Here are the articles and ideas which really got our attention in the past two weeks;
DETROIT: For decades Detroit has been a poster child of the misfiring American dream but amid block after block of post-industrial decline there are signs that Motor City is jump-starting its economy. Years of under investment have left a blank canvas for social entrepreneurs and small business owners keen to revitalise a broken metropolis. Monocle heads downtown to sample the green shoots of recovery.
MONTREAL: Have we become adults too quickly? These swings (in the video above) in public space are part of a giant collective instrument made of 21 musical swings; each swing in motion triggers different notes, all the swings together compose a piece, but some sounds only emerge from cooperation.
MELBOURNE: This Australian city is joining London in considering the construction of elevated bicycle lanes. This one is dubbed ‘Veloway’ and comes with a pretty cool video too.
NORTH AMERICA: What has become of the design of our schools? This photo essay by Kaid Benfield explores why our schools have gone from being human-scaled, which signaled their importance in the community, to what these days resembles more of a Walmart of Target store. Part 1 and Part 2
CAPE TOWN: It has been in planning for a over a decade, but the next month will see the launch of a single Transport Authority that will begin to integrate transport modes, operators and nodes across Cape Town. The aim according to the Mayor of Cape Town, in a recent piece is improve “the governance of transport services to the commuter by regulating operators through a common authority. This will mean consistent ticketing practices, better safety measures, standardised levels of quality and ease of connections, no matter what mode of transport is used.”
The swings are in Montreal, not Toronto!