Sarah Oberklaid
Sarah is an urban planner and artist from Melbourne Australia, currently living in Seattle. She has contributed to diverse long-term projects addressing housing, transportation, community facilities, heritage and public spaces with extensive consultation with communities and other stakeholders. Her articles for The Urbanist focus on her passion for the design of sustainable, inviting and inclusive places, drawing on her research and experiences around the world.
Framed by grand buildings, Trafalgar Square, was up until the mid-1990s choked by traffic which encircled its edges on four sides. The historic design by Sir Charles Barry in the 1840s which created the square as a central island, had evolved into a traffic roundabout that impeded safe pedestrian...
“Seattle is known worldwide for its environmental leadership. City policy mandates LEED Gold for new construction, and we’ve gone well beyond that with this new fire station” - Mayor Edward Murray.
Durability, efficiency and functionality were core to the design of a new building for Fire Station 20. With modest,...
Architect Takaharu Tezuka showcases his design for a kindergarten where kids are encouraged to be kids. His approach and thinking expands the possibilities of designing spaces that are interactive, fun and educational.
https://www.ted.com/talks/takaharu_tezuka_the_best_kindergarten_you_ve_ever_seen/transcript?language=en#t-7437
After 13 years of construction, the world's first steel suspension bridge, Brooklyn Bridge was opened in 1883. Boasting the longest span in the world at the time, the bridge provided a vital connection across the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Although the bridge today features six lanes...
One of Seattle’s most unique places, Gas Works Park, is a pioneering example of the regeneration of a contaminated industrial site as a public place. The design of the park helped to change public perceptions of neglected, damaged and unsightly spaces in cities, and recognize their potential for redevelopment.
In...
http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1
Dongho Chang is a Seattle Department of Transportation traffic engineer who at the crack of dawn, rides his bike across the city to investigate tweets to his account @dongho_chang, helping to ensure the streets are safe before most people start their day. This video provides insight into a day in the life...
On Monday, President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency announced the Clean Power Plan, the first national standards to reduce carbon pollution from power plants in the United States. The Plan establishes a target for power plants to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 32 percent below 2005 levels within 15 years. The measures...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xctzp0dp9uc
It's a typical train commute on a cold morning in Perth, Australia... until passengers are invited to participate in a group singalong of Over the Rainbow. Initiated by a group called The Liberators, armed with a ukelele player and lyric sheets, the singing transforms a quiet train ride between strangers into an uplifting experience.