Dutch Ideas for Making Austin More Accessible for Cyclists

Last month I blogged about a cycling outing that my son and I took on South Lamar, a major transit corridor here in Austin.  "Scary" and "dangerous" are words that hit the mark in describing what it is like to cycle on South Lamar. Last week a team of Dutch bicycle experts visited Austin and, after riding along the same corridor, agreed with this assessment. The experts, who were here courtesy of the Green Lane Project, ended their visit with a workshop that explored ways to make this corridor less scary and dangerous for cyclists.  Here are some great photos from their ride on South Lamar.

Courtesy of © Renee Renteria Photography

The folks I talked to who attended the workshop were very excited about the Dutch delegation's recommendations for transforming South Lamar into a safe, accessible, and attractive corridor for cyclists and pedestrians. An update from Eileen Nehme, a mother of young kids in one of the adjoining neighborhoods who spent two days with the team:

Cycling the length of South Lamar with Andre Botermans, the Dutch Cycling Embassy representative and urban planner working with our team, was eye opening. In The Netherlands, roads with >10k auto trips per day get bike tracks physically separated from motor traffic. South Lamar has >35K. He was aghast that we would create a bike lane with a stripe of paint on a road as dangerous as South Lamar. . . . The full design includes two-way cycle tracks on both sides of Lamar, which would be shared with pedestrians until the 15' pedestrian zone was completed. These tracks would be separated from motor traffic by a 3-5' planted buffer that serves as a rain garden to filter road runoff. This design preserves the current five motor vehicle lanes (two each way, plus center turn) where room exists. . . . This vision is thrilling to those of us who want to address the exploding transportation demands on South Lamar and be able to bike safely to Wheatsville or Target. Making cycling a viable and significant transportation mode is essential to Austin's future.

Ideas from the Think Bike workshop on transforming South Lamar into a cycling-friendly transit corridor 

Child-Friendly Public Art III

"Gift : Unknown Pocket 2" by Toshiko Horiuchi, 2009
© Sizuken, available under a Creative Commons Attribution/noncommercial/sharealike license

As a follow-up to last week's posts, more ideas coming in from parents on what makes public art child-friendly and some fun pictures I found on Flikr:

The most important item is to be able to touch, climb, hands on interaction. I cringe when I see the do not touch, do not climb, etc. signs.  Kids enjoy just walking on curbs and benches in a row. It doesn't have to be fancy. Don't program too much. Green open space to play is key. The best art is good for all ages. I think something that falls into kid or not kid has failed. A top notch designer will make it work for both. Don't forget shade! Personally I prefer trees.   

A sustainable interactive sculpture park generated by solar, wind, and rainwater collection.  Instruments move based on natural resources.  A kite sculpture that moves with wind but where kids can shift movement patterns by levers.  This ties into our annual kite festival. Also, we are bike-friendly city (or trying to be).  Could make a bike sculpture garden with tandem bikes that don't move but wheels turn (but are covered/protected so little fingers and hands can't get in).

We were in Minneapolis this summer and kids and all kinds of people love these outdoor sculpture gardens. They have picnic venders and weekend activities in that space. Iconic tourist destination that is welcoming and high concept. 

I think "tactile" and "interactive" art captures kids attention. 

LOVE Sculpture in Tokyo
© RageZ, available under a Creative Commons Attribution license

Child-friendly art:

• Is stupendously large to them.

• Is made to climb on or touch.

• Is designed to walk around, under or through to get different perspectives and promote discovery.

• Is friendly or kind in spirit, appears to be looking at you, inviting you or celebrating ... or has a story the adults can relate to.

• Is designed to improve with time, weathering and patina, not wear out.

• Is multi-sensory, with texture, visual sparkle/depth, sound or movement.

• Is designed into the surrounding environment with human-friendly features like shade, breezes, benches for tired parents, low walls, trees, or ponds, all of which are also designed for lounging, touching and climbing. 

Children's Landscape Park in Kyiv, Ukraine
© Anosmia, available under a Creative Commons Attribution license

© louisemakestuff available under a Creative Commons Attribution/noncommercial/sharealike license

Children's Landscape Park in Kyiv, Ukraine
© Anosmia, available under a Creative Commons Attribution license

Children's Landscape Park in Kyiv, Ukraine
© Anosmia, available under a Creative Commons Attribution license

More on What Makes Public Art Child-Friendly?

Yesterday I posed a question on this blog about what makes public art child-friendly. Since then, I've received lots of great responses on this via email from parents. Here are some of their thoughts. I will post more of their responses later this week.

My kids want to climb everything -- so I'd want art that they are either invited to climb OR at least be sure it's something that doesn't invite climbing.  It's just awful when there is some sculpture that is practically begging a kid to climb it next to a sign forbidding it.  Or worse -- at the capitol there are guards there to keep kids from having fun. I think interaction is key.  They love goofing around in front of those wacky mirrors that make you look taller or fatter.  They love ringing giant chimes.  They like it if they can fit inside it or hide behind it.  They love the big, lighted disco dance floor in front of The Long Center.  They love garden paths that lead to leafy "secret hide-outs".  They like the giant terrazzo maps at the airport.  They like the big fruit/veggie bollards in front of Central Market.  They love mosaics -- discovering little details stuck into the design.  They also LOVE things they got to help create or that were obviously created in part by other children.

It doesn't have to be "kid art".  It shouldn't look like Romper Room.  It just needs to be unexpected and OK to touch.  It's not like they'll only like it if it's primary colors.  In fact, I think that's pretty condescending.  They kind of dig the manipulation of nature type of art exhibits -- the Andy Goldsworthy type stuff.  They enjoy the maze out at The Natural Gardener.

Here's one I really like where the public can alter the piece. 

My two criteria are that kids can touch and climb on the art. My kids love to climb on the statue "philosophers rock" at Barton Springs. It's not really kid friendly because it says you should not crawl on it and it's made of bronze which heats up like crazy in summer, but they love to try anyway.

Philosophers Rock at Barton Springs in Austin

I think interactive sculptures really capture kids attention -- like the Dell Children's hospital art.  Interactive water features are also great -- push a button & water shoots out.  Also, musical features are always a huge hit with kids -- they like to make noise. Murals are great and kids like things they can look through, like the painted body & they put there head or face through and get a picture taken.  They like telescopes.

Dell Children's Hospital

Interactive art-either that kids can climb on or 'play' like an instrument-really engages my kids! Or also they LOVED the one at Dell childrens, the balls when you first come in the door. That appeals to all ages.

In my experience and travels, child-friendly art is interactive and touch-able.  Sculptures, fountains, anything reflective, climb-able, touch-able, etc.  We go to Denver a couple of times each year.  Our go-to is the science museum and the zoo.  Both have great sculptures that kids can climb on and run around.  In San Francisco, both the California Academy of Sciences and the DeYoung Museum are great examples. There is a fabulous, open plaza connecting the two museums.  DeYoung has an amazing sculpture garden.  The kids can't climb on the sculptures (it's "art"!), but they spent a solid hour running around them, hiding amongst them, making up stories based on the sculptures' names, etc.  Plus, there were installations/designs in the stone work leading up to the museum.  It fosters conversations and play.  My favorite child-friendly art isn't even art per se. 

Asheville, North Carolina

Breckenridge, Colorado

Breckenridge, Colorado

What Makes Public Art Child-Friendly?

I attended a meeting with City of Austin staff yesterday to talk about what it means for public art to be child-friendly. The City is commissioning "child-friendly" public art to be placed just outside the new downtown library. What is a good definition for "child-friendly" public art? What are the key elements that distinguish child-friendly from non-child-friendly public art?   

Here are some of my thoughts. What are yours? 

• Child-friendly art captures a child’s attention and draws them in
• Child-friendly art allows for physical exploration (kids love to touch things and climb!)
• Child-friendly art engages a child's imagination and sense of wonderment
• Child-friendly art, if it is great public art, is loved by people of all ages, young and old

Austin's "Play Me, I'm Yours" interactive art exhibit

Pearl District in Portland

Dallas

Seattle

Dallas

Paris

Great Parks: Examples from Paris

Market studies have established that when families with children are deciding where to live, one of their top priorities is access to quality parks. But when it comes to providing this access, Austin has a long ways to go: Only 47% of the city's population lives within walking distance to a park, and the city is even struggling with maintaining its existing parks. In a recent survey, Austin families cited the lack of child-friendly open space as one of their top concerns about the City and its ability to support the needs of families and children.

Over the next decade, to attract and retain families with children in the city, Austin needs to tackle two challenges with its parks system: access and quality. The City needs to figure out how to join the ranks of cities like Chicago, Seattle, Denver, and Minneapolis in ensuring that the bulk of its population has walking access to a park, and, at the same time, the City needs ensure that its parks are high quality and attractive to children and persons of all ages.

One of the greatest park systems my family has ever come across in our travels is in Paris. The Project for Public Places even ranked 4 of Paris's parks amongst the top 24 in the world. This past summer my family, including our 2-year-old nephew, had the opportunity to visit several of Paris's marvelous and magical parks. Indeed, it seemed that every 1/2 mile or so in our travels throughout the City we would come across a fabulous, engaging, one-of-a-kind park. Here are some pictures from our trip:

Jardin des Tuileries, Paris

Jardin des Tuileries, Paris

Parc de la Villette

Parc de la Villette

Parc de la Villette

Jardin d'Acclimation

Jardin d'Acclimation

Jardin d'Acclimation

Jardin d'Acclimation

Place des Vosges

Parc de la Villette

The Biggest and Best Opportunity for Spectacular Public Space in Downtown Austin

Austin has an incredible opportunity to create a series of spectacular public spaces downtown, along a 1.5 mile span of Waller Creek. These spaces have the potential to become amongst the best public spaces in the country.  The 28-acre area along the creek includes two public parks and many other open spaces.

The Waller Creek Conservancy is in the midst of a design competition for transforming this section of Austin into a vibrant, livable area that also creates a healthy ecosystem for the creek. The 4 finalists from the design competition were recently announced, and the winning design will be selected next week.  The designs issued by the finalists include lots of very cool and inspiring concepts--for people of all ages to be excited about exploring.  Excerpts are available at the Conservancy's website. These are the kinds of ideas that make me wish I were an architect, except that I can't draw....

Turenscape + Lake | Flato Architects

Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc. and Thomas Partners

CMG and Public Architecture

CMG and Public Architecture

Designing Healthy Communities on Public Television

Found out today from my friend Rachel that public television is broadcasting a wonderful 4-part series on Designing Healthy Communities. In Austin, you can catch the series on the KLRU-Q station on Sundays at 2pm. Here is a description from the show's website:

Designing Healthy Communities is a multimedia project that highlights people and communities trying to balance health and nature with work, play, and life, and offers best practice solutions for all citizens. Stories and methodologies explored in Designing Healthy Communities point the way toward a healthy and sustainable future. The host of our series is Dr. Richard Jackson, pediatrician, former CDC head of environmental science, top public health official in California, and current UCLA Department Chair and Professor of Environmental Health Sciences in the School of Public Health. We met Dr. Jackson at one of the more than 150 lectures and papers he delivers annually. Dr. Jackson's message is compelling: over the past half century, the built environment has contributed to the alarming fact that almost two thirds of our population is overweight, suffering from diabetes, heart, asthma, depression and other chronic diseases. If we look upstream at the causes--obeisance to the automobile, lack of public transportation, parks, sidewalks, bike paths, multi-use housing, and community sense of well-being--we discover that the built environment threatens our future generations. Dr. Jackson believes that improving the design of our communities holds the potential for addressing many of the nation's current childhood and adult health concerns. 

Also want to share these wonderful photos that my friend Kim sent me from her visit to Discovery Green park in the heart of downtown Houston. The 12-acre park offers enticing features for children and people of all ages (even in the 100 degree heat) and is cultivating new life in an area that used to consist of a swath of surface parking lots.

Discovering the Power of 10 in Chicago

On a recent trip to Chicago with my oldest son, we discovered the Power of 10 for creating a great public space. The space? Millennium Park, an extraordinary outdoor space that attracts 3 million visitors a year and has been recognized as one of the best public spaces in the country.  There is something for people of all ages to discover and explore in this park, which was built on top of a railroad yard and parking garages.  Our favorite discovery was the interactive public art, at both the Crown Fountain and the Cloud Gate sculpture.

The Power of 10 was discussed last month in a fabulous article from the Urban Times on "10 Ways to Improve Your City through Public Space."  (Thanks to my friend Terry for sharing this article). The concept is simple: to create a great public space, make sure it provides at least 10 different things to attract people to that space.

At the end of our visit to Millennium Park, we rented bikes in the park and set out on 2 wheels to explore the lakefront area next to downtown Chicago. Other than the lakefront route, the options for cycling safely with kids through and around downtown Chicago were somewhat limited as far as we could tell, but the lakefront route provides for miles and miles of wonderful safe cycling with children.

Millennium Park's Crown Fountain showing video clips of local residents
and providing a water play are for children in the summer months

Millennium Park's Cloud Gate sculpture, referred to as "The Bean"

Close up of The Bean in Millennium Park

McDonald Cycle Center in Millennium Park

McDonald's Cycle Center in Millennium Park

Headed out on bikes from Millennium Park

Cycling along the lakefront in Chicago