UCLA / Stamen Design
Jon Christensen is an adjunct assistant professor at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainablilty and a partner and strategic adviser of Stamen Design. A former columnist at LA Observed, he is an editor at Boom: A Journal of California.
Bridges and Walls: LA River, part 2 The Los Angeles River in downtown is getting new bridges and parks. But with the greening of the river may come “green gentrification.” DnA tours a disused railyard that will be turned into a park, hears about dreams for changes in the Lower LA River and talks to architect Frank Gehry and other stakeholders about LA County’s updated masterplan for the entire 51 miles of flood channel.
Bridges and Walls: LA River, part 1 Eighty years ago this week, rain poured down on Los Angeles. Floods washed out roads, bridges and thousands of homes. The devastation led to total channelization that would forever shape -- and divide -- Los Angeles. Now efforts are underway to build new bridges, bring back wildlife and forge new connections at the LA River. But with those efforts come anxiety about change.
Stamen uses maps to bring data to life Atlas Of Emotions, an interactive tool designed to build emotional awareness, inviting users to visualize, identify and explore five primary emotions in order to gain a better understanding of how they influence daily life (2016). Project partner: Paul Ekman and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Photo by Stamen Design The world is awash in data, so some are looking for more creative ways of expressing, or visualizing, it. Stamen, one of the leaders in the field of data visualization and mapping, was just recognized by the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York with a 2017 National Design Award for Interaction Design. Stamen uses everything from animation to interactive, 3-D maps to tell their stories. These include a single day of trading on the NASDAQ, sea level rise, immigration patterns, coalition casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, and "Facebook Flowers," a visual depiction of how an image spreads virally after George Takei posts it on Facebook. So why are people so in love with maps right now, especially when fewer people can actually read a map? And how does Stamen find the sweet spot between information and art?
Did LA Pass Its First Big El Niño Test? The first of this year's El Niño storms were only a test, and Southern California is braced for another onslaught of mudslides, potholes, flooded freeways and basements and mountains of trash swept out into the ocean. We get updates and look at what's next.
Ringing in the Changes in Los Angeles This year on DnA you heard about new developments at the LA River, the opening of The Broad and the Petersen Automotive Museum... the launch of a new e-car company, and Santa Monica's new bike share program... changing attitudes to water capture. . .global money flowing into expensive, empty houses... and, possibly, the birth of a new Pershing Square. In this look-back at the changes in Los Angeles, we also hear about the good and the bad of continued growth; the significance of the demise of Kitson and the rise of private clubs; and, post-Paris, the "genius" of Governor Jerry Brown at communicating climate change.
Governor Brown: On His Way to Paris On his way to the Climate Summit in Paris, Governor Jerry Brown spoke to reporters and radio hosts today. I asked him what he hopes to accomplish since California has no official role. He says California's a "catalyst" for change in the fight against greenhouse emissions. Is that's consistent with his support for fracking, diverting cap-and-trade fees to high-speed rail and watching the oil industry score a big victory in Sacramento?
Should Water-Loving LA Allow Slide The City? Slide the City, a pop-up slip n slide planned to hit downtown LA in late September, has ignited drought shaming and a petition. But how much water does a one-time slip n slide consume compared with other water-based leisure activities?
Is LA Now on the Cutting Edge of Sustainability? Environmentalist and UCLA sustainability researcher Jon Christensen is impressed with LA’s new commitment to sustainability and sees the city as a model for the rest of the country. Water resources watchdog Emily Green couldn’t disagree more .
Morgan Parker: There Are More Beautiful Things than Beyoncé Morgan Parker says that the poems in her book There Are Things More Beautiful than Beyoncé take a stand against the clichés of the dominant culture.
Previewing James Comey's blockbuster testimony Former FBI director James Comey testifies Thursday in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, but his opening statement has been released. In it, he says he felt pressured by Donald Trump to declare loyalty to him and publicly clear him of any wrongdoing in the Russia investigation.
Kenya Barris: Black-ish Black-ish creator Kenya Barris joins Elvis Mitchell to discuss utilizing his show as a conversation starter.
Farewell LA freeways, Peter Shire is back Angelenos don't want more freeways but we seem not to want mass transit either. Metro has killed the 710 freeway extension, and bus and train ridership is down across the region. What's the future of getting around in LA? And, Peter Shire is having a comeback. What attracts a new generation to his playful ceramics and furniture?
