observations of a planning consultant #102

As many know, currently I am a planning consultant with the Department of Planning, processing applications for planning permission as some re-organisation of the Department takes place. Yes, I know: a consultant.

However, for all agents in Bermuda, I have one word: improve. Really, it astounds me how many applications that are deficient in information still arrive at the desk of the planners. If you note on the site plan that the distance to the boundary for the proposed development is eight feet instead of 15 feet, why is that application submitted without a neighbour's acknowledgement letter? This is not rocket science.

Are all agents guilty? No, they are not. Do you want to know who is most guilty? Here's an easy way for me to name and shame: go to the Front Desk of the Department of Planning and look at the receipt diary. Check which agent(s) has list upon list of "additional information" submissions.

Honestly, we can all do better - me included - but the basics are unchanged from the day I started in the Department in 1986. Let's get it right.

hamilton's waterfront: just a thought

Now that the design concept for the Hamilton waterfront is available for the public to review, comment on, get excited about, etc., etc., it's hard to resist adding to the general cacophony.

Just a thought, though, at this point. The re-development of the waterfront is important, and not just because construction jobs will be created for several years to come. Done right, the project can serve as a catalyst for investment in the island and as a vibrant focal point for the arts, events, recreation, business and much more. The key words? Done right.

image: tamara leighFor now, however, I will occasionally highlight projects, ideas and design concepts I think might be applicable here in Bermuda. The first such one is in Lancaster, California, and it, in turn, was lifted from Barcelona, Spain! It is a "ramblas" like boulevard in downtown Lancaster. The online magazine Better Cities & Towns outlines in a brief post, Spanish ramblas energizes California suburb, by Robert Steuteville, the regenerative impact the boulevard has had on the downtown. It has driven investment and brings crowds to the area.

As I said, just a thought...

architectural plagiarism?

It seems to me that dreamers become architects because they like invention, innovation and uniqueness. As that is the case, wouldn't you feel odd if your built legacy consists of projects 'lifted' from others? That this is happening in China strikes me as quite peculiar. 

The most recent architect to have design ideas stolen is Zaha Hadid. Obviously, copying is not new but, really, entire buildings?

Wangjing SOHO, image: weburbanist.comHadid's office and retail complex, Wangjing SOHO, is currently under construction in Beijing. The copycat version is underway in Chongqing. Honestly, they didn't even bother to change countries.

Read more about this freakish imitation situation  - entire village replication, anyone? - at Weburbanist.com, "Pirated Architecture: Chinese Copies of Famous Buildings." Truly odd.