Chinatown, San Francisco

A fascinating and richly detailed street scene in San Francisco's Chinatown.

Everyday Urbanism in Los Angeles

I have just finished reading "Everyday Urbanism" by Margaret Crawford, John Chase and John Kaliski. Instead of focusing on the carefully planned and designed places that we are used to seeing in glossy magazines, the authors of this book focus on the incidental or spontaneous places and spaces created by urban dwellers themselves. Here are a few I have seen in and around Los Angeles...a corner cafe, a mural on a staircase, a barbershop under a house and a cupcake vending truck.

Baldwinsville, New York

Another quaint Central New York town, this one built along a river. The river splits at one point which has made way for a couple of interesting bridges. The town center is small with very narrow sidewalks but it's scale gives it a degree of intimacy that makes it very appealing.

Skaneateles, New York

We just spent a very sunny, hot and humid July 4th weekend in Central New York. There are so many beautiful towns hidden in the New York countryside, but I am posting photos of just a couple. This quaint lakeside town of Skaneateles boasts some beautiful streets. The main street runs along the lake edge and is fronted by park in some locations and retail in others. Although the town's population is only 2600, the feel of the built form and retail district is quite urban.

South Park - Downtown Los Angeles

I have posted photographs of the sidewalks at the South Park residential development before, although I focused solely on the storm water planters. Yesterday, I saw that not only are the storm water planters on Hope Street still looking great (with a new Danish bakery adjacent), but the streetscape on Grand Avenue, with its double row of shade trees, lush planting and public benches, is also looking fantastic. If only every city street looked like this...