February 4th, around 10pm PDX time.

It’s interesting to think about how I got to where I am in my project. At the beginning of the quarter, I started out in the group that was looking at nature in the city. We were originally looking at the broad idea of what nature is in the urban environment. We made the video “Squirrel in the City” with the idea of exploring the natural (or not natural) aspects of the city through the lens of biophilia or the love of what is alive. As we made the movie, we realized that wildlife is another part of the urban fabric that we sometimes don’t think about.

When it was time to come up with a curated event, I decided to make a visit to the local Audubon Society. There I was fortunate enough to interview one of the board members and a resident owl named Julio. From this serendipidous event, I learned about a major issue that is related to both birds and architecture. There is a serious problem with birds being killed (and injured) when they run into windows. This led me to the research and project(s) I am working on now.

For the last week and a half I have been busily researching and compiling all the information I could find on birds striking windows – the why, the where, how many, and the impacts. I have also gathered information on the current solutions to the problem which includes laws, policies, and the various solutions that are currently available. Much of this research includes in-person and phone interviews with dozens of local and national researchers, policymakers, volunteers, and manufacturers.

The gist of what I have found is this: approximately 1 billion birds (around 7 million in Portland) die every year in the United States from striking windows – that’s 5-10% of the total bird population. 1 in 10 of these birds are hitting residential windows. The majority of the birds that die are songbirds that come through human habitat during their biannual migrations North or South. They cannot see window glass – the reflections in both mirrored and regular glass looks natural – and, thus, they then run into it. The birds are also drawn into the cities at night because of light pollution. The implications of all these birds being killed are great – some of which are the death of endangered or declining species, and the loss of a massive number of birds which would otherwise be pollinating, eating insects, etc. The physical solution is this – create a way for the birds to recognize the glass as an object so they don’t fly into it. There are many ways to do this including, but not limited to, screening in front of windows, fritting or patterning on the windows, using special UV patterned glass (birds can see the UV when we cannot), painting/adding decals to glass, etc.  See these mind maps for more information: PROBLEM SOLUTIONS

Although there are several solutions to the problem, there are two major disconnects that are making this problem difficult to solve. At this point in time there is a lack of education/knowledge of the issue among the stakeholders (architects, building owners, homeowners) and effective solutions are either extremely expensive or, when cost effective, can be visually unattractive.

My proposed solution is two-fold. I plan on making both a video and a design for a cost effective, do-it-yourself solution for the bird-strike issue. The reason I’m looking at making a video is that there needs to be a video for the general public that alerts them to the issue and gives them possible solutions. I may, however, examine another video type – a video that is oriented towards the professional (architect) that alerts them to the issue. I’m considering this second option because I had a conversation today with the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability – they indicated that they might be interested in having a video about the bird strike issue that runs on their monitor in the waiting space at the plan review office. In this video, I could possibly get into the synergies of designing bird friendly buildings that go along with energy efficiency, solar shading, and window privacy.

At this time, I am laying out a story board for the public video and am collecting materials to start testing possible small-scale design solutions for the problem.

 

An example of some of the information I’ve gathered from interviews is below.  One of the people I have been talking with is Dave Helzer, an Environmental Specialist and Biologist from the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services.  He provided me with the images at the bottom of the page…last Fall and Spring he found these two birds –  Rufous Hummingbird and Townsend’s Warbler – they are dead – after they had hit the window of the office building in the image.  The reflection in the glass of the tree is what they were flying to…

 

I’ve had a few decent ideas and a few missteps so far but on Monday I hit upon something that might have some mileage in it. The studio instructors seemed interested this time and several of my studiomates told me they thought it was a strong idea and to develop it further.

I’m proposing developing a system that allows people to donate money to people begging on the street via an online interface. This solves a problem for both the donor and the recipient.

The donor gets to avoid a situation they feel uncomfortable in (for a variety of reasons) that might keep them from helping someone in need. And since we all pay for everything with our debit or credit card, they can donate to someone when they don’t have any cash or change on hand. Or if they pull up at an intersection and the light changes before they can help someone standing there.

The person who is begging for money can now get help from all the people who aren’t carrying change. And can do so in a way that might be less threatening to people walking past on the street.

At the moment I envision giving panhandlers signs with QR codes on them. Potential donors can snap a photo of the code and later, when they have a few spare minutes, can process it with an app then decodes it and launches a personalized webpage that is A) linked to that specific individual and ready to take a secure online donation or B) linked to a shelter or food bank where those donations can be paid in toward meals and a room.

Donors have the additional comfort of knowing their money isn’t getting used for alcohol or drugs.

There are several potential opportunities for community tie-in on this proposal: Street Roots newspaper is a possible partner. This would provide additional revenue for their employees and also reduce the paper waste they have now. Businesses could choose to advertise or somehow subsidize a portion of this process in return for ad space on the coded signs and the online pages. Local artists and writers could work with the homeless to “brand” them and raise the chance they’ll attract donors through creative approaches or increased visibility.

There are obviously issues to sort out here, but I think the idea has potential to benefit people in need in Portland.

In most towns and cities of the U.S. single use commercial zones dominate the landscape. This monolithic commercial model is on the decline. Strip development in the U.S. is “slowly coming to an end,” according to Edward McMahon from the Urban Land Institute. More people are online shopping and the younger populations are trending towards living in the city center in walkable neighborhoods. 1 At the Eastport Plaza in Portland, Oregon strip malls, big boxes, and parking lots dominate the 40 acre site.

Eastport Plaza is used by hundreds of customers a day. It provides a multitude of retail, restaurants and grocery. But what South East Portland lacks, is a downtown setting; walkability, public space and a mix of uses.

While many parking spaces in the parking lot are used throughout an average day, the parking lot rarely (if ever) fills up. I propose to fill these empty spaces with temporary public usages to reinvigorate the community. The temporality of uses allows many different ideas to be tested throughout the year. The community will suggest the wants and needs of their neighborhood and they could then be temporarily tested. If the program is not a success then it is removed but if a program is successful it can be implemented again and more permanently. These underutilized spaces have a great deal of potential, some possibilities could be: food carts, sport fields, playgrounds, live music, drama and mini-golf.

For the business owners in Eastport Plaza, bringing in multiple uses to their parking lots will attract more and diverse people with different interests. The more these people linger around the stores the greater the potential of revenue.

1. ”The Decline of the Tacky Strip Mall.” 2011, May, accessed Jan. 28 2014, oregonbusiness.com

Current situations on an average weekend

South East Portland Neighborhood

Eastport Plaza

Rachel’s interview with a member of the New Columbia neighborhood.

This was a chance experience that I had no idea was going to happen.  I decided to go visit the local Audubon Society since our group was considering “nature in the city”.  I asked around to see if someone would be willing to talk to me about what the Audubon’s mission.  The following video is an edited version of this wonderful encounter.

This was an interview taken by Karina Adams on January 23rd with Candy Plant (Portland Audubon)    and Julio the Great Horned Owl.

Created by
Scott Burns
Greg Antons
Will Uebelacker

An investigation into neighborhood identity, underserved communities and the New Columbia development in North Portland.

« Previous 1 … 12 13 14 15 16 … 38 Next »

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

networkedurbanism: This website has been created solely for educational purposes, and not for profit or commercial distribution of any kind. All rights from the content belong to the authors or to the corresponding educational institutions.

ABOUT US . CONTACT . 2012