#civicspace

[newsbites]

News from southern Africa. 17 July

Approximately 60% of Namibians cannot afford a healthy diet, resulting in food insecurity for 1.5 million people in the country.

In 2022, 800,000 people in Namibia faced severe food insecurity, while 400,000 were undernourished.

The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report highlights the significant challenges faced by Namibians in accessing and affording nutritious food.

2. A fire in the Kennedy Road informal settlement in Durban has resulted in one death, a missing child, and potentially more casualties.

Eyewitnesses speculate that the fire may have been deliberately started during an argument between two individuals.

Approximately 3,000 people have been left homeless as a result of the fire, with organizations such as Gift of the Givers and the South African Red Cross providing assistance to the victims.

3. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been criticized for signing a controversial bill into law that restricts freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.

The bill, known as the Patriotic Bill, criminalizes actions that "injure the sovereignty and national interests of Zimbabwe," including citizens' calls for military intervention and sanctions against the country.

Amnesty International and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights have both condemned the law, stating that it violates human rights and imposes excessive penalties, including loss of citizenship, denial of the right to vote, and the death penalty.

The European Union also expressed concern, noting that the law contradicts Zimbabwe's commitment to respect freedoms and build trust with the international community.

4. Former President Jacob Zuma is seeking medical treatment in Russia shortly after the Constitutional Court ruling that he should return to prison to serve his remaining sentence.

5. In Namibia, a 20-year-old woman's room was set on fire by her ex-boyfriend following an argument.

The fire resulted in the destruction of curtains, clothes, and handbags valued at N$1,500.

The suspect has not been arrested yet, and a police investigation is ongoing.

[ianfulgar]

Bengaluru’s airport captures the power of design to connect people to places. The fluid forms of rattan weave through the interior like an invitation to explore. Imagine if our civic centers in the Philippines echoed this philosophy, transforming public spaces into experiences that blend art and function with locally sourced materials and crafts. As architects and designers, we have the potential to create spaces that feel as organic and welcoming as the communities they serve.

[naija247new]

Tinubu to Workers: We Recognise Your Sacrifices, Will Cushion Economic Hardship – President Addresses Labour on May Day

, Vows Job Creation and Civic Empowerment By Naija247news – Abuja | May 1, 2025 President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has lauded Nigerian workers for their resilience and patriotism in the face of mounting economic hardship, promising that his administration is working tirelessly to implement policies that will cushion the impact of inflation, unemployment, and insecurity on the Nigerian…

[architecturalrecord-blog1]

It’s one of the most recognizable structures in the world and a national historic landmark, yet the true vision for the Gateway Arch in St. Louis was never fully realized. Eero Saarinen’s simple but brilliant design created a breathtaking stainless-steel catenary arch that soars 630 feet above the Mississippi River, but the final scheme at ground level left much to be desired. Saarinen died long before the project was completed in 1967—nearly 20 years after he emerged from behind the shadow of his famous father, Eliel, with his competition-winning entry for a memorial to commemorate westward expansion. The landscape architect Dan Kiley, a close collaborator of Saarinen’s on the project for years, was let go from the team not long after Saarinen’s death in 1961. So the hope for the redesign, by @mvva.inc with@CooperRobertsonpartners and @James_Carpenter_jcda, was not only to bring the grounds closer to Saarinen’s and Kiley’s original vision, but to spark a major urban-regeneration project. Read more about this American icon at http://ow.ly/dcrt30kFM6P Text by @minutillo_josephine Photo © @nic.lehoux … .. . .. ... #EeroSaarinen #concrete #lookingup #modern #civicspace #architecture #architecturephotography #archidaily #pocket_architecture #ig_architecture #archilovers (at St. Louis)

[rayraymitrano]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ray Ray Mitrano (@rayraymitrano)

public space applause for #freeparcel5 midtown, just a few of many #speaktocouncil #publicprocess send your thoughts to your #roc city council, sign-up to speak next Tues. 8/15 evening. a shift is happening, your voice is mattering ::: participate, engage, cultivate your downtown #localarts #civicspace #columbuscommons This is not a park! #parcel5 #ourparcel5 #peopleforparcel5 (at Rochester, New York)

[lets-atuz-universe]

#Leica #LeicaCamera #USA #NewYork #NewYorkCity #NY #NYC #MidTown #Mid #Manhattan #RockefellerCenter #RockefellerPlaza #ChannelGarden #LowerPlaza #IceSkating #Skate #Skating #IceSkat #1937s #1939s #1989s #NationalHistoricLandmark #CivicSpace #ATLAS #LeeLawrie #FifthAvenue #BlackandWhite #BlackandWhitePhoto #NoFilter（在 Atlas (statue)）

[evans101]

Really enjoying all the people and bustle on the Wellington waterfront, but can’t help thinking that ours, with development, would be simply stunning! It’s great to see people connecting to the water. #waterislife #waterfronts #connectingpeople #civicspaces #bringinglifetocitycentres #naefilter #justvisiting (at Wellington, New Zealand)

[noneck-blog]

Sharing an office with a direct competitor could be a contentious working situation in some business’, but not for Rosen or Drumm. Although technically competitors for clients, the different Drupal vendors are in constant contact, not only because they come from an intimate group of friends, but because of the open source business model that Drupal is based on.

Drupal Nation: Software to Power the Left | Digidave "There are so many civic hacking lessons to re-learn from the #CivicSpace days." - Noel Hidalgo

[naija247new]

"Nigeria's Democracy Under Attack? Amnesty International Slams Wike Over Harassment of Human Rights Lawyer Chidi Odinkalu"

Global human rights watchdog Amnesty International has condemned what it describes as the harassment and intimidation of renowned human rights lawyer, Chidi Odinkalu, by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike. In a strongly worded statement released on Wednesday, the international rights body accused Wike of using state institutions to silence dissent and called on the…

[architecturalrecord-blog1]

It’s one of the most recognizable structures in the world and a national historic landmark, yet the true vision for the Gateway Arch in St. Louis was never fully realized. Eero Saarinen’s simple but brilliant design created a breathtaking stainless-steel catenary arch that soars 630 feet above the Mississippi River, but the final scheme at ground level left much to be desired. Saarinen died long before the project was completed in 1967—nearly 20 years after he emerged from behind the shadow of his famous father, Eliel, with his competition-winning entry for a memorial to commemorate westward expansion. The landscape architect Dan Kiley, a close collaborator of Saarinen’s on the project for years, was let go from the team not long after Saarinen’s death in 1961. So the hope for the redesign, by @mvva.inc with@CooperRobertsonpartners and @James_Carpenter_jcda, was not only to bring the grounds closer to Saarinen’s and Kiley’s original vision, but to spark a major urban-regeneration project. The scheme is not about big gestures. Instead, its moves are subtle but very deliberate. Most discernibly, it sets up an east–west axis—previously implied but sliced by the highway—running through the center point of the Arch. Read more about this American icon at http://ow.ly/dcrt30kFM6P Text by @minutillo_josephine Photo © Alex S. Maclean … .. . .. ... #EeroSaarinen #concrete #lookingup #modern #civicspace #architecture #architecturephotography #archidaily #pocket_architecture #ig_architecture #archilovers (at St. Louis)

[the-compiler]

Civil Society Watch report

Download the report here

CIVICUS, the global alliance of civil society organisations, has published its Civil Society Watch report for 2015.

They find that in 109 countries, civil society organisations didn't have at least one of the following:

freedom of association

freedom of expression

freedom of peaceful assembly

The country-by-country breakdowns of developments over the last year are essential reading. A few things that we picked out:

There was a [year-on-year] increase in harassment and physical violence targeting civil society activists, professional journalists and citizen journalists, as well as a rise in targeted assassinations. "More and more states are failing their commitments under international law and reneging on their duty to protect and enable civil society."

There are fewer and fewer spaces for civil society organisations to meet or assemble. The most common violations were of the right "to set up, join or operate a formal or informal group to take collective action" (in 85% of the countries assessed) and the right to "gather publicly or privately to collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common ideas or interests" (two-thirds of countries).

In response to this, more activism is taking place online, meaning that activists are increasingly exposed to digital security risks. Many states monitored and blocked websites; and threatened, detained and sometimes imprisoned bloggers and online activists. Other states are implementing or actively considering social media and internet regulations.

[designforpublicinterest]

Oil Silo Transformed into Civic Space

"As port cities expand, industrial activities near urban centers—especially along waterfront properties—tend to be displaced by more-profitable residential and commercial programs. Occasionally, structures located within these industrial landscapes are saved and repurposed. It is common to see former warehouses and grain silos transformed into multifamily residential buildings, for example, although such retrofits can require significant investments."

[architecturalrecord-blog1]

Eero Saarinen’s simple but brilliant design created a breathtaking stainless-steel catenary arch that soars 630 feet above the Mississippi River, but the final scheme at ground level left much to be desired. So the hope for the redesign, by @mvva.inc with @CooperRobertsonpartners and @James_Carpenter_jcda, was not only to bring the grounds closer to Eero Saarinen’s and Dan Kiley’s original vision, but to spark a major urban-regeneration project. The scheme is not about big gestures. Instead, its moves are subtle but very deliberate. Now, in order to ride the tram to the top, one must now enter the Arch through the newly expanded museum, which appears unobtrusively at grade in the form of a circular steel and glass canopy, the main architectural component and centerpiece of the project. That axial progression continues in the opposite direction as well, with the bridge connecting to the previously sunken and now redesigned Luther Ely Smith Park. Read more about this American icon at http://ow.ly/dcrt30kFM6P Text by @minutillo_josephine Photo © @nic.lehoux … .. . .. ... #EeroSaarinen #concrete #lookingup #modern #civicspace #architecture #architecturephotography #archidaily #pocket_architecture #ig_architecture #archilovers (at St. Louis)

[architecturalrecord-blog1]

"There have been something like 67 attempts to build on this site since 1965," says Ellen van Loon, the @oma.eu partner who led the design of BLOX, a 290,000-square-foot, extremely mixed-use, thoroughly modern glass building that opened this month on the harbor in Copenhagen's historic center. The client, @realdaniadk, is a Danish philanthropic group that supports projects in the built environment. Two of the main tenants at BLOX—the @danisharchitecturecenter and @bloxhubdk, an innovative office for sustainable development—do the same. Read more about this #AR_Project at http://ow.ly/v8pH30k9mHK Text by @minutillo_josephine Photo © Hans Werlemann #oma #Copenhagen #civicspace #glass #scandinaviandesign #scandinavianarchitecture #archidaily #arquitectura #architecture #architect #design #buildings #buildingdesign #Architektur #architettura #archigram #archilovers #archdaily #archilovers #architecturephotography #architecturalphotography #geometry #ig_architecture #pocket_architecture #archi_features #architecture_view #architecturelovers #architexture (at Copenhagen, Denmark)

[architecturalrecord-blog1]

@frankgehry has played a vital role in transforming the slice of Downtown Los Angeles surrounding its Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) into a thriving area for arts and culture. His 2004 Walt Disney Concert Hall proved to be a boon to the neighborhood, and a new project that will break ground in the fall—a mixed-use development just across Grand Avenue—is expected to do the same. Today, the @colburnschool announced that Gehry will design an approximately 200,000-square-foot expansion to its existing facilities, also located on and around Grand Avenue. The Colburn project will effectively increase Gehry’s stake in the creation of a cultural district in downtown LA—a realization the architect considers a “long-held dream.” Read more at http://ow.ly/Z84230iWTGY Text by @alexandrea_klimo Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons — #losangeles #frankgehry #exterior #contemporarydesign #contemporaryarchitecture #urbanrealm #civicspace #seemycity #archidaily #arquitectura #architecture #architect #design #buildings #buildingdesign #Architektur #architettura #archigram #archilovers #archdaily #archilovers #architecturephotography #architecturalphotography #geometry #ig_architecture #pocket_architecture #archi_features #architecture_view #architecturelovers #architexture (at Los Angeles, California)