The Future of America’s Transit – thoughts while waiting for the bus
I grew up in the Washington DC area, a metro area blessed with a well funded transit system. As a kid I could take a bus or subway into DC. I grew up a few blocks from the deepest subway station in the US, I used all the time. When I skipped school I didn’t hang out at the shopping mall, I headed for the Mall in DC with all of the free Smithsonian museums. Later I went to school in Chicago, a fantastic transit town. The L, an extensive commuter train system, and pretty good bus service. I went for 7 years without a car, and I took that system for granted.
Now I live in Puyallup Washington, a small town east of Tacoma Washington, part of Pierce county. For the last few weeks my car has been laid up needing some repairs. To get around I have been using Pierce Transit and King county transit. It is a different experience.
Those of us who would like to see oil consumption reduced, our carbon foot prints diminished, and everyone using as much public transit as possible forget that America has really poor public transit outside of the major metropolises. I am going give kudos to Pierce transit for that they have very modern hybrid compressed natural gas – electric hybrid buses, a free light rail in downtown Tacoma, and have worked hard to have tight schedules. However – as we move to more transit and less individual cars – we really have to rethink our towns. “Downtown” Puyallup could be a set for the Andy Griffith Show, (though St. Charles Illinois is the unofficial official Mayberry), it is walkable and has a good connection to the train line that serves Tacoma and Seattle. But that core quickly becomes sprawl a half-mile in every direction outside of that main street location.There are few sidewalks, and it then quickly becomes farms and industrial parks.
In order to transition from our gasoline car based life style we need to improve the quality and quantity of our transit resources. Not just in the big cities and towns, but focus on the small towns and suburbs, and really find ways to overlay light rail, more bus service, car and van pools in these areas. If the quality and availability isn’t there, everyone’s first choice will still be to own a car. Even an electric car contributes CO2, most of our electricity comes from coal. Our real solution is more mass transit, get the cars off the road. We have to choose to do it, no politician, lobby or group is going to mandate it, but they can fight for more transit dollars to expand service and improve quality.
In the winter of 1997 it was terribly cold. I was working as a temp just out of college in the Greek Town part of Chicago, west of I-90/94. It must have been -20 air temp and a windchill of -30 at least. The rails froze above ground and we had to get off the train and get the Clark St. Bus to get back to Rodger’s Park. In that 90 minute wait I swore I would save every penny I could to by any car – just so I wouldn’t have to stand in weather like this again. I didn’t care if I would still be stuck driving in the slush for 2 hours, I would be warm and dry. If the bus had come sooner it would have been just another Chicago winter day, instead the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) just sold another car.
Not Always
I realize there may be some confusion about what an architect…is. I thought this post would help shed some light. At least, I’ll go over some generalities about us!
Rich
HA! I’m laughing as I type this out. But, I’ll get people wondering why I drive a pickup truck. “Where’s my BMW?” So far from the truth. I have no idea where this stereotype started. I don’t think I know any architect that’s rich. Maybe rich on life! But, not sure who’s wealthy.
Clothes
Okay, we all don’t wear black turtle necks. I hate turtle necks. Always feel like I’m being choked. And, we all don’t look like lumberjacks. At least, I try not to in summertime… But, I am guilty of wearing a tie with a nicely worn pair of jeans. I think we’re the few that can get away with it. And, yes I do sport the glasses most of the time.
Big Words
I hate big words. I read with a pocket dictionary by my side. I never understood why someone would want to confuse another with big words. My goal is to try my best to explain myself. Big words get in the way.
Snobby
I am happy to say that I have only a few friends that are archi-snobs. All the rest are down-to-Earth kinda people. Why we have that stereotype is beyond me. I like being approachable.
Designers
Believe it or not, we’re all not designers. In fact, there’s only a few that I really admire. I consider myself to be more practical. Maybe that’s a flaw, I don’t know. But, every great design solution starts with a great problem to solve. Many architects are great problem solvers, managers, and technical experts.
Boring
I would have to say we all aren’t boring. We may be quiet, but that’s just the gears turning. Though time usually doesn’t permit, we enjoy doing other things than architecture. Though I am fond of ‘This Old House.”
Old
I had no idea how many people associated architects with having to be old. Do I have to wait until retirement to get some street cred?? I do know some wise older architects, but then again, I know some younger ones, too.
Babble
Okay, I am SO part of this group. It might be a stereotype, but it’s true!! The one trait I try so hard to fix is babbling. I can go on and on if someone lets me. I once was in a focus group with a dozen other architects. What was our common trait? Babbling!
Writing Instrument
This too is true. We all carry some kind of writing instrument. It was pounded into me to always carry a pen. And more times than not, it’s always been helpful. Same is true about pocket knives.
So, any other architect stereotypes I’m missing? (Keep it clean.)
photo credit: radiant guy
Colosseo Letterpress
I thought about adding this to the Weekly Town Crier for this week, but I didn’t want it to get lost in the mix of other links. So, enjoy this special Thursday post. Check out the video and see some more images on his website.
Colosseo: Reimagining the Roman Coliseum with type (Canon 7D) from Cameron Moll on Vimeo.
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Ah, a nice peanut butter & jelly sandwich, what can be so delicious and so easy to make? Well, maybe you’ve never had one made by an architect. We can over-complicated even the easiest tasks…
Here’s my take on a family classic as designed and submitted by yours truly.
Materials (Ingredients)
Provide each material as specified herein. Omission of any specific item does not constitute an incomplete sandwich. Contractor (Sandwich Maker) shall provide and assemble all necessary ingredients to make one incredible, edible sandwich.
No ingredient substitutions shall be accepted unless presented to the architect (Sandwich Eater) prior to execution of said described sandwich. Sandwich Eater may request samples to review and consume, if ingredients are in questions and I am really hungry.
Provide the following ingredients: two perfectly symmetrical fresh white bread slices – crust is optional, grape jelly seedless (no “other” flavors shall be permitted on the construction site (plate), extra crunchy peanut butter (no further details given.)
All ingredients shall be free of major defects and shall not be “spoiled.”
Construction (Assembly)
Furnish and install jelly onto one side of one piece of bread evenly to a 2mm thickness. Sandwich Maker is to provide extra care as to not harm bread while installing the peanut butter onto the other slice of bread. If slices are damaged, provide replacement at no additional charge.
Coordinate sandwich assembly with Sandwich Eater to optimize freshness and hungriness.
Sandwich Maker shall adhere both slices of said sandwich as to minimize overlapping jelly/peanut butter edging.
Sandwich Eater has the right of refusal of said sandwich up to and including second bite. Upon third bite, Sandwich Eater becomes the property and responsibility of the Sandwich Eater.
Easy.
thumbnail credit: Marshed
Design Process – Part 4
The fourth step in the design process that I typically take my clients through is review. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
After you’ve finished the design, it’s now time to present your work to the client for the first time. Often, this can be the most nerve racking part of the process. Depending upon your personality, this can be difficult. That’s why, one of the most important aspects of working in the field of design is to have a thick skin. To a certain degree, you just can’t worry too much about what other people think. You need to create work that you are proud of, and accept that not everyone will like it. I’m straying off topic a bit, but it’s important.
Presenting your work nicely can have a huge impact on how the client perceives the work. Try and mock something up. If you’re sending a web design, send them the image inside of a web browser window. If it’s a package design, try and mock-up the package and place the imagery on it. Give the client a taste of what’s to come. If it’s a logo, start showing some sketches of how it could look on other materials such as business cards. You need to figure out the best way to convey your vision to the client in a way they can visualize. You’re a designer, you have a vision, you have creativity, that’s why you were hired. The client may not. You need to create it for them.
If you know that the client will make revisions, make sure you have some sort of numbering/labeling system in place. You or the client may need to refer to previous designs as the project moves forward. Clear marking can save some time.
The next phase is revisions, but it doesn’t hurt to start reminding a client of what the limits of the contract are. I typically will give a friendly reminder when I present the drawings. Let the client know exactly how they need to present their comment or changes to you. Do they mark it up by hand? Do they mark up a PDF? Is it just written out? If they don’t know or don’t have a preference, suggest what process they should take. Make sure that however it’s conveyed, it’s in writing! If you have a phone conversation, take good notes, then send a reminder email to the client to review what you talked about and what will be done. It’s good practice to make sure everything is understood clearly so time isn’t wasted in the next phase of the project.
Local News
I enjoy local news sources, especially creative ones. Gapers Block is a Chicago web publication filled with great Chicago stories. And, they do a tremendous job keeping me updated on events around town.
Besides the stories, I love checking out their Flickr Group for great photos around the Chicagoland area. Here is an example of a photo from their group:
