Talking Public Space and Urban Intervention With San Francisco’s Rebar Studio

INHABITAT: How did Rebar get its start? MATT: Rebar started around a project called the Cabinet National Library. We were inspired by an art magazine in Brooklyn called Cabinet, which had

HOW TO: Pickle Beets In Just 1 Hour

Beets come in all shapes and sized, from dark red and pink striped to light orange and everything in between. We used a bunch of gorgeous organic Chioggia beets from the farmer's market.

How To: Make Organic Apple Chips In 3 Easy Steps

Ingredients you will need: 2-3 medium washed organic apples per baking sheet baking sheets or trays parchment paper cutting board knife cinnamon and sugar (optional). Prepare

HOW TO: Recycle a Tin Can Into a Gorgeous Outdoor Lantern for Summer Parties

STEP 1: GATHER YOUR MATERIALS All you need to do to get started on this eco-friendly summer craft project is gather the following materials: 2-4 cleaned, empty tin cans (you can use any

San Francisco’s Parklets Transform Parking Spaces Into Urban Oases

Local design studio Rebar was instrumental in developing the concept of using public parking spaces to create a more engaging use for the public – even temporarily. Rebar’s original project

How To: Recycle a Cardboard Box Into a DIY Earring Holder

Step One: Gather your materials You will need: A lid from a sturdy cardboard shoebox or similar box A stapler String, yarn, lace, ribbon or embroidery thread in assorted

Manifest Destiny! Tiny Cabin Finds a Home Between San Francisco’s Downtown Skyscrapers

On display until October, 2012, Manifest Destiny! is the product of a collaboration between two designers; San Francisco-based Jenny Chapman and New York-based Mark Reigelman. Their first

A Look Into San Francisco’s Downtown Secret Gardens

First we visited 555 Mission Street, a gorgeously designed courtyard between two buildings. You can't miss it because it features some eye-catching and whimsical public art: Jonathan Borofsky's

How To: Make a Bird Feeder for Small Spaces With Recycled Materials

Step One: Gather the materials Gather the materials you'll need to create your recycled bird feeder. We used: A recycled clean plastic peanut-butter jar with a screw-on lid (any size will

Please Touch Community Garden Greens Abandoned San Francisco Lot

GK Callahan is the director of the Please Touch project, and is also a teacher at the nearby Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, which serves the Bay Area community. It was while

San Francisco’s Waterfront To Get Green Makeover In Lead-Up To America’s Cup

Under design giant AECOM’s leadership, a wide swath of temporary and permanent installations will be built along San Francisco's waterfront to accommodate race infrastructure as well as a

Futuristic Cities Feature Fog Harvesting and Urban Fish Farms

Portable Parks Pop Up All Over Downtown San Francisco

CMG Landscape Architects designed Yerba Buena’s new Parkmobiles: tiny portable gardens housed in dumpster-style containers. The mini-gardens are just one part of the Street Life Plan’s

Texcoco Lake Ecological Park: Mexico City to Build the World’s Largest Urban Park

Echeverria hopes that the area of the central Mexico City valley once covered by Lake Texcoco can be reclaimed to create a new urban landscape that combines nature with infrastructure. The area

San Francisco Officials Approve Treasure Island Eco-City

Treasure Island lies in the middle of San Francisco Bay, visible to the left of the Bay Bridge as it crosses from San Francisco to Oakland. Abutting hilly Yerba Buena Island, Treasure Island is

AETER Architects Unveils Utopian Eco Island for Hong Kong Border Crossing

Spanning the Shenzhen River, the Eco-Land island terminal links economic powerhouse Shenzhen and its neighbors in the Guangdong province with the international finance and trade center of Hong

Protected Bikeway Could Replace Parking On San Francisco Streets

Could a protected bike lane on San Francisco’s busy four-lane Oak Street provide a safer and quicker cross-town route for cyclists? Would you give up parking spots in your neighborhood in