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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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There is some encouraging light on the horizons of those sickly strip malls and acres of asphalt. Soaring energy costs, resource conservation efforts and evolving lifestyle choices are driving demand for healthier, more livable suburban communities... More than 80 examples of such suburban transformations are presented in Retrofitting Suburbia by Ellen Dunham-Jones, AIA, Director of the architecture program at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and June Williamson, Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the City College of New York/CUNY. Their case studies include a former 100-acre mall in Lakewood, Colorado that has been redeveloped over a 10-year period into 23 walkable urban blocks, publicly owned streets, LEED-certified buildings and sustainable site design. This example has inspired eight of the 13 area malls to move forward with plans for applying urban design principles to their suburban settings. Dunham-Jones says that the challenge as this movement gains momentum is to raise public expectations for design quality. Otherwise, suburban renewal eyesores may echo the infamous failed urban renewal projects of the past.
Note: subscription required to view article in the Canadian Architect publication
