Episode 15: Winslow Food Forest: Growing food in the city
Built Blocks
What exactly is a food forest? I wanted to find out more so I visited the Winslow Food Forest located on the border of Milwaukie and Portland, Ore. I visited in the fall, and even then, the place was thriving with herbs, the last of the summer crops, and other late fall crops. After the tour, I sat down with Melissa Cullen, co-owner of the farm with her husband, Teague, and chatted about how they got the farm, what the challenges are, and how others can start their own food forests. For more info on Winslow,
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Episode 14: For the love of beer (and community): Hops On Lots Pittsburgh
Built Blocks
Hops on Lots Pittsburgh, a Pittsburgh organization grows hops on vacant lots across the city and gives back to the community.
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Episode 13: 168 LAT
Built Blocks
The podcast about cities, architecture, nature, and the built environment.
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Episode 12: Building communities through breweries: An interview with SUM Design
Built Blocks
The first time I visited Ex Novo, a brewery in Portland, Oregon, I was struck by its design. It felt…designed. It wasn’t a cold space with some chairs and stuff thrown together. There was some thought put into it. From where we sat, we could see the brew tanks, bar action, interesting lighting, the space flowed so…design. The next day I hopped online and did a search to see if it was the IPA talking or if there was a design firm behind it. Sure enough. That’s where I found the website for Sum Design Studio. I emailed them and started a conversation with principal Matthew...
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Episode 11: We can make our cities better with placemaking, incrementally
Built Blocks
So, how is the DNA of a place defined? Is it the architecture? Is it the cool, hip shops? Park benches? It’s some of that – but it’s way more. What exactly is placemaking? This episode we’re speaking with Daniel Hintz, Founder and Chief Experience Architect for . His company helps towns, cities, developers, and Main streets discover their own DNA of Place™. (That’s trademarked by the way so don’t use it.) Hintz explains how he works with towns to discover what their own DNA is. It's more than data. It's exploring. It's asking questions. It's being authentic. And, it doesn't take...
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Episode 10: Bourbon and buildings: An interview with John Patrick Winberry, UP studio
Built Blocks
What do design, branding, good bourbon, and a Norwegian architect firm have in common? It’s the thread to this episode’s interview with John Patrick Winberry, founding partner, chief wrangler, and architect at the UP is a small, nimble boutique Architecture, Interior, and Brand Design firm that believes all disciplines can live together within a given project. If you’re a client, you get the design, but maybe you need signage, a new brand, or marketing to go with that new building. That’s where UP comes in. That belief of a turnkey solution makes for an interesting conversation. At...
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Episode Nine: Agriculture meets architecture: It's called Agritecture
Built Blocks
You’ve heard of agriculture – and urban ag, or growing food in cities. And then there’s architecture. And then, there’s agritecture. Wait, agritecture? Yep. The brains behind the concept is Henry Gordon-Smithlaunched agritcture.com a few years back as a blog to help promote the fact, that yes, you can grow food in the cities, and look cool doing it. The blog then turned into something even bigger. Much bigger. It's expanded into news updates on actual projects, analysis about BIA trends, guest posts, and reporting on emerging technologies. And intense workshops. At these workshops,...
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Episode Eight: Defining the suburbs
Built Blocks
For many, the suburbs are an easy target. For good reason. Many of the homes are ugly and out of scale. They promote sprawl and auto dependence thereby increasing obesity. They use tons of energy and are a huge drain on a city’s infrastructure. They wipe out farmland. And to many, they’re just boring. I love the back to the city movement. I love that cities are thriving, reemerging and have found new life – coming back from the abandonment following the decades after World War 2 when the burbs were created. However, with urbanists declaring the suburbs as dead, where are many young...
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Episode Seven: The Fair-Haired Dumbbell
Built Blocks
I first learned about developer Kevin Cavenaugh’s work years ago when I was managing editor of a building trade magazine that focused on development, building techniques, and exciting topics like cemeticious siding and decking materials. (Kidding aside, I loved every minute of it.) His project was – at the time – revolutionary here in Portland. With its garage door windows and boxy exteriors– now commonplace – and small footprint of space, the project helped elevate an entire neighborhood. Other projects soon followed, some smaller, some larger all under his company name, ....
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Episode Six: Walking in the city
Built Blocks
There are three questions on Max Grinnell’s that ask: How do cities work? Why are people both fascinated and repelled by cities? How can we improve cities? (Hint: It's not through ye olde fudge shoppes or super-precious cupcake stores.) However, Grinnell, this episode's guest, has some answers. As an urbanologist, geographer, historian, and professor, Grinnell is an expert on urban design, planning, public art, the creative economy, and the history of cities. He’s written books about cities, designed and taught courses on urban studies, community development, geography, planning...
info_outlineI first learned about developer Kevin Cavenaugh’s work years ago when I was managing editor of a building trade magazine that focused on development, building techniques, and exciting topics like cemeticious siding and decking materials. (Kidding aside, I loved every minute of it.)
His Box + One project was – at the time – revolutionary here in Portland. With its garage door windows and boxy exteriors– now commonplace – and small footprint of space, the project helped elevate an entire neighborhood. Other projects soon followed, some smaller, some larger all under his company name, Guerrilla Development.
Since I’m keenly interested in small-scale, incremental projects that change neighborhoods for the better, whether that’s restoring an existing building – something Kevin says should be and could be done on any building, I was wrong in thinking that he intentionally built smaller projects. He talks about why he builds small – and not huge projects.
We also speak at length about his Fair-Haired Dumbbell –a somewhat controversial project in Portland. If you’re listening hop onto builtblocks.com so you can see what we’re talking about. The building is not only striking in its looks, it was also crowd-funded.
The interview also takes a turn and explores how a developer in Portland can create cool projects, make a profit and be altruistic about the whole thing – and that’s not the usual developer line.
Here are some links related to the show:
- The New York Times’ piece on the Fair-Haired Dumbbell.
- Portland Monthly looks at Kevin’s other projects (as well as his own home).
- The DJC dropped its paywall so we can all read about the new mixed-income multifamily project dubbed the Atomic Orchard Experiment.