living space on earth is limited

The surface of 510 million square kilometers, covered with seas to 70,8 % has to be shared by humans and nature. Although metropolises are growing bigger it does not necessarily mean we can just take missing space from nature without replacing it. Thus considerate behaviour is absolutely essential.

Although piece and quite of untouched nature is a strong opposite to fast, hectic movements of our cities it seems like there is some attraction between the two of them. With no doubt, flora would be better without us but we have to search for an adequate alternative. Nature should increase with the growth of cities instead of constantly loosing territory. The exact piece of nature, taken away by building a house can be given back on the roof of the building. Also open spaces, vertical gardens and urban park areas are fundamental to bring city soil, poured in concrete back to life.

Project`s like Prinzessinengärten in Berlin or Urban Physic Garden in London  where urban waste land is transformed to a blooming garden are a great example how easy it is to transform unproductive cityspace in a positive enviroment.  I believe that city soil can only stay alive if the inhabitants of our cities stay in touch with it.  It is part of our commitment as citizen of a lively metropolis to make sure that not only the humans but also the nature gets the deserved attention.

cities are human

The countryside can’t do this. The best cities welcome you, embrace you, and make strangers feel like they’re home for the first time. The countryside will just as happily kill you. Cities are human, and want to be more so: the countryside doesn’t care at all. Even wildlife prefers the city. This year I watched a pair of fox cubs grow up by the side of the railway tracks behind my London flat. Urban foxes are a common sight in central London now. They’re in finer condition and more plentiful numbers than their rural cousins, and while I drink my morning coffee and watch them play on the railway embankment it becomes an obvious thought: this is the best place for them as well as for me, just as it is for the kestrels patrolling above Liverpool street, and the parakeets in Hyde park. The city holds us close. But we write here because this cannot be a one-way relationship. Cities, alive as they are, need nurturing. We must feed them, clean them and educate them, lest they whither and die. As all the initiatives and ideas in this book show, the city will respond to love and caring, and in turn will pay us back a thousandfold. How clever it was of cities to develop citizens, and how lucky for us to be such. This soppy talk of nurturing, of love, is not out of place. If you let it, it is overwhelming to think of the emotions built into our cities. Building something is an inherently hopeful act. We sometimes forget that absolutely everything that surrounds us, from the most glorious of buildings to the tackiest of souvenirs, was at some point taken home late one exhausted night and shown proudly to a spouse, a parent, a lover: Look what I did. I made this. This is real now. But as filled with love as our landscapes are, we each have a different one. Our minds create cities of their own.

My own home town seamlessly straddles continents: the 5th arrondissement of Paris is two stops and one line change on the train from my London flat, and I have deeper connections with New York and Florence than I do with Stoke Newington, the next borough along. That they’re hundreds of miles away geographically is irrelevant: in my head they’re all part of a piece. I’m not sure if this is a good thing or not. Knowing where we truly are is a skill we might perhaps relearn. Will Self, the English author, walked from London to New York in the open essay to his book on Psychogeography : he strolled from South London to Heathrow’s Terminal Four, flew to JFK, and walked from there into Manhattan, as an effort to situate himself more completely in the places where he found himself. Still, we all live in bubbles linked by filaments of transport. Given enough imagination we can start to believe we live in one large metropolis, the transatlantic NYLon for example, albeit with cross-town commutes it is best to sleep through. Our real interconnectedness is never so apparent as in a city. So why do we talk about cities so much? Because cities are what make us human. They’re the success story of our species. They’re the things that we can point to and say: Here is where we made our mark.

They are where civilisation happens. Where learning, art, science, music and all of the things that mark us as part of the joint project of humanity can come together. It’s the only place, indeed, where that can be so. Cities are the places that nurture us, far more than the wilderness or the wild places of the countryside. Cities are where we can truly live. So that is why we write about them here, and why we work to make them better. We owe the cities and we have a duty to improve them for each other. This isn’t a sad story or one of desperation. Our cities have problems, it is true, but we can overcome them. They’re ours for the taking. We built these cities, and we can repair them too. This book touches on how. After all, with a city comes hope. And with hope, anything is possible.

learn from collective wisdom

We are living in a time where there are more older people on our planet than ever before. Although people over 50 make up a huge part of our population, they are often overlooked and made to feel invisible by popular culture. Ours is a society obsessed with youth and the latest in technological advancements.

What if instead of focusing on the new, we began to turn our attention towards what is already before our eyes. Once we start to take notice of older people we will begin to realize their value and learn from their collective wisdom. By showing positive images of aging and renewing what it means to grow old we can redefine and adjust our attitudes towards our aging population.

Just by opening our eyes to the needs of older people we can begin to create a healthier and more vibrant city and discover important life lessons along the way.

Who better to turn to for advice than someone with a lifetime of experience? Ruth, 100 years old believes that staying active is the key to remaining vital at any age. Ruth has been active her entire life – she stretches, lifts weights and goes to Pilates class once a week. She never leaves the house without dressing up and makes sure to put on lipstick even to go to the doctor’s office.

Rose, another centenarian, has a more active social life than most people half her age.

I photograph, stylish, vital and creative women over the age of 65. By shining a spotlight on an oft-overlooked segment of the population, I hope to challenge people’s fears of aging and renew the image we have of growing older. Not only do these ladies refuse to give up, they serve as great examples for us all to life live to the fullest.

here is where we made our mark

Cities are what make us human. They’re the success story of our species. They’re the things that we can point to and say: Here is where we made our mark. They are where civilisation happens.
To find out what makes cities to a better place to us, Barcelona publishing company LECOOL brought out a travel guide to a better city: A smart Guide to Utopia. The book, inspired by automotive company smart, the expert in urban mobility, presents 111 projects from across Europe that have made a positive, sustainable change to life in our cities. The projects range from urban farming to pop-up restaurants to sustainable design.

In the book, over 30 renowned writers and creative minds like Ben Hammersley, Maria Popova and Adam Greenfield have provided answers to this question. They have contributed ideas, projects and initiatives that are presented in five separate chapters: “Live”, “Eat & Drink”, “Buy”, “Play” and “Work”. In the “open your mind” rubric at the start of each chapter, one visionary shares his or her ideas for the future of the city. The smart Guide to Utopia thus takes readers on a unique urban voyage of discovery.

We will display the several articles and features from this book on our website. Stay tuned to see more from this impressive guide to Utopia.

The English-language book is available worldwide from 16 April 2012 in over 50 selected bookstores and concept stores as well as online. Price: 24 €.
Order your copy at MOTTO DISTRIBUTION , AMAZON or directely at LECOOL.

reality is not fixed

We can hasten the evolution of our urban environments through the cumulative effects of many small decisions and actions. Reality is not fixed – it is a malleable and porous construct. Sustainable change is more powerful as a re-thinking or reconfiguring of historic and current practices – think re-tooling the suburban dream.

The small spaces in my photo constructs explore the notion of looking at and through simultaneously. Small under-noticed and under-utilized urban spaces can become portals to present and cultivate ideas that can help us re-envision our cities.

revealing the ever changing story of Tel Aviv

We wanted to create an unforgettable meeting point between the people of Tel-Aviv city and smart. To do so, we built huge mirrors shaped as smart cars and took over the city walls.

The Idea was to create an “urban movement”. We wanted to reveal with these mirrors, the ever changing story of the city to the people of Tel-Aviv, within and through our brand.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTS88wYJHgY