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Fritz Haeg's Animal Estates Snag Tower [Photo Credit: Monique Deschaines/FOR-SITE Foundation]

How does public art play with the space of an urban area? In San Francisco, public art is important to people, but open space is scarce. Open spaces dedicated to slices of visual quality, such as the POPOS or Pavement to Parks projects, engage the public in a conversation about art without the confinements of a museum. The recently opened Presidio Habitats redefines this conversation of art and place by exhibiting art in an urban national park.

This installation is unique because it is built for native animals. Architect Fritz Haeg embraces the idea of building for the animal client through his Animal Estates project, which he has installed throughout the United States and built according to the natural space of the specific area. One of these installations is Snag Tower in Presidio Habitats.

Haeg's work does not focus on promoting himself as an artist, but rather blends into the environment, like another tree, through its minimalist design. Snag Tower stands alone, but like a tree becomes a unique part in a collective whole. The FOR-SITE Foundation, which aims to promote "art about place," describes Snag Tower as "a prototype for a collective model home designed to accommodate six animal clients that would otherwise live in a snag, or standing dead tree, in the park." Haeg's desire to share the overlooked beauty of a dead tree, by recreating it with the Snag Tower installation, presents the public with a new definition of natural beauty.

In this initial phase, Presidio Habitats embodies art about place because it represents and interacts with the environment of the Presidio. Perhaps over time this unique example of public art will come to define the park. Haeg's piece in particular represents a subtle piece of architecture that defines and responds to its surroundings. Presidio Habitats stands apart from other public art installations because it changes the interaction of art and place in urban areas by graying the relationship between them.

[Photo Credit: Colleen McHugh]

SFMOMA architects meet the public: The project of designing the $250 million SFMOMA extension to house the incoming Fisher Collection has been narrowed down to four eclectic finalists. In a short film, each architect discusses their individual hopes for the future of MOMA and their theories on what a museum should be.

Science city stores warm air from summer to heat buildings in winter: A Swiss University has found a way to heat its campus with virtually no carbon emissions. Their innovative method, which could have significant implications for city-scaled sustainability solutions, stores warm air from the summer, and uses it as a heat source during winter.

Will California achieve its anti-sprawl targets? California's anti-sprawl bill promises to bring about much needed change by requiring metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to invest in projects that promote sustainable land use, but will MPOs shift their investments away from destructive development in order for these changes to be realized?

Subway on the street: The Bx12 in NYC offers a glimpse into the bright future of bus transit, if buses are given a dramatic makeover. In this utopian, but not altogether unattainable future, passengers board in mere seconds, and buses glide through rush hour traffic with ease.

So-Cal seeks High Line West: With the recent success of New York's High Line, it's no surprise that LA is unveiling plans to build the West Coast version of the popular elevated park.

Determined to see changes occur in their neighborhoods despite tight city budgets, many DIY Urbanists are taking matters into their own hands. They are rolling up their sleeves to make improvements to their built environment by planning, designing, and implementing projects. Because DIY Urbanism projects are conceived by individuals and implemented on tight budgets, innovation and creativity are key ingredients in any DIY project. As a result, DIY Urbanism projects are as diverse as the people who implement them. Projects can run the gambit from short to long-term endeavors, and can include anything from greening and beautification of public spaces to temporary improvements to stalled construction projects.

Aside from jumpstarting an otherwise stalled project, DIY Urbanism offers several other benefits, not least of which is empowering individuals to make a positive difference in their communities. In direct contrast to typical "top-down" approaches to planning, DIY Urbanism's "bottom-up" approach requires that individuals actively partake in shaping the city around them. This, in turn, strengthens the connection between individuals and their surroundings, and can even lead to a more engaged citizenry.

Featured Project: Life in the Fast Lane

Not all DIY Urbanism projects have to serve a particular goal such as beautification, public safety, or information sharing. Check out this example (sponsored by Volkswagen) from Berlin, to see what happens when a little piece of the playground is brought to a subway station. This whimsical project is a friendly reminder to have fun and shows us that a small DIY project that re-imagines a conventional environment can add a little joy to our everyday lives.

In preparation for our upcoming exhibit, DIY Urbanism: Testing grounds for social change, the blog will feature urban projects from around the world that embody the "DIY" mentality. Check back for more DIY Urbanism features in the coming weeks.

Golden Gate Bridge, circa 1933 [Photo via Historypin user megscannell]

Beyond simply serving as tools to express our knowledge of our physical surroundings, maps have frequently served as an artistic medium, allowing for the expression of biases and acting as a platform for storytelling. Since the start of the 21st century, online mapping services, led by Mapquest and more recently Google, have focused less on creativity and more on accuracy in attempting to map the planet. Google's Street View took this one step further, placing photographic evidence in the context of the map. A new service, introduced by Historypin, is bringing back the creative side of map making."¨

In collaboration with Google, Historypin allows users to geotag their photos and place them on the online map. This type of crowdsourcing is not new, as it has previously been employed by flickr. Where this website truly differentiates itself from previous geotagging endeavors is by allowing the user to incorporate the date of the snapshot and an explanation of the image. Another feature allows you to place the historic image alongside the street view image, an interesting way to note changes to the location over time."¨

I stumbled upon a recent photo upload that captures the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge (top) between 1933 and 1937. The user who uploaded the photo speculates that the photo was taken in the middle of that period, because both towers have been erected, but the roadway has yet to be built. In reading the photo description, you also learn details about the origin of the photo (in this case it was discovered in her aunt's garage), but the photographer remains a mystery.

Sutro Baths, circa 1936 [Photo via Historypin user megscannell]

Another photo awaiting more detail (above) shows the S.S. Ohioan run aground outside the Sutro Baths in 1936. Today, the former site of the Sutro Baths looks much more like a modern ruin. Looking at this picture I was struck by the temporary nature of our built environment, and the permanence of our natural surroundings. "¨

With this freedom to narrate a map of our photographic history also comes great responsibility. Just as with Wikipedia or any other site dependent on user-generated content, Historypin must successfully balance storytelling with fantasy. Where the service excels, however, is in its recognition that a city is not simply made up of streets and parks, but also includes a narrative fabric, one that is too frequently forgotten.