109 Razor Wire

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No details on thelocation of this one but the image speaks for itself.

Thanks to Jusitndula on flickr for submitting it to our group, he notes that the graffiti/razorwire & marks a Modern/traditional architecture juxtaposition. You can view the full size image via Flickr.

If you would like to be in the book its simple, wherever you are in the world simply take a photograph of anything you think is a bad example of architecture, urban planning, streetscape or anything related to the city.

Once you have your photograph, at as high a resolution as possible, you can simply upload it to our newly created group on Flickr, Worlds Worst Urban Spaces and Place including a description of between 100 and 250 words.

We will then include the text and image in a blog post as well as the book, full credit will of course be included on the blog and on your page/section of the book.

An archive of all the submissions so far is on the companion Worlds Worst Urban Blog.

Worlds Worst Urban Spaces: Rozzol Melara,Trieste

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Sol has uploaded some great images to our Flickr Group for the World Worst Urban Places and Spaces book. The photographs focus on the Rozzol Melara settlement in Trieste, Italy, taken in 2004 while Sol was researching is final these project entitled '31 Stories'.

In Sol's words:

The complex consists of a squared array. Adjacent blocks are connected by a small bridge. It's all about concrete. By entering the Complex you instantly feel uncomfortable. I have hardly had these in any other building. But this is a piece of real brutalist architecture. Wide and dark corridors where the residents even take their dogs for a walk, lots of echoing sounds, and yes on one of the pictures you can actually see a car driving inside the house, there's a ramp leading to the higher floors. Climbing up complex stairways, the structure really is a maze! A place definitely not to live in and as a place still very fascinating and disturbing.

The images do portray an unnerving place, it almost goes without saying that if the development was in the United Kingdom it would of probably been listed by now.

You can view the rest of Sol's pictures direct via our Flickr group, while your there upload your own images to appear in the forthcoming reader created book on the Worlds Worst Urban Places and Spaces.

An archive of all the submissions so far is on the companion Worlds Worst Urban Blog.

Worlds Best Urban Places and Spaces

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Our forthcoming reader contributed book 'The Worlds Worst Urban Places and Spaces' has spawned a companion entitled 'The Worlds Best Urban Places and Spaces' it comes courtesy of Russell Davies and Dan Hill.

To quote Russell on our notion of producing a blog reader contributed book:

I thought that was a really interesting idea, a great way to use a distributed publishing model. But, while chatting about it with Mr Dan Hill and, both of us being mindless optimists, we wondered if we could do a companion piece about The World's Best Urban Places and Spaces. That seemed like a good idea too. Accentuate the positive and all that. So we checked with Dr Hudson-Smith, he's cool with it, so here we go.

So over at the Russell Davies blog and City of Sound from Dan they have set up a Flickr group ready to receive to images for the book.

Two books to be honest is a great idea to celebrate the best and the worst of our cities and urban realms. While ours is the Worlds Worst Urban Places and Spaces it should be noted that its a celebration of everything that can be just a little bit 'crap' about our cities with a note that things can be changed. So its on a positive vibe, just looking at the monumentous cock-ups people can sometimes make in urban planning, architecture and urban design.

Embedded below is a slide show of the images submitted so far:



If you would like to be in the book its simple, wherever you are in the world simply take a photograph of anything you think is a bad example of architecture, urban planning, streetscape or anything related to the city.

Once you have your photograph, at as high a resolution as possible, you can simply upload it to our newly created group on Flickr, Worlds Worst Urban Spaces and Place including a description of between 100 and 250 words.

We will then include the text and image in a blog post as well as the book, full credit will of course be included on the blog and on your page/section of the book.

All we need is your images and then we can publish - as can Russell and Dan.

See Russells site for the Worlds Best Urban Places and Spaces and our earlier post for details on the Worlds Worst Urban Places and Spaces.

An archive of all the submissions so far is on the companion Worlds Worst Urban Blog.

We are looking forward to seeing both books in print, assuming the idea works of course...

Worlds Worst Urban Spaces: Cheltenham

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The latest addition to the digital urban reader contributed book on the Worlds Worst Urban Places and Spaces comes from Dawid Gorny who has recently moved to Cheltenham Spa.

Wikipedia describes Cheltenham as a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, England, near Gloucester and Cirencester. The town has a population of 110,013 (2001 census) and the people of the town are known as "Cheltonians". The town motto is: Salubritas et Eruditio ("Health and Education").

The town is located on the edge of the Cotswolds and has an image of being respectable and wealthy. Cheltenham has been a health and holiday spa town resort since the discovery of mineral springs there in 1716. The town is famous for its Regency architecture and is said to be "the most complete regency town in England". The small River Chelt flows under and through the town.

Too quote Dawid:

'I took this photo in Cheltenham on a bridge on Tewkesbury Road. Depicting a subway path under this bridge of note is the sign telling you that it is open to public but it isn't and has been closed since I live in Cheltenham. I think it's such a waste of space when it's not open and there is no zebra crossing on the bridge instead so you have to pass all the way to cross a road'

It is these small overlooked parts of our urban environments that add up to create a grim and to be honest slightly down heartening scene. The photograph is well worth viewing at full size via Flickr as you can start to appreciate why Dawid sent it in.

If you would like to contribute it is easy, simply go out into your local urban environment and photograph anything that you think is an example of poor architecture, urban design or use of space. It could be a photograph of a run down phonebox or a disused building, perhaps a concrete monstrosity from the 1970's or anything that you think fits.

Once you have your photograph, at as high a resolution as possible, you can simply upload it to our newly created group on Flickr, Worlds Worst Urban Spaces and Place including a description of between 100 and 250 words.

Its as simple as that, see our previous post for full details on the book and how to take part.

A full archive is kept at the Worlds Worst Urban Spaces and Places blog (note this will take shape over the coming weeks as content is sent in via Flickr)