#125: Late Summer Reads
The best from this week | 8.24.18 |
HOW TO MAKE CITIES MORE LIVEABLE?
In Lisbon, one way they do it is with simple—but smart—use of the small parks that dot the city. I just got back, and I found all these mini-parks incredibly functional. I napped in them, ate breakfast in them and drank wine in them. They really are basically public living rooms.
Big parks like Central Park are great, but if you live in a city, it's the small parks near your apartment that you end up using most. In Lisbon, these small parks have kiosks that sell food, coffee, magazines, wine, beer and cocktails. Since prices are super reasonable (a beer was two euros), it makes hanging in a park an ideal alternative to going to a bar.
There are a few reasons why I think this is far superior to how we treat parks here in New York. First, these kiosks help normalize drinking culture. You’re not seeing people getting smashed. Instead, people are enjoying in moderation. Second, it helps promote community through the active social use of the public space. Also, these kiosks promote small business.
Here in New York, we do have vendors in parks, but they're often high-end or expensive options. Shake Shack is probably the most accessible and closest example of what I’m describing, though it’s still even more commercial and built-out than the vendor options in Lisbon.
To see the Lisbon park kiosks I’m describing check out this great photo essay in Spaces from photographer Richard John Seymour, or go for yourself and have a glass of vino verde.
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THE LINKS
This sums up my outlook these days quite nicely: In praise of being washed. (GQ)
Buckle in for a wild ride. Virgin Galactic’s Rocket Man (New Yorker)
Massachusetts made! Inside the Zildjian Factory (New York Times)
This read about the director of Skull Island and his experience getting stomped in Vietnam is gripping. (GQ)
The Freelance writer of Sing Sing (Columbia Journalism Review)
READ
Four titles to crack open late in the summer, all recommended by me.
DIY
How to make a camera strap that's cheap and durable in 30 minutes.
GRAB
We've just updated the Hand & Eye x Huckberry shop, click on through for some brand new picks like SeaVee sneakers, maybe the best pack every designed (by EVERGOODS) and much more.
WATCH
A San Francisco wood shop is home to a team of creative guys, including wood surfboard maker Danny Hess