Are you an Urban Flâneur?

You are an urban flâneur if you live in an urban area (city, town, suburbs) and are observing things and pondering about what you saw as a reference to a larger concept.  For example,  when walking outside you may have noticed a building that strikes you as different. What message was the occupant (if a house) or architect conveying. Or, maybe you noticed an unusual sculpture or poignant graffiti. What was the person saying in this sculpture or graffiti.

If you would also like to do a guest blog entry, I would be interested in posting it. 

Send your observations to michaelamcadams@yahoo. com

I will try to post as many as possible.

Occupy tthe Internet! Oppose SOPA and PIPA

Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.

Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.
The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late,

Go to:https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy has a New Home!

The on-line academic journal Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy has a new design and a new server. Go to http://www.urbanauapp.org/   . The old site will soon refer those visiting to the new site. This has taken almost six months to complete. The Editorial Board thinks the audience of Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy will be pleased in its ease of use. The journal is peer reviewed, and will soon appear in various indexes.

 For fifteen years, Urbana has sought quality manuscripts demonstrating the diversity of the study of urban areas. This new phase represents another evolution in this unique journal.  Please e-mail to your associates the new link. Manuscripts are accepted at any time during the year and published as soon as they are reviewed and edited in our Online First page. After the volume is closed they will be included in the appropriate volume. Please send manuscripts, inquiries, comments etc. to michaelamcaams@yahoo.com  .

Urbana also accepts donations or sponsorships by organizations, companies, foundations or individuals who support the mission of this journal in giving a forum to a unique collection of academic authors who are interested in the multi-dimensional, complex and chaotic nature of cities/urban areas.

Being a Urban Flâneur and Urban Planner

An urban flâneur is one who casually observes what is going on in an urban environment making critical observations while strolling about the city. A city planner collects data, attends meetings prepares future plans for a specific town, village, city or region. The flâneur is seen as operating in a fuzzy, objective/subjective and qualitative milieu; while, the urban planner is involved in quantifying and analyzing data (‘hard facts’), applying standards and regulations to aid in the effective and efficient operation of an urban area. The training that as a planner receives is based on the rationalist-lineal approach and does not include training about how to be a good observer in an urban environment. Most of all the public and the elected officials view the urban planner as a government employee who is at the disposal of elected officials and the public---a public servant. The idea of wandering about a city would not be considered productive or would be done on the off-hours. It would be safe to say that many urban planners would be castigated by most administrators for leaving work during office hours to go wander the streets, talk to people, sit in cafes and restaurants, ride public transportation, sit in parks, or indulge in other seemly ‘frivolous’ activities. If an urban planner is the one who is directed to suggest future plans for an urban area is this served best by sitting at a desk?




As a practicing urban planner for many years, I would have very impressed if any of bosses said to me: “Today, I don’t want you to be at your desk…in fact let’s make this a weekly thing…go out an just wander around the city and observe what you see. Come by my office and we will discuss what you found out.” I will continue this discussion in up-coming blog entries.

A Market Scene in Istanbul Summer 2010

I was going through my photographs the other day and came across this one. It speaks for itself.