#placemaking

place — space infused with cultural, historical, and emotional significance; what gives a space meaning, personality, and a connection to cultural or personality identity

And Lan Wangji telling Wei Wuxian, "between us, there is no need for thank you or sorry"

As if he's reassuring Wei Wuxian, that between them, no matter what, there will never come a time where there will be regret or repressed negative emotions

Wei Wuxian, whose life until then had been just that - with angrily bitten back, barely hidden resentment and we need you now, so u can stay but u are not welcome in this space. That would have a very special meaning

A critical component of the WHY of Placemaking has to do with how space makes people FEEL:

We use the term “stickiness” to describe a place that people return to and linger in.

Stickiness is created by co-locating uses and activities in ways that support each other AND by an environment that supports lingering, like when an entertainment district with restaurants and bars is anchored by a music or sports venue and connected by a high quality public space like a plaza

We also know that low-risk interactions, like the ones you have with your regular barista or the neighbor you always pass on your dog walk not only boost our mood and self esteem, but contribute to our overall well being, physical health, and even extending our lifespans!

By Darin Givens | June 18, 2024

We had a brief meeting with Atlanta DOT staff today to check in on the Jackson Street Bridge Placemaking Project, which was selected by the city in 2018 as part of a contest.

The basic concept was to put a protected bike lane here to prevent cars from parking in it, and to add a parklet for enjoying the view and taking photos. It's been a while since we heard any news about it, so it was good to get an update.

Some notes:

The project is now fully funded through a combo of ATL DOT money and some discretionary funding from City Councilmembers (both Liliana Bakhtiari and Amir Farokhi).

"Procurement starts in Q3 or Q4 this year" and construction will likely start in the beginning of 2025.

Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID) will be in charge of construction. They told us the reason for this is ADID will provide a shorter timeline for the work and it will be done for less money (which makes you wonder: why is ATL DOT management of projects such a liability for timelines and spending?).

Nothing about the overall design appears to have changed over the years. It's a protected bike lane across the bridge, with a seating area/platform for photos and some planters for greenery, plus a flashing beacon to help cyclists turn from Jackson Street onto the Path.

They said they'd look into publishing the design documents online after a final level of approval before procurement.

Anyway...it was 2018 when the Jackson Street Bridge Placemaking Project was selected to move forward by the City. It'll likely be 2025 when construction starts (fingers crossed). It'll be great to see work begin, but holy cow it takes too long for projects to happen.

YES YES YES YES YES OKAY!!!!

so I’m moderately unhinged about this, particularly from a genius loci/placemaking design standpoint. Some really cool things that geography/climate/weather does to our brains:

Terpenes and other biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) trees alter our mental states and behaviors through forest air!! (Source x)

PM 2.5 concentrations, which vary WIDELY based on geography, impact behavior and rates of things like anxiety and depression. (Source x)

Humidity affects concentration! This article looks at indoor humidity relative to individuals acclimatized to particular (subtropical) outdoor conditions. Pretty interesting idea!

The biophilia effect has a whole HOST of effects on our brains and health! (source x) Exposure to nature/visual stimuli of nature has the capacity to change behavior on the short term and (less studied) very probably the long term.

The smell of rain, mostly geosmin, has a direct effect on brain waves (as examined by EEG). This study doesn’t analyze prolonged exposure, but the conclusions are interesting all the same!