Design and Architecture

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Designing a Solution for Homelessness Jun 30, 2016

Show notes

The Los Angeles City Council is weighing two separate measures to fund solutions to homelessness. One likely applicant for those funds will be the nonprofit developer Skid Row Housing Trust, which has built supportive housing by some of LA's leading architects. Can good architecture and planning help re-integrate the formerly homeless back into society?

Skyspace LA, Mini-Golf, Assemble Collective Jun 28, 2016

Show notes

Interventions in the urban fabric: the new Skyslide brings fun to downtown’s financial district. Will it attract more tenants? In Echo Park, a public mini-golf course gives new meaning to an empty site. And British design collective Assemble recently checked out the Coachella Valley. Why?

Metro to Ask Voters for Another Sales Tax Jun 23, 2016

Show notes

On June 23, the Metro Board is expected to approve a ballot initiative that's being called Measure R2, for a half-cent sales tax to be placed on the November ballot.

Brexit's Impact on Design, Metro's Transit Funds, Saving The Smell Jun 21, 2016

Show notes

Will designers and manufacturers trading with Europe be affected by Brexit? As Metro Board prepares a new transportation sales tax measure, we’ll debate how the money should be spent. And The Smell, a much-loved all-ages music venue, has been threatened with closure, sparking anxiety that not all of the changes in downtown LA are for the better.

Public Space in a Time of Fear Jun 16, 2016

Show notes

Recent shootings in Orlando and before that Paris, San Bernardino and Colorado have added to growing jitters about random attacks in regular gathering places. On the other hand, designers and architects are very optimistic about the growth of public space, from transit to parks. Will the fear of violence win out over our desire for openness?

Gay Spaces, FAB Park, LACMA Redesign, Ecocapsule Jun 14, 2016

Show notes

Gay bars and nightclubs have long served as sanctuaries for LGBT people. But many of these venues are disappearing. Mia Lehrer + Associates has been picked to design FAB Park in downtown. Why was the latest redesign for LACMA unveiled at the Venice Architecture Biennale? And a tiny "ecocapsule" made in Slovakia is catnip to Californians.

Connecting New and Old in Santa Monica Jun 09, 2016

Show notes

The Looff Hippodrome, home to the iconic carousel on the Santa Monica Pier, will commemorate its centennial this Sunday, June 12. Meanwhile, across Ocean Avenue, the Colorado Esplanade was recently developed to connect the Downtown Expo Light Rail station, the new Tongva Park and the Santa Monica Pier.

Ballot Design, Looff Hippodrome, Earthquake Preparedness Jun 07, 2016

Show notes

Voters heading to the polls on June 7 may find their ballots very confusing, especially with 34 US Senate candidates to choose from. Can better design improve election results? Plus, we visit the home of the carousel at the Santa Monica Pier that turns 100 this week. And the new In Case of Emergency asks if we are ready for the Big One.

Grand Avenue Project May Get a Jumpstart Jun 02, 2016

Show notes

Developers and city leaders billed the more than $2 billion Grand Avenue project as a perfect complement to a changing downtown Los Angeles when it was first proposed in 2004. But since its inception, it’s been wrought with delays and financial shortfalls.

Facebook Compassion, Broken Relationships and Lonely Cities May 31, 2016

Show notes

What becomes of the relics of a broken romance? Facebook's compassion research team is designing tools to relieve its users' break-up pain. Then, LA's new Museum of Broken Relationships features totems of heartbreak. And a writer talks about loneliness in the big city – and whether designers can alleviate solitude.

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