dust off your best momma jokes, bone up on your dot counting [...]
On Tuesday October 20th at 7.00 pm , Public Workshop will be presenting at the Building A Healthier Austin symposium. The organizers have done a great job of assembling a diverse cast of characters involved in health care, transportation, housing, planning, etc. for what will be a great and inspiring conversation. The focus will be [...]
October 18, 2009
Want to see the original article and comments? Click (here) —— How far were you allowed to travel alone when you were a kid? Are you per chance Vicky Thomas, from Sheffield? If by some very unusual fluke you are from Sheffield, England and your name is Vicky, you are now in your late thirties, [...]
October 11, 2009
Low and behold, if you were watching CBS Sunday Morning today you may have notice that Mo Rocca did a piece on Tom Vanderbilt’s excellent book, Traffic and even spent a good deal of time hanging out in Hans Mondermans traffic circle in Drachten. It’s a pretty fluffy piece but cool all the same and [...]
I don’t know what you were planning on bringing today but this submission by Kelley makes me think the Waller Creek Is For Lovers Action And Adventure Society might need to get it together and make another trophy. Kelley was quite apologetic about the lack of the requisite two sides to the domino cookies but [...]
Dominoes and Talking Smack? What could be better on a Sunday morning? Head on down to the north end of the UT Tennis Courts on Trinity Street (between the creek and the courts, by the bridge) for fabulous company, and good food. Get ready to do your best grumpy old man, Oscar Madison impersonation as [...]
What if you and your neighbors decided one day to turn your street into grassed- over park, replete with pony rides, an oompah band and vegetable gardens? When presented with such a possibility, most would laugh derisively or mention something along the lines of, ‘Have you lost your ever-loving mind?!’. In many respects, this is [...]
If you missed last week’s post, the first installment of this two part series, click (here) How about a brief quiz to start things off, shall we? 1. Which would cause drivers to be more careful and drive conservatively when passing through an area with a substantial deer population? a. A high-tech flashing sign with [...]
September 30, 2009
Waller Creek Is For Croquet, Crumpets And Cucumber Sandwiches? Victrolas, Records, Six Inch Fish, Cooling Off With Your Shoes Off, Giddy Wading? Exploring With Friends, Heading Up Stream To Try The Red Swing Another Time, Lemon Shortbread, Sun Dresses And Brainstorming New Waller Creek Adventures? Enticing and perhaps unbelievable but oh so very true. It [...]
Children working collaboratively and feverishly non-stop for an ungodly amount of time. Parents building ‘with’ their children for hours on end, asking for 9/16″ wood cuts from the jig saw. Socialites dressed for bacchanalian feasts and/or battle hanging out curiously amidst the growing city. Young designers stopping by to build a building before heading out [...]
What: Tea Party Attire: Tea Party Necessary Accoutrements: Snooty accent, your own tea cup, parasol, something to sit on (no, you may not sit on the crumpets), an impressive entourage of only the most witty and delightful creek-admirers and beast-hunters. Provided for you: Tea, croquet wickets, a table, jovial conversation and conviviality. When: Saturday, September [...]
Waller Creek Is For Egg Salad And Red Swings? For looking for beasts and eating Mexican cookies? For eating brunch in the creek bed and walking around barefoot with lots of friends? That’s right. Check out the full report (here). And stay tuned for info on the Waller Creek Is For Lovers Action And Adventure [...]
September 22, 2009
Carnage, chaos and fender benders galore? How about slower traffic, less accidents, safer streets for children and wait for it, no more text messaging while driving? That’s right, in a never ending quest to make our streets safer and more predictable, we may have actually made them more dangerous and so mind numbingly easy to [...]
I’m an individual coming alone, what should you bring? Twist the arm of at least one friend, neighbor or random person on the street. A chair for yourself- fancy or folding optional. A keen eye for possibility . A brunch treat/beverage of your choosing and the necessary utensils/tools for consuming said offering. Your best [...]
How Can You Change Your City? How can you Make Austin Weirder? What types of new tools exist or need to be created to better enable people to participate in the making of a city’s future? Sixty-five Austinites- students, designers, educators, policy makers, gardeners and activists- lingered for more than three hours at Space 12 [...]
February 21, 2010
imagining