Design subtleties at every turn

My own particular interest of course is the design of ski areas --- what are the principles which are applied to particular terrain? (See for example Designers use natural vegetation, terrain to mold ski slopes.)

But every activity has its issues: Wheeling and Dealing, Local Skateboarders Roll Out Political Agenda.

The city drafted a "skateboard park policy" last summer, which says Seattle is supposed to be friendly to skate parks. Now skaters want to make sure the city follows through and builds parks, instead of letting places like Ballard Skate Park be demolished.

...

But even if Seattle officials are convinced to site a new park, PSSA's work would not be done, the group decided: They'd have to make sure the parks are built right. "When the cities are putting out money, they aren't putting out good skate parks," said Steve Betton, a guy in a Grinch T-shirt who also goes by the name Swervo. Harrison agreed: "We're tired of skate parks with bad transitions that run into walls. We're tired of parks with no flow." The nascent group wants Seattle to tighten its requirements for construction, so only companies with expertise--like the local outfit Grindline--can squeak through the skate park bidding process.

Comments

[TM Lutas]

I wrote up something fairly relevant today on the fiction of blank sheet, isolated architectural development which also tends to skew politics in that profession towards the left.

If PSSA could put up a collaborative architectural plan during the process, you'd get a better park, probably for less money as the interests who want less expense and better laid out features could fight it out at the beginning of the process. Someday, no doubt, such collaborative architecture software will exist. I wish it existed today.

[Alexandra]

This caught my eye. . .

". . .what are the principles which are applied to particular terrain? (See for example Designers use natural vegetation, terrain to mold ski slopes.)"

My parents bought ten acres on an Arizona mountain and are headed out there in the next couple of weeks to clear brush. They are working with a home designer that focuses on eco-aware homes. My sister lives there and has been developing the land. . .

It's hard for me to imagine taking the natural vegatation and terrain into account here, in my neighborhood of concrete ant farms.