http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.inhabitots.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/sasaki-kogei-wooden-puzzle-picture-frames.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.inhabitots.com/2010/02/11/sasaki-kogei-wooden-picture-frames/&usg=__IkMsd-w8ry9c3098vaaPkPCPkLQ=&h=359&w=537&sz=42&hl=en&start=454&tbnid=TinXbt4RmTbfYM:&tbnh=111&tbnw=175&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dphoto%2Bframes%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2ADFA_enUS353%26biw%3D1132%26bih%3D643%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C12835&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=302&vpy=308&dur=187&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=153&ty=153&ei=mzNPTNekIoP_8AbavYHiDQ&page=25&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:16,s:454&biw=1132&bih=643

table top!

I need a skin for my studio table!

A skin that will inspire me think design and if it cant inspire me it will atleast help me get out of the stress that the thinking process often leads me to. I want to design it and manufacture it! Thats my idea.

so now.......thats my design problem and I am going to design it and have it ready by wednesday. Yes 30th June.

so how big is my table.

Its 3' X 5'

and I am going to define it as I design it.

What do I want to do?

Make side walks more interesting!

How?

1. what could be the multiple uses of the sidewalk
2. can it be inexpensive
3. can the sidewalk be flexible
4. can it be an intelligent side walk
5. can it be a little more than a sidewalk?

Interesting examples, could be a sidewalk that generates energy or that becomes a dance floor.
But how?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectricity

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/fspubs/07232816/fig03_13.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/fspubs/07232816/page06.htm&usg=__JYsU3cRy8riKunK3A6E7sLjDfoA=&h=319&w=600&sz=15&hl=en&start=23&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=osYQ1BYPiYIsnM:&tbnh=72&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dinteresting%2Bside%2Bwalks%26start%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2ADFA_enUS353%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1

robotecture.com/eiw2010/lectures/ia-history.pdf

street sections

French City Uses Sneaky Sidewalks to Generate Power | Business | GreenBiz.com

French City Uses Sneaky Sidewalks to Generate Power Business GreenBiz.com

Complete streets

Before I start making my point about what I feel about streets and sidewalks and what I think is the problem of the day, I would like to acknowledge Alan Jacobs for ( Author of Great Streets) some of the figure ground plans showing the street patterns across the world.

Without a doubt, streets are just everywhere.And streets are often accompanied by sidewalks which is my main focus of study. Some consider streets as the medium for carrying vehicles from one point of the city to the other as quickly as possible while some consider streets as the most important aspect of a place which enhances the social character of that place. Both hold equal weight as both the functions are just as important.

Today we talk about complete streets, pedestrian friendly roads and walkable cities. So what are all these focusing on? Sidewalks, trees, well defined intersections and a thread that connects all these together in the best way possible.

This image does a great job in demonstrating the activities that happen on a street!

While most streets have side walks, trees, intersection, some are successful, while some not!

Some sidewalks are full of life while some have no purpose of existence. Infact a great downtown owes a lot to its streets and its sidewalks.

While we highly appreciate some sidewalks, we really dont know why the others exist? There are quite of lot of side walks that are seldom used. For instance, muncie hardly has any sidewalks and even among those which ones do we really use? Side walks are a big expense for every city but what is the payback?

These questions have been given a lot of thought and we have some interesting solutions:

Sidewalks in france are being used as dance floors to generte energy!

Can side walks do better than this?

I come from the city of Mumbai and shopping on the streets comes naturally to me! I have never encountered an empty side walk in the streets of mumbai. I have always had to make my way through the street vendors who have always made it clear that 'side walks is ours and we are just letting you pass by it. So be privilidged that you dont have a no entry for pedestrians here!'

In short all I want to say is how ever crooked the roads are, how ever damaged the side walks are, they are always filled with street vendors and these vendors make their living out of it! And I know no better place to shop than the street bazars in India.

But is that the very same case in other parts of the world? Well, its a big NO! I probably was very fortunate to have lived in such a busy and heavily crowded part of the world. Today as I stroll through the streets of Muncie, I dont really see the side walks bordering the streets. Its not very obvious in here! And street vendors...Forget about it! The very few side walks that exist are also extraordinarily dead! They start suddenly and end abruptly? They seem unwanted. And I guess this is true in most part of the world today.

So my big idea is can side walks be a source of revenue? Can they generate something rather than just being there?

Any ideas?