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Sunday, 07 December 2008 |
New Oslo Opera was inspired by and intended for skateboarding.
Skaters have always been more sensitive to architectural form than your
average city-dweller. Finally it appears that architects are picking up
on skaters' desires and creating forms that are intentionally
interactive. It has been no secret to urban planners that successful
public spaces require public participation, and few groups are more
participatory than skateboarders. Architects are learning that by
creating forms that attract skaters they can immediately activate a
space like never before. Wired Magazine recently covered this change of
thinking in their December issue which you can read online here:
Wired Magazine: New Oslo Opera House Is Really a Stealth Skatepark
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Saturday, 18 October 2008 |
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Nederland's
Nathan Lazarus Skatepark is on the verge of opening, after five years
of effort. I've attempted to distill some
of what we learned through the advocacy process in hopes that others
can learn from our successes and from our mistakes. Our experience is
probably most applicable to small communities (Nederland's population
is around 1,500).
Nederland's skateboarders worked hard to stay in the community's eye. Seasoned advocates catalog their participation whenever they local teens are engaged in the project.
Beginnings
Nederland
can be a great place to live, but let’s face it; if you’re
a teen, possibilities for fair-weather leisure time activity are
pretty limited. Let’s see, there’s video games, hanging
out, video games, hanging out …
In
November of 2003, a group of Teens and older supporters began meeting
under the guidance of the staff of a local non-profit organization
TEENS, Inc., to do something about this situation; their goal was the
construction of a free public skatepark in Nederland.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 18 October 2008 )
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Read more... [The Nederland Story]
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Skateboarding in Afghanistan |
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Saturday, 27 September 2008 |
 Local youth and international NGO workers in Kabul, Afghanistan have started the country’s first skateboarding school, Skateistan. By introducing the positive and cross-cultural aspects of skateboarding, Skateistan hopes to provide new opportunities to the local youth.
Skateboarding students are admitted based on a number of economic and cultural factors. Skateistan’s curriculum obviously includes skateboarding instruction but also has qualities of project management, life skills, and English. Ultimately the group’s mission is to empower the students to take leadership positions on issues important to them and build social networks that cross ethic barriers. One of the clearest reflections of that mission is that Skateistan teaches both boys and girls.
The group is currently securing a permanent location for their school and recruiting additional staff. While Skateistan is still in its early development, it still qualifies for one of the world’s boldest and most visionary skateboarding missions ever.
Please check out their site and support them in whatever way you’re able.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 27 September 2008 )
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