Urban Flaneur Guidebook

(Image found on  GetLostBBot ) In an article by Catherine de Lange in The New Scientist , “ Let's get lost: Apps that help you wander to happiness ”, she mentions several apps for your mobile that can assist you in your efforts to be an urban flâneur.   (To see the full article, you must register and subscribe to The New Scientist .   It can also be obtained if you have access to online databases at public or university libraries.) Her comment on being an urban  flâneur might  also be of interest to my readers. Here are a sampling of app links to help you be an urban flâneur: GetLostBot This ‘bot’ examines your regular patterns and then suggests new places to visit, breaking up your routine.   It does require that you be a FourSquare user.   Highlight If others have Highlight around you, you can see their profiles and maybe strike up a conversation. Although, this may be a little bit too personal for many. Roamz This app search...

Urban decay is found in all cities.   When a urban flâneur views or photographs abandoned or derelict buildings, it is not a view of a building, observed as a meaningless object, as a structure that should be considered as a blemish on the urban landscape or as a location for a new structure.   S(he views the underlying text of the structure and marvels at the serendipity of its beauty.     While rambling around the Internet, I found some interesting websites, some having exquisite photographs of urban decay.   In this blog entry, I decided to concentrate on  those blog/web sites related to Detroit-the ‘poster child of urban decay.’ In the future, I will feature other sites with photographs of urban decay.   Forgotten Detroit       The Ruins of Detroit by Marchand and Meffre Urban Adonia: Abandoned  Buildings of Detroit

(This image was found within an interesting piece, "Unit 1: A Crisis of Place and the Alternative of the New Urbanism" , on New Urbanism Online .) One of the defining aspects of an urban flâneur is the activity of strolling down streets, stopping in cafes, observing people and thoughtfully contemplating the totality of the present urban environment that sh(e is immersed. This is usually accompanied by note writing and perhaps photographs.   To an urban flâneur, the urban environment is multi-layered and   not just a collection of houses, shops, streets, or factories, but a dynamic entity in which people conduct their lives and experience the world outside of them. In our present age, suburbs are now a significant part of all major cities in the world, developed and developing.   Yet, they are often overlooked being overshadowed by the central city, which often holds more interest due to its diversity, compactness, history and dynamics.   Should we consider th...

Is your business or organisations involved in creative endevors that highlight the vitality of the city? Consider advertising on this blog. My blog entries are provocative, timely and ‘go beyond the pale.’    All posts are original, not spun versions of entries on related webpages or blogs. The audience for this blog is varied: urban planners, academicans, photgraphers, writers and the general public. It is for those who view the city as more than a collection of building and people and see an underlying sub-text and deconstruct urbanism to see a deeper meaning. I can offer a $10 per day rate per blog to place your logo and a link to your company. A weekly discount of $50 per week per blog can be applied if you pay by the week.  Monthly rates are $200 with one blog entry per month highlighting your company or organizations activities. Annual rates are negotiable.   No contracts are required.    If not satisfied; you can withdraw your payments. ...

Daniel Boon sent thèse two photos . Photo #1  is from Brazil , Photo #2 is from Cuba. Photo #3 is from Brazil ( a favela near some upscale housing.)  Photo #1 Photo #2 Photo #3 Thank you very much Daniel for the first entry for the contest of hopefully many to come. Comments are welcome. Also, the number of comments (exluding mine) will help determine the winner.

Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy is now listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ.) Please consider publishing in Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy if have manuscripts that have an urban focus.  Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy is a peer reviewed, multidisciplinary open-access scholarly journal focusing on urban issues at an international level, exploring all aspects of cities and urbanization including urban planning, economics, history, politics, international relations and literature. If you have questions about your manuscript before you submit it, or need further information about the submission process please contact Jesús A. Treviño C. at   jtrevino41@hotmail.com   or Michael A. McAdams at michaelamcadams@yahoo.com .  Please submit your manuscript to either of the editors, Jesús A. Treviño C. at  jtrevino41@hotmail.com   or Michael A. McAdams at michaelamcadams@yahoo.com  as a Word attachment. ...

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  (image located at StKildaFlâneur ) Are you an  Urban Flâneur? Do you: wander around the city, sit in cafes; speculate about people and their lives in the city; see the meaning in urban landscapes; love all parts of the city--even its decaying parts; revel in urban life; and see its complexity beyond superficiality?  Then, you are an Urban Flâneur! If you still are not sure , go this description of the 'new' Urban Flâneur at StKildaFlâneur . Why be a lone Urban Flâneur  Send me your pictures of your walks around a city with comments, your name and e-mail address. Videos will not be accepted at this time.  This will be another contest if this photo collection is successful. All photographs can be sent to michaelamcadams@yahoo.com. Please, do not send any over 1 Mb. I will post all photographs  that are within the broad concept of this website. On  1 November, 2012, the top five photos will be given a prize of a custom designed ...

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