Tate Modern - 'Global Cities'

Global Cities looks at the changing faces of ten dynamic international cities: Cairo, Istanbul, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Mumbai, São Paulo, Shanghai and Tokyo.


50% of people on earth are living in cities.


One of the most eye catching features of the exhibition were the density models, which represent the population and shape of four cities. These were Greater London (foreground), Cairo (right), Mexico City (left) and Mumbai. Showing the data three dimensionally was effective, as it helped the audience to interact with the installation and compare the cities easily.

Many 'mega-cities' - cities of over ten million - spill over the municipal boundaries, like Mexico City and Sao Paulo. Others, like Cairo and Mumbai concentrate their multi-million populations in relatively small land areas where people live at high densities. The populations of Johannesburg and Los Angeles are far more dispersed. Thus adversely affects consumption and pollution. More compact cities arguably provide the most sustainable models for urban growth.



Video was also shown which added to the variety of media used in the exhibition. This shot from the video was interesting, showing the diversity of populations in cities.


The roof of the bus shelter has been adapted to host a drought resistant garden, to show how the city's green spaces might look in the future, given the onslaught of climate change.

Sustainable design will play an essential part in dealing with future problems, such as the rise in population of our planet.

Hudson River Park

Not since Central Park was built 150 years ago has New York City witnessed a project as bold as Hudson River Park. When completed, Hudson River Park will extend along the Manhattan's West Side waterfront from 59th Street to Chambers Street. The Park encompasses 550 acres, including 400 acres of open water that will provide an exciting public venue for boating, touring, fishing, swimming and many other activities.


The Greenwich Village section of the Park is approximately three-quarters of a mile long. It begins immediately north of the Tribeca section and joins the Chelsea section at the Gansevoort Peninsula. The Greenwich Village section opened to the public in May 2003 to rave reviews and large crowds.

Hudson River Park is all about spectacular views and high quality materials with a clean cut finish.


Accessibility into the park was good with wide, gentle ramps.


The heart of the Park will be 13 old maritime piers that are being reconstructed as public park spaces, one of which had a seating area with shelter, and a playground (right of picture). Other piers will include; lawns and gardens, picnic areas, scenic overlooks, ball fields, volleyball courts, community docks, historic boats, a living museum, research and educational facilities, event space, places to eat and much more.


The Esplanade, constructed of bluestone and granite, with aesthetic metal and wood railings and benches in many areas for sitting and enjoining the River, runs the length of the Greenwich Village section and is an attractive area for strolling, jogging and walking. This is paralleled by four miles of tree-shaded lawns, which act as a soft barrier from traffic. There is a pleasing balance of hard and soft materials down this stretch.


There was a road running adjacent to the waterfront that was dedicated for the use of pedestrians and cyclists only, which made it feel very safe.


I really liked this park as it was refreshing, clean and relaxing. Hudson River Park is similar to Bryant Park in terms of a retreat from the city, but with different uses. Bryant seemed more like a community space, whereas Hudson was used more for relaxing exercise. Overall the water element of Hudson River Park made it feel more fresh than Bryant Park.

New York

Bryant Park

Bryant Park is located in midtown adjacent to the Public Library. This green space is a haven within the city, ideal for pedestrians who need a pleasant environment to relax in and office workers who need to take a break.


The avenues are lined with London Plane trees which gives a distinctive European feel, as a contrast to the typical New York scene. When entering the park the trees transform the environment instantly, and one forgets this is a busy urban city.
There are many access points with stairs and ramps for the disabled that open up the park to the public. The moveable chairs work extremely well allowing people the freedom to choose where they relax, creating an informal and inviting environment, which contributes to the success of the park.





Ivy acts as an effective green boundary creating a separation from the hard materials of buildings outside the park.


On the terrace the patterned paving of granite, bluestone, and cobbles add interest.

Switzerland
Lucerne


Our last cultural stop was the quintessential Swiss city of Lucerne. The main tourist attraction is the Chapel Bridge, which is the oldest wooden bridge in Europe. It is a 204 m long bridge and crosses the Reuss River.



The bridge is decorated with flowers along the sides, which add colour complimenting the wood effectively. It was constructed in 1333 and was designed to help protect the city from attacks. An octagonal water tower which is 140 feet tall and made from brick adjoins the bridge. This has served as a prison, torture chamber, watchtower and treasury. Today the tower, which is part of the city wall, is used as the guild hall of the artillery association.



The roof acts as shelter, but also inside the bridge there are a series of 17th century paintings lodged in the ceiling depicting events from Lucerne's history.



Neat drainage with a long channel that blends into the surroundings.


When exploring Lucerne I found that it was a small but very well preserved city. Passing through the streets, and squares there were many fascinating, old murals printed on numerous buildings.



This inviting, gentle slope down to the river is an aesthetically varied edge that creates a relaxing atmosphere. It has also been subtly designed for dual purpose. Firstly it draws people closer to the water to sit on the low log that runs along the edge, and secondly it serves as a mooring area.

Italy
Venice


I found Venice to be a unique and elegant city, full of culture, architecture and life.

Venice also known as 'City of Water', is world famous for its canals. It is built on an archipelago of 122 islands formed by about 150 canals in a shallow lagoon. The islands on which the city is built are connected by about 400 bridges. In the old center, the canals serve the function of roads, and every form of transport is on water or on foot. Venice is Europe's largest urban carfree area, unique in Europe in remaining a sizable functioning city in the 21st century entirely without motorcars or trucks.

On the grand canal, the classical gondolas were frequently used by tourists. Long stakes mark out separate moorings, which are in keeping with the gondolas.


Hustle and bustle of market place.



This typical rustic building shows the result of years of neglect where the walls begin to crumble, which gives Venice its distinctive character.



Venice's most famous bridge, the Rialto was built between 1588 and 1591 and has a 24-foot arch designed to allow passage of galleys. The bridge has three walkways: two along the outer balustrades, and a wider central walkway leading between two rows of tourist shops. There was no sign of wheel chair access which indicated that this may not have been a priority for design in these times.


Example of the many smaller but charming canals.



St. Marks Square is the central landmark and gathering place of Venice, and is usually crowded with tourists and pigeons. The Basilica is a beautiful Byzantine cathedral and is the most famous of the city's churches.

Croatia
Plitvice National Park


This is Croatia's most popular tourist attraction and was granted UNESCO World Heritage Status in 1979.

Signs?

Before we entered the park there were many signs scattered around informing us of the rules and regulations. This reminded me of the sign at the Diana memorial in Hyde Park which also made me feel restricted. The signs in the National Park were also very confusing as the symbols were unclear in what they were trying to communicate.

The topography of the park was hilly and the walk was dominantly downhill (as the sign shows below), which created opportunities on the upper levels to look down at some spectacular views. The park was very water orientated and consisted of long winding pathways built over lakes and streams with waterfalls in the distance. This was very effective as it made you feel close to nature.

The park also provided an environment that allowed for a wide variety of wildlife including many fish and ducks.

Euro Trip - June/July 07

Over the summer I travelled to several countries in Europe with five friends in a van. I joined my friends late in Czech Republic where they picked me up. This is the route we took.

Austria
Eisriesenwelt

Our first stop of interest was the Ice Caves, 'Eisriesenwelt', in Salzburg. The Eisrisenwelt is the largest system of ice caves in the world.

To reach the ice caves we needed to take a cable car up the steepest part of the mountain, which meant that we were at a total height of 1,500m.

The final stretch of the route to the ice caves was a pathway under a shelter consisting of a series of columns, which aesthetically blended into the mountain side creating an inviting entrance.

When we entered the ice caves it instantly turned cold. As you walked through on the man-made path it was stunning to see the huge ice structures, all formed into different shapes. We were lucky to have a small group and a tour guide who could speak English and he told us some interesting facts.




The Eisriesenwelt was discovered in 1879 and is a labyrinth of caves with a total length of over 40km. The guide told us that in some areas of the cave the ice was at least 20m thick. We also found out that the ice caves are thousands of years old and each layer on this ice wall was a year old, similar to tree rings. It was very dark in the cave so for us to be able to see the guide he used a magnesium strip which created a bright light, and enhanced the dramatic atmosphere.