Lmst

#UrbanDesign

And all of this could be improved by us entering the modern world with the introduction of a democratic form of local government instead of the undemocratic/unaccountable Council CEO system we have now:

#LocalDemocracy #Ireland #LocalGovernmentReform #Democracy #Irish #Community #Waterford #Democratic #LocalGovernment #IrishPolitics #IrishPol #DemocraticReform #Democratisation #Decentralisation #UrbanDesign #ActiveTravel #Urbanism #Planning #UrbanPlanning #WaterfordCity #Déise #Cycling #Bikes

A lot of this opposition comes from the fact that residents feel ignored when decisions are made by an unelected local government ('Council CEO' and Directors of Services who form the executive) - and I completely agree with Cllr Adam Wyse's recent appeals to improve democratic accountability. Changing Section 38 wouldn't be enough, as it still encourages elected councillors to oppose everything (as every councillor is effectively forced into being in opposition due to our undemocratic system of local government where they are blocked from being decision-makers), denies them any ability to form a democratic executive, and allows the Council CEO and Directors of Services to ignore public feedback without any cost.

Every other democracy in the world has 1 of 3 forms of democratic government structures:
A cabinet system with an executive formed of elected councillors - a Local Mayor and Local Ministers (like we and most other European countries have at national level, a parliamentary system)
A committee system with a series of cross-party executive Local Committees for Housing, Transport etc - this works really well in Scotland especially as it encourages cross-party collaboration and includes all democratic representatives.
A mayoral/presidential system, with a directly-elected executive mayor and Local Commissioners that they appoint, all held accountable by elected councillors. This system has been implemented in Limerick (to a minor extent, with the Council CEO renamed Dire

We currently have one of the most centralised countries in both the OECD and the EU, and are one of the only countries in Europe where votes trust their local government less than their national government (which generally holding relatively higher levels of trust for both due to our brilliant proportional and preferential STV-PR electoral system). Our unique lack of democratic accountability due to our undemocratic system of local government (which, once again, is distinct from every other democracy in the world, which has autonomous democratic local governments of one form or another) is a major reason for this.

Until the system changes to one where local councils can choose a democratic structure where they are elected to make decisions as part of an accountable executive, we will continue incentivising councillors to oppose any changes (because of a few vocal voters drowning out the majority with our individual objector planning instead of a majority participative planning system) and an unelected Local Government which is encouraged to ignore voter concerns and input.

I hope that everyone reading this can support local government reform to allow us to join the rest of the democratic world in having local executives which face democratic accountability. The UK has had a bad history of underfunding local government and centralising things, but implemented successful structural reforms in their local government reform of 2000 [full legislation here], which allowed each council to choose 1 of 4 structures (cabinet, committee, mayoral, and council CEO - similar to our current system but with the council CEO appointed by councillors instead of national government to improve local democratic accountability; this was later removed as an option because not a single council in the UK chose this worse system when given the choice).

Please consider expediting the creation of new safe and segregated bike infrastructure (inner ring road, urban Greenway to Tramore, and Cork Road) before there are any more casualties of cyclists and e-scooter users due to lack of safe infrastructure. People are always against roadworks and upheaval, but so rarely complain about infrastructure once it's completed and they see the results in terms of improved traffic levels, more freedom of travel, and better wellbeing. And please consider putting pressure on your parties and other councillors to support local government reform into one which is more democratic and trusted, alongside holding more decentralised powers.

View of the Prism Building in downtown Denver taken one minute after the photo in the previous post but from around the corner, showing a different combination of reflected sky and city.

February 2026 | Denver, USA

#urbanexploration #architecture #modernarchitecture #denver #downtowndenver #urbandesign #streetphotography #reflection

Photo of blue-glass covered modern building with folded prismatic glass panels in downtown setting.

The Prism Building in downtown Denver has a folded glass curtain wall that reflects the sky and nearby buildings in an ever-changing way during the course of the day and as you look at it from different angles.

February 2026 | Denver, USA

#urbanexploration #architecture #modernarchitecture #denver #downtowndenver #urbandesign #streetphotography #reflection

Photo of a blue-glass covered building reflecting the sky and nearby buildings in a dense urban environment.

Architekturwettbewerb Dorfmitte Oberlienz 2022

www.kato.co.at

#katoarchitects
#oberlienz #osttirol #tirol #austria
#architektur #architecture #architectureaustria
#architecturecompetition
#architecturelovers #architecturedesign #architectures #architecturelife #architecturedaily #architecturelike #architectureproject #archdaily #archihunter #archilovers
#architecturemodel
#urbandesign #dorfleben #stadtentwicklung #dorfmitte #stadtplanung #baukultur #zukunftsplanung
modell by #diemodellbauer

On a chilly winter day at twilight, a look down Market Street in Lower Downtown Denver, featuring a mix of historic and contemporary buildings that form a continuous street wall. A bus-only lane, bike lane, and wide sidewalks provide ample space for people not in cars.

January 2026 | Denver, USA

#denver #colorado #downtowndenver #streetphotography #urbanexploration #urbanphotography #twilight #architecture #urbandesign

Photo of an urban street lined with historic and modern buildings at twilight

#Wasteland; Kokerei; Zeche Zollverein; Essen; Germany

#cityscapes #industriallandscapes #urbandesign #abandoned #architecture #landscapearchitecture #steel #concrete #eerie #estranged #uncanny #kokerei #ZecheZollverein #Ruhrgebiet #Ruhrpott #Essen #Germany #heritage #stories #travelling #wanderlust

Outdoor LCDs for Urban Wayfinding
🗺️ Outdoor digital signage is revolutionizing city navigation. Interactive wayfinding systems make it easier to find your way in busy urban spaces.
#WayfindingTech #OutdoorDisplays #UrbanDesign #SmartCities

“The federal government is hunting for a justification to eliminate key bike lanes in the nation's capital, sources say — and if the feds are able to push that controversial agenda through, some fear it could set a disturbing new precedent for federal interference into active transportation projects across the nation.” 🤬

#Transportation #BikeLanes #ActiveTransportation #FederalGovernment #DCStatehood #CityPlanning #UrbanPlanning #UrbanDesign #TransportationPlanning

https://usa.streetsblog.org/2026/01/26/the-talk-of-d-c-rumors-flying-that-trump-wants-to-undo-bike-lanes-in-capital

'OSAKA AQUARIUM KAIYUKAN'
.
Bold blocks of colour define the exterior of Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, where deep blue surfaces meet warm orange panels in sharp contrast 🇯🇵
.
https://davebowmanphotography.com/featured/osaka-aquarium-kaiyukan-dave-bowman.html
.
#photography #Osaka #JapaneseArchitecture #BoldColour #UrbanDesign #wallart #BuyIntoArt #GiftThemArt #ArtMatters #AYearofArt #artistonmastodon
#AYearForArt
#fedigiftshop #MastoArt #interiordecor #homedecor #homedecoration #creativetoots #artbooster #davebowmanphotography

A semi-abstract photograph of the exterior of Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, where large, bold panels of blue and orange meet in sharp contrast. The building has clean, precise edges and repeating lines that give it a structured, orderly rhythm. Against the open sky, the composition emphasises the balance of shapes and colours, creating a striking visual effect that blends architectural design with abstract form.

Visual Clustering Of Urban Environments: Associations With Household And Travel Characteristics
--
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2025.104546 <-- shared paper
--
#UrbanAnalytics #TravelBehavior #BuiltEnvironment #StreetViewImagery #UrbanDesign #TransportationPlanning #Seattle #Equity #DataScience #PSRC #PugetSound #PacificNorthWest #USA #PNW #model #modeling #StreetView #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #remotesensing #StreetView #SVI #BMI #urbanform #travel #routing #travelbehaviour #methodology #visualintelligence #planning #policy #urbanplanning #mobility #visualmetrics #walkability #transit #urbandesign #workflow #GIS #spatial #mapping

Housing prices continued to decline in 70 major and mid-sized Chinese cities in December 2025, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, creating opportunities for architects and urban planners to rethink design strategies and residential development models. #ChineseCities #urbandesign

https://archup.net/china-housing-prices-2026-architectural-innovation/

Map To Poster – Create Art of your favourite city

https://github.com/originalankur/maptoposter

#HackerNews #MapToPoster #CityArt #UrbanDesign #CreativeProjects #ArtLovers

#Google Street View Contrast: #London City Island, E14

2008 vs. 2025

From #industrial isolation to one of East London’s most recognisable #skylines. The "Mini Manhattan" effect is real. The Leamouth Peninsula has turned from derelict land into a vibrant hub.🏙️

#ThenAndNow #Urbanism #GlowUp #UrbanDesign

A wide-angle Google Street View shot of the Leamouth Peninsula in 2008, showing a desolate industrial landscape with pylons, scrubland, and a grey river under a hazy sky.

A 2025 Google Street View of the same location, now dominated by the London City Island development, featuring colourful high-rise blocks, a red pedestrian bridge, and a modern cycle lane.

Another view of the titanium-clad Hamilton Building at the Denver Art Museum. Across its three buildings, the DAM has over 400,000 square feet (37,000 square meters) of space that houses over 70,000 works of art.

December 2025 | Denver, USA

#urbanexploration #urbandesign #architecture #modernarchitecture #abstract
#artmuseum #libeskindarchitecture #daniellibeskind #denver
#colorado #denverartmuseum

Photo of titanium-class sharp angles of the Denver Art Museum

In between the titanium-covered giant "crystal" that is the museum's Hamilton Building and the glass-tile-covered "fortress" that is the museum's Martin Building, sits the Sie Welcome Center, the Denver Art Museum's main entry with ticketing, restaurants, gift shops, event space, and a few galleries. The Sie building opened in 2020 and has an elliptical shape formed by the connection of 52 curved structural glass panels each 25 feet (7.6 m) tall.

December 2025 | Denver, USA

#urbanexploration #urbandesign #architecture #modernarchitecture #artmuseum #glass #reflection #denver
#colorado #denverartmuseum

Photo of round building comprised of 25-foot tall curved glass panels

The Denver Art Museum's Martin Building is the original building in the three-building museum campus. It opened in 1971 and was designed by Italian architect Gio Ponti, his only US building. The fortress/castle-like structure has seven floors with a facade covered by over one million individual pyramidal gray glass tiles that took workers two years to install by hand.

December 2025 | Denver, USA

#urbanexploration #urbandesign #architecture #modernarchitecture #artmuseum #gioponti #denver #colorado #denverartmuseum

Photo of a castle-like art museum tower clad in small gray glass tiles

The titanium-clad Hamilton Building, designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, is one of three buildings that comprise the Denver Art Museum. Opening in 2006, it was Libeskind's first completed building in the United States.

December 2025 | Denver, USA

#urbanexploration #urbandesign #architecture #modernarchitecture #abstract
#artmuseum #libeskindarchitecture #daniellibeskind #denver
#colorado #denverartmuseum

Photograph of abstract modernist building

Residential tower under construction in downtown Denver.

December 2025 | Denver, USA

#urbanexploration #urbanphotography #highrise #skyscraper #urbandesign #skyline #denver #colorado #reflection

Highrise tower under construction in between two other buildings

Wettbewerb Wohnbau Vogelweiderstraße Wörgl 2024

www.kato.co.at

#katoarchitects
#Wohnanlage #Wohnbau #GeförderterWohnbau #SozialerWohnbau #Mehrfamilienhaus
#Siedlungsbau #Wohnbauförderung #Wohnarchitektur #Wörgl #Vogelweiderstrasse
#Tirol #Stadtentwicklung #UrbanDesign #ArchitekturTirol #Neubau
#NeuerStadtteil #Architekturwettbewerb #Wettbewerbsbeitrag #Projekt2024 #Realisierungswettbewerb
#Konzept #Architekturkonzept #Architektur #Design #ArchDaily
#Archilovers

Less asphalt, more trees.

Urban trees cool streets, reduce air pollution, absorb rainwater, and create habitat for birds and insects. They make cities healthier and more resilient to climate change, especially for the people who live there.

📷: Moule & Polyzoides, Illes de Paris

#urbantrees #urbandesign

Client Info

Server: https://mastodon.social

Version: 2025.07

Repository: https://github.com/cyevgeniy/lmst