The blog is for ‘People and places; cities, towns, neighbourhoods, estates, villages; sustainable city and living environments’. It supports ‘Campaigning for ‘our city’, for people places, for ‘good town”.
Author: Gordon Gibson, a South Wales based practising Urban Designer, lecturer and teacher, former Chartered Surveyor. Writing up over 30 years of hands-on urban design practice, in and with communities and in the great cities of Prague and Johannesburg.
For over four months in 2009, and five months in 2011, I lived in Manhattan, New York, not ‘working’ in the conventional sense, but being a supportive ‘bampi’ to our daughter’s young family, with a glorious opportunity to enjoy the streets of her neighbourhood, experiencing the daily reality of life in the Upper East Side, and of Jane Jacobs’ Manhattan. That is where the blog begins.
It is a privilege to have both experienced again the joy of contributing to the early development of children and to observe and enjoy the city that so inspired Jane Jacobs for her book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. I recognise that my humble efforts are, in part, a homage to her.
4cities Blog 
Hey Gordon,
Hope all is good with you.
Looking forward to reading your inspiring thoughts about people and places via the www!
Jenny x
Hi Gordon….delighted you are highlighting some of Swansea’s chaotic traffic ‘systems’. Almost everyone I know hates shopping in Swansea. Moreover, if you want to by pass Swansea [eg from Mumbles via Oystermouth Rd] why are all the lights biassed against the main through traffic.
Who’s idea was it to invest in Bendy-buses which occupy dedicated lanes, cut corners and appear to be almost empty
Best of luck with your campaign
Regards
Galen
Gordon
Would it be possible to use your photograph of Hudson street in an article I am publishing? I would credit you as you prefer and send you a release form.
thank you for considering this.
Margaret Crawford
Professor of Architecture
UC Berkeley
I’ve been trying to communicate to your email address but have been met with Mail Delivery errors despite trying a couple of variations on your mcrawfor@bekeley.edu, which seems to contain two typos. Please let me have your contact as I prefer not to correspond publicly. Thanks
Hey Gordon,
would it be possible to use your photo of Hudson Street in an article I am publishing in the german magazine bauwelt. I would credit you as you perfer and send you a release from.
Thanks in advance,
Franziska Bittner
That is fine thanks. Do please give credits etc. As it happens, I am currently in Berlin for a few more days, having also been to admire urban renewal and development in Freiburg too.
thank you!