15 Tyne Street, Carlton Vic.

For our hundredth post, we ask: how does this plot of vacant land fit into the 'Internal Reserves' world? Well, it does and it doesn't - but it definitely could. 

The space is here, behind a bustling section of Lygon Street. It is certainly an area bereft of park space which would undoubtedly benefit from a pocket park off a laneway space (Tyne Street, however it is delineated, is definitely not a through street). The block here no doubt once contained a shop and/or business and is now basically a backstreet car park; it is a prime candidate for the kind of space we advocate.

Birds love it, people tend not to, but that second aspect could be changed without too much trouble - it is, however, prime real estate which is the major issue (and the traders, particularly the cafe owners and restauranteurs of the area probably don't want to see places where people can just sit without buying something!).

Christopher Tunnard 1939

Read about Tunnard here. 

'System Garden', University of Melbourne

Seems silly to have avoided this one for so long, particularly as it is about five minutes' walk from where I work every day. The System Garden is celebrating its 160th anniversary this year, except it's a shadow of (i.e. about a quarter of the size of) its original incarnation. Not to say it's not a delightful space.

It conforms to most of our internal reserve rules, although of course (?) the surrounding buildings are all university offices/labs/classrooms etc, not residences, and the idea of 'street frontage' on a university campus is kind of fluid, too. In terms of its content, landscaping and usage, though, it's a great grab bag of ideas.

It's also worth remembering that one of the inspirations for Raymond Unwin in his creation/advocacy of internal reserves was the court spaces he saw at university campuses.

Read more about it here or look at the google map here.

Trussville Springs, Alabama

A new urbanist development in Alabama, designed by Duany/Plater Zyberk and discussed here. Here's the google map. Note what may or may not be two formal or more likely informal internal reserves at the top.

Unnamed reserve between Over Dam, Francis Davant, Grace Park; Habersham, South Carolina

A new urbanist development in SC. Haven't visited, have only a google earth idea of what the actual IR looks like. You can check it out here.

Balrampur, India

Source: Volker M. Welter 'The 1925 Master-Plan for Tel Aviv by Patrick Geddes' Israel Studies 14:3, p. 108

Word is none of Geddes' Indian plans were ever realised, but have fun looking in Balrampur.

Belgian Congo Film Image

A frame from the 2001 documentary From Congo to Zaire directed by Olivier Moser and Frederic Tadino (New York, NY: Filmakers Library) shows an example of public housing planning from (presumably) the late 1950s. The specific location is not made clear. This occurs at approximately the 9 minute mark in the film and represents Belgian activities in the last years of its colonial rule.