Urban Umbrellas.

26 Jan 2010, Posted by Kylie in design, 1 Comments

Scrambling through the masses on my way to work has become routine in New York City. I often have my headphones on and my head down as I shuffle by hideous scaffolding at nearly every turn. Now, thanks to a beautiful design that won a city competition, I may have to slow down every now and then to appreciate where I am walking. Young-Hwan Choi, a 28-year-old at the University of Pennsylvania, has developed a beautiful model known as the “Urban Umbrellas,” which can be seen below. While businesses will not be mandated to have these in place, the combination of lower maintenance costs and a better view of the buildings than the current models provide will hopefully provide enough incentive to help make our daily treks a little more pleasant.

A similar competition is now being headed by the National Endowment for the Arts. The guidelines can be found here. A total of 15 $25,000 to $250,000 grants will be given to cities that have the best design projects aimed to enhance public spaces such as parks, libraries, public buildings, memorials and streets. While the budgets may not be excessive, it’s always nice to see an understanding of the importance of maintaining a certain aesthetic in these busy urban environments.