Category: Advocacy
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Taksim Square: Istanbul Residents vs Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality
This is our second post about Taksim Square. For city planners and architects looking in from the outside there are two issues; 1) what are the merits of the development proposals for Taksim Square; and 2) did Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality consult civic groups and organizations representing business owners and residents of the area before commencing construction? The answer to both questions is a…
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Taksim Square: To whom does this public space belong?
Taksim Square is a central public space and transit hub located in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. It is a major tourist attraction with hotels, shops, restaurants, and cultural landmarks. It is also a place where public events, parades, and New Year celebrations take place. Also, one of the largest and most visited pedestrian commercial corridors…
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1,100 Dead in Dhaka Building Collapse
More than a thousand people are dead in a Dhaka garment factory; world’s worst industrial disaster since 1984 Bhopal Tragedy. The question is who is responsible for the death of 1,100 people in Dhaka, Bangladesh? A several-story building filled with garment factory workers collapsed in Dhaka killing more than a thousand people. This is not the first…
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Communities’ Role in Disaster Management
One of the things that has not gotten enough attention in post-Sandy New York City (in my opinion) is community level disaster management strategies. Most people rely on the government’s response, but there is a lot that communities can do to help themselves and help responders. When dealing with disasters, the police, firemen, and…
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Thoughts on home and women…
This past weekend I visited my grandmother, who is in her mid-90’s. She is a pretty amazing lady, but seeing someone you love age is never easy. The trip got me thinking about grandmas and home and women… and the news was generous in providing related reading material (and I couldn’t ignore the cosmic…
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Accessibility and Transit
There was a recent article in City Limits: Disabled Say Non-Mayoral Agencies Also Fail, which is definitely worth taking a look at. It brought up a number of thoughts about how transportation and emergency planning work. This particular paragraph stuck with me for a bit… The MTA argues that upgrading New York’s ancient subway system…