toronto diy culture

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    Ideas For ReclaimingCities From Cars

    Toronto

    Revised June 3, 2012

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    New City Logo

    Start with this: The Logo. Each City has one. Most could be better.

    So, lets see. What is a city about? Commerce? Sure. But there is

    little commerce without people. So really the city is about people.

    Lets reflect that in the logo. People. They live, move and love.

    Lets make sure they can do that. Check.

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    Streets Are For People!

    OK. There is a city and there are people. They move around and

    shop now and then. But theyre are social beings too. They eat,

    talk, have fun and like to be entertained. They also like to be in

    the street. Good. Hmm. 40% of the city is dedicated to automobileuse. Well, thats easily fixed.

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    De-pave & Add Colour

    Since the city likes smooth pavement because cars use it so much

    its easy to just pave, well, everything. But who really likes hard

    gray surfaces? Human beings and flowers do not. And in the end

    they matter more. So, lets replace gray with colour and sweet

    soil. Better, isnt it?

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    Compost Your Car

    Since they tell us all to buy cars and more cars all the time, there

    are so many, many cars. Too many in fact. Oh, what shall we do

    with them once they break down? We can crush and recycle them.

    OK. Thats it, though? How about we take one or two or a hundred

    and make a garden? A hundred gardens. Easy as one, two, three!

    And that parking spot, well. It was poorly used space anyways.

    Now it is a piece of art and a very popular & beautiful tourist

    attraction. (The Most Photographed Car in Toronto.)

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    DIY Urbanism - Fix It

    You can fix the city. Yes, you can. Its not so hard. Look at the

    corner where thousand of cyclists ride by everyday and ask:

    How can it be better? Cyclists need space to prevent cars from

    squeezing them in and hurting them when they turn right.

    Solution: A Bike Box. Cost: less that $100. Services Donated Free.

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    Bike Lanes Are Love

    Bike Lanes are a good thing. A very good thing. They breed more

    cyclists like rabbits. They show you care about what the car

    companies on TV do not care about you. Ever see a commercial for

    a new bike lane? Well, you can change that. OK. The city plannersmay get upset about it. But thats okay. You fix. No Charge.

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    Good Design For All Ages

    1% of children ride a bicycle to school in North America. In the

    Netherlands the rate is over %40. Recently in the US, 40 students

    were suspended for riding their bicycles to school in a group. Got

    it? Good. Next topic. Design: Urban Repair Squad.

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    Road Design By Children

    If it does not work for an 8 year old, its a failure. True enough. So,

    lets allow children to design the road. They could not do worse

    than what professional adults come up with. In fact, wed bet it

    could be better and more fun. Design: Urban Repair Squad.

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    No Wrong Way

    They will tell you this street is a one way. OK. We both know

    thats not true. A bicycle will go both ways no matter what. So

    will a pedestrian. Its human nature. Bicycles always go the

    shortest route. OK. Lets not pretend and make the change. Its

    not that hard. No wrong way on a one way. Design: Urban Repair

    Squad.

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    Pedestrians Not Cars

    During the week this space would be full of cars. All day, every

    day. But what would you rather see? A child in love with a soap

    bubble or a Minivan? Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington Market

    are the first step in making this market street a place for families

    and children. Next step: Add Saturdays, etc. Radical in North

    America, yes, old old news in Europe. Design: P.S. Kensington.

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    All Rides Belong

    A tall bike, mountain bike, BMX, Longboard, whatever. Just ride.

    Ride. ride. They all belong. Critical Mass started it all in SF. An

    organized coincidence as in We Are Traffic. Well, you are

    traffic. All of you. The laws are old and stale. You belong. Its your

    civil right. Design: The Winking Circle.

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    Ask Questions

    No bike lane? Ask them why. And dont take no for an answer.

    Design: Urban Repair Squad.

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    New Plazas Now

    In towns and cities where the car is king, most people are quite

    uneasy about being in the street. Understandable. The streets are

    a noisy, aggressive and sometimes scary place. Lets change that.

    Lets make it inviting and comfortable to be on the street and in

    the city. The more folks use the street the safer and better a place

    it will be.

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    Celebrate The Alternative

    Celebrate. Every year take a new part of the city: an intersection,

    a cul de sac, a busy corner and have a party. Make a square, a

    piazza, a plaza. A peoples place. Celebrate history. Creat new

    history. Black Out Anniversary Party 2010. Design: The Public

    Squares.

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    The End of The Tunnel

    There is light at the end of the tunnel. And change is a positive

    force. Often one cannot see the change needed. Ask your children

    and artists to paint what they see on a wall. Ask them to paint

    how they see the city they live in. Design: Urban Repair Squad &

    Camina Haz Ciudad

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    Rinse and Repeat

    Found something that people love? Repeat it. Fix it. Love it.

    Improve it. Garden Car 2012. The second one. Design: P.S.

    Kensington.

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    Running On Empty

    Its a finite planet. Oil is not a renewable resource. If the Oil Crisis

    of 1973 taught us anything, its that Empty is a word we still

    have not learned to take seriously. OK. Lets talk. Streets are for

    picnics. Design: Streets Are For People!

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    Play Games Here

    The right to play. Its a human right. Every child, every adult,

    every senior has the right to play. Wherever, whenever. Why not?

    Scrabble anyone? Design: Streets Are For People!

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    Safety Through Art

    Water is life. Its flow is beauty and wonder. Lets bring the river

    long paved over back to life and show its beauty to all. A river

    runs through this park where seniors, cyclists and lovers stroll. It

    can protect you. Until we unbury it, it can help keep us safe.

    Design: Urban Repair Squad.

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    You Did Good

    People are good. They care. Children and mothers especially so.

    They should make the decisions. Ask the elders too. They

    understand. Dont ask the politicians. They have too much to lose.

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    The Human City

    Cities are human. Most streets are inhuman. More people have

    been killed on our roads than during the WWI and WWII

    combined. We dont ask why. We just accept this as the way of the

    world. Its built into the system that we have built for ourselves.

    Or have we? Design: Urban Repair Squad.

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    Do It Yourself

    In the end, you make the

    change you want. No oneelse will do it for you.

    Hello Bonjour!

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    The Future

    In June 2008, Critical Mass with 250 joyful cyclists took the

    Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto.

    The City as possibility.

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    A First Step

    Slow Down Humanist Traffic Calming Stencil

    Design: Urban Repair Squad

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