An Urbanist's 2012 Calendar

  1. Charles R. Wolfe

Perspectives from the year that was and a frame for the year ahead

The last week of the year is typically reserved for retrospective, and "best of" assessments. Yet, it can also be a time of hope, resolution, and prediction---an interlude of oracles and dreams.

Picture this about 2012---an urbanist calendar with places in mind---framed by international snapshots in time.

Each month of this urbanist calendar could echo experience, and provoke optimism through depiction of people and place.

Here is my composition, and perspective, from Seattle and beyond.

January:  Street Vending (Arusha, Tanzania)

 

February:  Street Watching (Matera, Italy)

 

March:  Street Blending (Vancouver, Canada)

 

April:  Life Amid the Creative Class (Gates Foundation, Seattle, USA)

 

May:  Urban Bicycles at Rest (Florence, Italy)

 

June:  Iconic Skyline (Seattle, USA)

 

July:  Urban Density at Work (Valetta, Malta)

 

August:  Transportation Choices (Nice, France)

 

September:  Nature in the City (Seattle, USA)

 

October:  Nightlife (Moscow, Idaho, USA)

 

November:  The Storefront at Rest (Lucera, Italy)

 

December:  The Laneway  (Melbourne, Australia)

All images by the author.

This post first appeared on MyUrbanist.com.

About the Author

Most Popular

  1. A brownstone in Brooklyn, where Airbnb growth has been particularly strong in recent years.
    Life

    What Airbnb Did to New York City

    Airbnb’s effects on the city’s housing market have been dramatic, a report suggests. And other cities could soon see the same pattern.

    1. Alastair Boone
  2. Two men plant a young tree in a lot in Detroit.
    Environment

    Why Detroit Residents Pushed Back Against Tree-Planting

    Detroiters were refusing city-sponsored “free trees.” A researcher found out the problem: She was the first person to ask them if they wanted them.

    1. Brentin Mock
  3. A photo of a Family Mart convenience store in Japan.
    Life

    The Language Debate Inside Japan's Convenience Stores

    Throughout Japan, store clerks and other service industry workers are trained to use the elaborate honorific speech called “manual keigo.” But change is coming.

    1. Allan Richarz
  4. Design

    Will Copenhagen’s Eco-Friendly Man-Made Islands Pay Off?

    The Danish capital is expanding its land mass and creating climate resiliency. But is it sustainable?

    1. Feargus O'Sullivan
  5. A woman at a homeless encampment in Anaheim, California
    Life

    The Unhappy States of America

    Even with the economy humming, Americans are feeling more anxious, depressed, and dissatisfied with their lives than they did in 2009.

    1. Richard Florida
Maps
Click Here
Newsletters
Click Here
Facebook
Click Here
Skip to content
Next Story in Design »