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Polyculture is the practice of planting combinations of plants for stronger, healthier growth and greater yields in productive agriculture.

When we think of companion planting, often it is considered as simply a form of controlling pests by adding plants to our gardens that certain insects dont like.

This is a part of the equation.

Companion planting however, not only controls pests, it will inhibit the growth of unwanted weeds and improve the fertility of the soil.

Lets look at the various benefits of companion planting for pest control, soil health and thriving plants in your garden.

PEST CONTROL

These are a few pests you might encounter in your garden and some of the plants that can either confuse or repel them along with tips for attracting their predators.

Bugs in General

A border of chamomile, a hedge of feverfew or plantings of millet will deter most insect pests.

We cannot forget pyrethrum as it is a very strong pest deterrent.

Another clever way to combat insect invasions is to try planting more native shrubs as these will attract native birds that will in turn eat the bugs.

Ants

Pest control plants are tansy, pennyroyal and spearmint.

Aphids

Marigolds, chives, garlic, onion, wormwood, coriander, rhubarb and elder repel these.

Cabbage Moth

Tomato and peppermint confuse and repel cabbage moths.

Other moths can be deterred with rosemary and santolina.

Nematodes

Mustard, marigolds and lavender send nematodes on their way.

Stink Bugs

Artichoke and radish are very disliked by these bugs.

Slugs and Snails

Rosemary, wormwood and mullein all deters them while mulches of these and oak leaf mulch are also effective.

Birds eat snails and slugs so plant bird attracting plants like buddleia, banksia and grevillea will bring them into your garden for some extra protein.

Thrips

Alyssum, chamomile, pennyroyal, thyme and basil will control thrips.

Sunflowers, dill, coriander, tansy, yarrow, alfalfa also attract thrip predators.

Whitefly

Feverfew, garlic, marigolds, nasturtiums and basil can control whitefly.

INSECT INVITATIONS

Inviting what may seem like pests into the garden can sound strange but in fact there are many beneficial bugs that can help you grow a great garden.

Lay down the green carpet welcome by planting lots of flowers to attract pollinators to help fertilise your plants.

Consider letting some herbs and greens go to flower as well as planting specific flowers such as dahlias, forget-me-nots, sunflowers, roses or daisies.

There are also flowers that naturally attract insects that are predators of destructive garden pests. Ladybirds are going to take care of the mites, scale, whiteflies and aphids for you and they really enjoy dill and coriander.

Lacewings will make a meal out of aphids and they also enjoy tansy, angelica and dandelions.

HEALTHY SOIL AND HAPPIER GARDENS

To fix nitrogen to the soil for plants that require it, try planting sweet pea, alfalfa, nettle, soybean and clover as companions.

For soil low in magnesium plant in peppermint and parsley and let those dandelions roam free.

If your root crops are not much chop, try planting in garlic, sorrel, calendula, nettle amongst them as these all add phosphorus which could be your problem.

To ensure tasty fruits and vegetables, you need potassium in your soil to improve the uptake of nitrogen so get in some evening primrose, sunflowers, watercress, tansy and borage.

Control weeds by planting comfrey.

This acts as a living thick mulch and can be slashed down and added to your compost for a rich boost in nutrients.

Create well-planted boarders to stop grasses invading your garden beds and use these areas to add pest deterring plants such as pyrethrum and daisies.

Living mulches are simply plants that grow to cover the soil to trap in the nutrients and deter weeds so consider comfrey and other herbs that have the qualities your particular garden requires.

MY FAVOURITE COMPANIONS

There are many great companions in the plant world I have set out some in the adjacent box.

If I had to share with you my favourite companion plants, I could not go past marjoram for its ability to boost the flavour of nearly all surrounding crops while providing nutritional assistance to the environment it finds itself in and this is turn produces very healthy plants.

My other favourite is comfrey for its ability to become a living mulch that deters pests and weeds, provides temperate regulation and water retention and it also creates an amazing liquid fertiliser.

Some plants do better in the company of friends.

These botanical mates offer nurturing through their ability to share nutrients with others; by attracting insect predators, usually through aroma or taste, and by adding something to their neighbours in the way of additional flavours or boosting their growth rate.

Here are a few combinations for you to try that should improve your garden.

Artichoke, Jerusalem (Helianthus tuberosus): they love being with tansy and corn and will deter insects from your citrus trees if used as their underplanting.

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis): brilliant bedfellows are tomatoes and asparagus as they naturally stimulate healthy, strong growth in each other.

Parsley, capsicum and lettuce all do well with asparagus too.

Bay Tree (Laurus nobilis): one of the great pest and disease deterrents for all other plants and should be found at least once in every garden.

Beans, Broad (Vicia faba): lettuce, corn, violets, potatoes are all good neighbours.

Beans, Runner (Phaseolus coccineus): This type of bean loves growing alongside carrots and cauliflowers and does well with spinach, radish and corn.

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea): this vegetable loves growing with rosemary, leeks, celery and sage.

Celery (Apium graveolens): leeks, tomatoes and especially bush bean varieties work very well together with celery in the garden.

Citrus (Citrus spp.): sweet pea grown alongside citrus of all types will help fix the nitrogen in the soil and to deter woodborers plant catnip and lavender beneath your citrus.

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus): To encourage stronger growth, try planting peas and beans and you will find that lettuce makes a healthy garden bed companion as well. The dreaded cucumber beetle can be deterred with radish that has been allowed to go to seed.

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa): To improve the flavour of your lettuce, try planting between rows with beetroot or strawberries.

Mulberry (Morus alba): To ensure a bumper crop of mulberries, plant grapes and chokos nearby you can grow either through the branches as well.

Olive (Olea europaea): Rosemary, lavender and tansy all make a good underplanting for this tree as they repeal many pests that are attracted to it. Wattle is a brilliant native companion and almond and walnut also help create a beneficial growing environment.

Onion (Allium cepa): Onions do well with lettuce, cabbages and carrots and you will find that chamomile is also happy growing aside onions.

Passionfruit (Passiflora spp.): Lemongrass and lemon balm are both good pest deflectors and marjoram is an extremely beneficial nutrient provider.

Pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.): They grow well around citrus, beans and corn while dill and oregano are good pest controllers.

Rose (Rosa spp.): There is belief that growing alliums such as chives, onions and garlic with roses will improve the perfume of the rose. Chamomile helps prevent the development of black spot and parsley will deter pests.

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa): Borage improves the sweetness of strawberries while marigolds deter pests.

Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus): These big beautiful blossoms will lure aphids away from the rest of your garden without much harm to themselves and are massive pollinator attractors as well.

There are also some plants that do not make good bedfellows.

Some emit substances that harm certain neighbouring plants, many attract plant predators that are unwanted, while others deplete available resources that more fragile plants cant compete with.

Tomato, for instance, do not do well with fennel, potatoes or kohlrabi and strawberries find it difficult to grow around collards.

Dont ever plant Gladiolus in with your vegetables as they are nutrient thieves and your crops will be stunted in growth.

Sunflowers and potatoes or beans will starve each other out.

Alliums are your onions, garlics, leeks and chives and they do not make good neighbours with beans, peas or asparagus.

Beetroot and amaranth dont seem to mix with each other, potatoes and artichokes are not friends at all and all of the brassica family (such as: broccoli, Asian greens, cabbages, cauliflower) should never be grown near the nightshade family (such as: tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, capsicum) or strawberries and rue.

UPCOMING GARDEN EVENTS

Herbal Tea Workshop: Includes plants and tuition on growing and making your own herbal teas. Coachwood Nursery Somersby. 4pm to 6pm 28th November. $49 Bookings: 0491147448

Christmas Twilight Shopping from 5pm Thursday 5th November Burbank House and Garden, 443 The Entrance Road, Erina Heights.

Garlic Plait and Wreath Workshop: Create these beautiful festive gifts for the foodie in your life. Bumble Hill Shed Shop, Kulnura. 11am, 5th December. Bookings: 04256834459

Cheralyn Darcey is a gardening author, community garden coordinator and along with Pete Little, hosts The Gardening Gang 8 9am every Saturday on Coast FM.

Send your gardening questions, events and news to: gardeningcentralcoast@gmail.com

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Down in the Garden: How Companion Planting Works - Central Coast Community News

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Biological Pest Control Market: Latest Innovations, Drivers and Industry Key Events 2020 2026 - The Market Feed

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Covid-19 Impact on Global Biological Pest Control Market Expected To Reach Highest CAGR by 2026 : BASF, InVivo, Dudutech, Koppert, Biobest Group, etc....

Ecoation Innovative Solutions Inc., a provider of data-driven grower assist technology, and Kinova, a Canadian-based global leader in professional robotics, have announced a new collaboration. By adding robotic grasping capabilities to Ecoations grower assist platform, the two companies aim to enable real-time identification and treatment of pest and disease risks in greenhouses globally.

With an initial focus on closed-loop and automated integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, specifically surgical treatment application to targeted areas of the canopy and autonomous biological control distribution, the partnership is designed to bring the best of each companys capabilities to the market as a commercial crop monitoring and management package.

Kinova is a leader in robotic arm development with impressive and robust products that have been deployed commercially for many years in the global market, says Ecoation Founder and CEO, Dr. Saber Miresmailli. What excites me the most is the fact that through this partnership, two leading Canadian companies are joining forces to tackle important and timely issues that are impacting humanity globally: food security and farm labor shortages. Combining the ecoation AI/IA Human+Machine platform with Kinovas robotic arm will not only allow the Canadian duo to detect, diagnose, and report problems, but also help them to treat the issue using the proper solution with surgical precision.

We are proud to collaborate with ecoation, another Canadian industry-leading company, in this adventure to take on one of our generations biggest challenges; increase food production amidst labor shortage and climate change, says Franois Boucher, VP Sales and Marketing at Kinova. We are confident that ecoations AI/IA Human+Machine platform, combined with Kinovas Gen3 modular and ultra-lightweight robotic arm, will prove as a powerful tool for food growers around the world.

Ecoation is a grower-centric platform that merges deep biology, artificial intelligence, intelligence augmentation, and robotics to create technology that change the way growers produce and protect food. See all author stories here.

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Tech Companies Partner on New Innovative Growing Platform - Greenhouse Grower

Proposed designs for a new fire station in North Suffolk will include plans for a fourth bay, but whether one gets built will be determined by the cost to put one in, and City Councils will to pay for it.

During a recent update from Gerry Jones on Fire Station No. 11 in Harbour View off of Hampton Roads Parkway, the citys director of capital projects told council that it would definitely have at least three bays and about 15,000 square feet of space to respond to increased growth and demand in the northern end of the city. Currently, the closest one is Fire and Rescue Station No. 5 on Bridge Road.

It will be at least a three-bay station, Jones said. Were going to plan for four, meaning well situate it (and) site it so that we can expand it as time goes. As the need is there to expand it, we can do that.

Jones said the fourth bay would possibly be included as an alternate bid item if we can afford to do it within the current budget.

Councilman Roger Fawcett said, however, that by the time construction would begin, it would be better to go ahead and build the fourth bay rather than try to add it later.

Were talking one bay, and it would be, I think, senseless, for us not to put the fourth bay in play while we have the brick and mortar going on the ground, Fawcett said, because if we try to come back and retrofit that building later, there could be issues down the line, could be issues with funding, could be issues with a lot of things. It may never get done, and with the expansion in that area, we need to have that capacity.

Jones said the city would plan on a fourth bay and more than likely find out how much it would cost to build the new fire station with four bays.

RRMM Architects will be providing architectural and engineering design services. Jones said the city executed a contract for design services in September for $551,730, with the design work beginning Oct. 28 and scheduled to be finished by July 2021. At that point, Jones said the city would solicit construction bids, and that it is scheduled to be finished by fall 2022.

He noted that its cost, at $8.2 million, is $1.9 million more than originally projected.

Its one of several capital projects with higher cost estimates.

A renovation of the 60-year-old, 2,300-square-foot Fire and Rescue Station No. 4 on Lake Kilby Road will need an extra $500,000 above its original $1.1 million cost projection, and a 7,214-square-foot fire department apparatus and quartermaster facility to go behind the Kings Fork Public Safety Center is set to cost about $2.5 million, more than $900,000 above its original projection.

The Bennetts Creek Recreation Center, going on the former Army Reserve Center property, is set to cost nearly $5 million, more than $300,000 above its original projections. The city executed a $4.4 million contract for construction with C.W. Brinkley on that project, and construction began in September on the 15,795-square-foot facility and is scheduled to be done by October 2021.

Jones said the city had to wait for the Army to relocate out of the building, which the Army turned over to the city in June. The remodeled facility will have a game room, a computer lab, multipurpose and fitness rooms, a commercial kitchen, locker rooms and administrative support spaces. There will be no gymnasium in there because there is one at the Creekside Recreation Center at Creekside Elementary School.

Jones said that would be done by July 2021, but for now, it will not include paving and security fencing. The additional money needed for that would go toward those items if council approves it for the fiscal year 2022 Capital Improvements Program and Plan.

The increase in the price tags for those projects is due to these projects being delayed for several years.

Many of these projects were put on the backburner when we did our two school projects, Jones said, referring to the construction of Col. Fred Cherry Middle School and Florence Bowser Elementary School. And a lot of these, the funding started prior to that, so the original numbers that were put in the CIP, some of them are four, five, six years old.

Interim City Manager Al Moor also noted the increases in the cost of steel.

Councilman Donald Goldberg said the city should incorporate a new downtown recreation center to go with the new library to be going in on city-acquired land about a block from City Hall.

The kids in this area have been shortchanged ever since the Birdsong Gym was taken away, Goldberg said, referring to when the gym was closed and then torn down in 2004.

Richmond-based Quinn Evans Architects, which will be designing the new library, held a pair of virtual community meetings this summer to get public input on what residents want in a new facility.

Last December, the city selected the company to design the new $23.3 million downtown library to replace the 14,500-square-foot Morgan Memorial Library. Jones said the city executed a nearly $1.8 million contract for design services in February, with that work scheduled to be done by spring 2022.

Moor noted that library funding has not been changed at this point from the previous year, which at the time did not have a recreation center component to it.

What were looking at here is trying to understand how that rec (component) complements the library, Moor said. Its really not part of the same building, but how it would slide into as we free up, maybe, where the Morgan (Memorial Library) is or where we free up something further down West Washington (Street), how they can come together and work together, but at this point, it hasnt been envisioned to be part of the same building.

Jones also outlined the status of other capital projects, including:

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City gets update on capital projects - The Suffolk News-Herald - Suffolk News-Herald

The new Metropolitan Sea Airport of Elefsina will be soon opening its doors to the public to take visitors on a thrilling ride.

The blueprints for the design of Elefsinas sea airport were released in 2019, immediately capturing the attention of the international architecture community, who praised Greece for this innovative project.

Designed by Pieris.Architects and Hellenic Seaplanes, the waterfront area, its waterpark and set of seaplanes, form part of the largest waterways and seaplane investment in Greece all reportedly to be complete and ready within 2021.

Currently under construction, the new sea airport is costing over 25 million euros and is expected to radically change the travel map of the area, making Elefsina a seaplane hub.

The facility will be located just 20 kilometres from the centre of Athens and will serve the whole of Attica.

While many have debated the construction of such a large and costly project, the fact is that the creation of this waterway is a necessity rather than a luxury as long as it is used properly.

At the moment there are not enough connections between the various Aegean islands and Attica, limiting the domestic dispersion of tourists and degrading the touristic experience that Greece can truly offer.

In addition, the integration of seaplanes in the transport network between mainland and islands offers the possibility for better medical care, facilitating the transfer of patients to hospitals in Attica.

Finally, there is the substantial contribution to upgrading the quality of life of the permanent residents of the island areas, facilitating better postal services and transportation.

The construction and design of the sea airport was led by Pieris.Architects, an award-winning multidisciplinary architectural group with a portfolio of various projects across Greece, Cyprus and England and headed by Stella and Petros Pieris.

Pieris.Architects explained that they wanted to create a DNA-style building, which will integrate all the functions of transport infrastructure with those of a flexible cultural space.

Our vision of Atticas Metropolitan Seadrome with Nicholas Charalambous and Hellenic Seaplanes is soon taking shape and is undeniably one of the most ambitious and visionary projects taking place in Greece at the moment.

The Greek islands will finally be connected by a network of seaplanes, which will boost tourism by making travel between different holiday destinations easier and most importantly, will improve healthcare and ensure the faster transportation of patients to the mainland, explained Stella Pieris of Pieris.Architects.

One of the main goals of the municipality of the city of Elefsina was to create a multi-purpose facility, which would include multicultural event spaces, conference centres, exhibition spaces, commercial uses, restaurants and cafes. This way, the sea airport and its surrounding facilities could be used all year round providing a consistent source of revenue for the water park station and the city overall.

The Metropolitan Sea Airport will also introduce a new style of transport infrastructure in the country, connecting travel experience with culture by utilizing an almost abandoned landmark building, that being the port of Elefsina.

The aim of this new project is to create a positive impact on social, economic and environmental level, adopting cutting-edge technologies, ecological consciousness and modern culture, says Hellenic Seaplanes in a recent statement.

Nicholas Charalambous, Chairman and CEO of Hellenic Seaplanes, described that another special aspect of Elefsinas sea airport is that the travel experience begins from the moment that the traveller enters the building.

Indoor, semi-outdoor and open air conditioners, specially designed to cope with the climatic conditions of Greece, service indoor gardens housing endemic plants and trees such as olive, thyme and lavender, that exude vivid colours and aromas reminiscent of the more rural side of Greece within a major city.

The elements of sustainability present in both the project design and choice of construction materials, contribute to the reduction of operating costs and energy consumption and have been openly praised by the international community of architects.

This project will create additional added value through infrastructure of modern architecture with a focus on sustainability, as the environmental benefits are many and important, explains awarded architect graduate from Oxford University and the University College of London, Petros Pieris.

The design and construction of public buildings with a low environmental footprint for the countrys Mediterranean climate, where heating and cooling must be produced, maintained and combined with the required amenities, is a difficult task.

Additionally, the social and economic benefits for the wider region are manifold.

The sea airport and its numerous waterways and facilities have already contributed to the creation of 2,000 new jobs and are predicted to attract new tourism investments and infrastructure development along the hitherto neglected port of Elefsina.

Overall, the sea airport embodies the architectural philosophy of Pieris.Architects, which concerns the development of eco-emotional intelligence.

The new infrastructure presupposes, motivates and encourages human-nature interaction and is to be accompanied by a number of other important port rehabilitation projects, including seabed clearing and gradual restoration of the biodiversity of the area.

The cultural activities that will also be hosted throughout the year at the site will bring an influx of visitors, strengthening the local economy and giving new life to an area that, despite its rich history, has long been overlooked.

Predicted to enhance the countrys tourism as a whole, the new Metropolitan Sea Airport of Elefsina is set to offer new destinations to tourists as multiple areas will become more easily accessible.

All photos from Instagram: @pieris.architects

Read also on Greek City Times:

Cats (of Syros). The Netflix Documentary

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New Metropolitan Sea Airport Of Elefsina: "One Of The Most Ambitious And Visionary Projects Taking - GreekCityTimes.com

This startup wants to become a digital ecosystem that connects spaces, freelancers and entrepreneurs

Faced with a world panorama that has rethought independent and flexible work schemes, Bauns arises in response to the more than 15 million freelancers in the country and the impact of the real estate industry in the face of the global health crisis.

This Mexican startup offers a comprehensive connection, protection, management and accessibility solution for independent workers through multiple services focused on connecting and simplifying relationships between spaces, workers, clients and entrepreneurs.

Starting with its Spaces service , Bauns allows professionals from all industries to rent workplaces by the hour, day, week or month according to their needs throughout the country and through the same platform without the need for a membership.

The startup has achieved strategic alliances with the main coworkings , hotel chains, terraces, independent offices, among others. It offers independent workers the possibility of professionalizing their labor relations with their clients through the rental of temporary or permanent spaces, reducing fixed real estate expenses.

This alternative not only benefits freelancers, but also real estate investors, their workers and other clients, since it represents a new commercial channel for the rental of real estate spaces in its multiple sectors.

We are very proud to officially present our Bauns platform, which continues to strengthen negotiations with collaborative workspaces, independent offices, hotels, terraces, among many others, to offer both workers and clients, more and more space solutions that are suitable to their needs at all times and wherever they go commented Luis Fernando Gmez, CEO and co-founder of Bauns Mxico.

Photo: Luis Fernando Gmez, CEO and co-founder of Bauns Mxico.

With the aim of promoting the professional growth of freelancers, Bauns allows freelancers to be part of a Community that allows them to access a catalog of exclusive events, talks of interest and courses in their industry to enrich their professional knowledge. By being part of this community, members will also be able to access a space to create their own events on the network and promote networking between collaborators.

Collaborative work enhances the scope and results of a group of professionals in the face of the challenges imposed on each project, requiring flexible and multidisciplinary work groups that allow each collaborator to play a key role in the development of said project, generating enriching value proposals and opening new opportunities. Thus, by becoming part of this community, workers will begin to acquire shared responsibility and professional stability.

Additionally, Bauns will soon present its Work services as part of the platform. This service allows clients from all industries to connect with the best talent for the development and execution of their specific projects, be it the advertising management of a campaign, legal support in a crisis or the development of an architectural project. While, workers will have job opportunities according to their interests and knowledge, allowing them to build a reputation that positions them among the best talent for future projects.

Bauns will not only link workers and clients, it will also coordinate and manage the relationship between them, assuring the client the correct execution of the requested projects through different phases; while effectively managing delivery payments to workers, creating better labor relations.

With its arrival in Mexico, Bauns seeks to redefine the work of the future with a comprehensive solution that accompanies freelancers in their professional growth and that allows both clients and workers to generate relationships that guarantee quality of execution and excellence in results with each project Concluded Fernando.

The digital platform is now available through https://bauns.co/ and has an app available for Android and IOS devices.

Related:Esta startup quiere convertirse en un ecosistema digital que conecte espacios, freelancers y emprendedoresThis startup wants to become a digital ecosystem that connects spaces, freelancers and entrepreneursNo pivotar puede llevar a tu startup a la muerte

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This startup wants to become a digital ecosystem that connects spaces, freelancers and entrepreneurs - The Advocate

As we all settle in for a challenging winter, the Netflix series "Emily in Paris" promises a deliciously indulgent escape from our troubles: a shimmering fantasy of Paris, filled with sophisticated haute couture, gourmet foodand, of course, romance. Yet within this delightful vision, executed by "Sex and the City" creator Darren Star with characteristic flare, there is a glaring absence that sorely diminishes the potential of Emily and her viewers to truly encounter another culture. Working- and middle-class Parisians, the racially diverse multi-cultural residents of the city, are all but erased from Emily's friend group and workplace, and are invisible in the cafs and cobblestone streetsand glittering Marais nightclubs. French culture is portrayed in a way that corresponds to American consumerist fantasies but does not question the tourist's idealized gaze. To solve this conundrum, here are five pieces of advice for Emily in season two.

Take a reading tour of the "Capital of the Nineteenth Century" with dandy extraordinaire Charles Baudelaire.

Nineteenth-century poet Charles Baudelaire depicted the seductive grit and grime of Paris in the Flowers of Evil and Paris: Spleen. These works, so racy for their time that some poems were censored, helped usher in a new modernist aesthetics, depicting an accelerating urban lifestyle, and a blurring of public and private spaces where the voyeuristic flneur might aimlessly stroll and encounter a diversity of subjects, crossing paths with factory workers, beggars, dandies (or "hipsters" in today's parlance), artists and their muses, writers, and aristocrats, who could all in turn learn from their encounters with one another.

Unlike Baudelaire, Emily's adventures in Paris are strikingly limited in geographical scope, racial diversity, and social class. Baudelaire lamented the "gentrification" (to use an anachronistic term) of Paris by the Baron von Haussmann, the architect responsible for its iconic uniform white-grey buildings and wide picturesque airy boulevards. Haussmann believed that he was clearing disease and poverty out of the city and preventing revolutionary uprisings that had once occurred in narrow medieval streets. However, much like Emily's Disney-land version of Paris, the result was far too commercial, clean, bougie and boring.

Set yourself free from the centrally located arrondissements, where only the wealthiest Parisians and international elite can afford to work and live.

While there are a number of museums, restaurants and tourist attractions in these neighborhoods, and they deserve to be visited and appreciated at least once, there is a great deal to be seen beyond these areas. Try heading to the Parc Montsouris featured in Agns Varda's classic French New Wave film "Clo de 5 7." Or explore the enormous post-modern Parc de la Villette, located at the city's northeastern edge in the 19th arrondissement. This dreamlike complex is architectural deconstructivism at its finest (the anti-Haussmann if there ever was one), dominated by fire-truck red metal arches and arabesques, kaleidoscopic graffiti murals along a charming canal, metal orbs floating in whimsical reflecting pools, and a quirky amusement park all mirroring the bold iconoclasm that Emily emanates in her own clothing, personality and style. This is a place to encounter Parisians of all ages, social classes, and ethnic and religious origins, and to experience shows and outdoor festivals at major concert venues, including the Conservatoire de Paris and the Centre National de la danse.

Enjoy food from all over the world that Paris has to offer.

From Senegalese yassa and mafto Vietnamese bhn xo andMoroccan tagine, Paris has it all. My preferred spot after a long day is Le Petit Dakar, a cozy Senegalese restaurant in the Marais with a maf dish to die for. This creamy-spicy peanut sauce with beef over rice goes beautifully with a glass of fresh ginger juice (or jus de gingembre). However, if you are in a rush and looking for cheap fast food, my personal favorite from my student days is the doner kebab: pita bread overflowing with meat shavings, French fries, lettuce, tomato and onions, and sauce blanche, a mayo-yogurt sauce.

Take the metro!

It's very straightforward, especially compared to NYC or Chicago. But before you do, drop the oversized berets. They are utterly ringard (or cheesy and in poor taste) and will garner lots of stares from your fellow stylish commuters.

Emily avoids taking the metro, preferring cabsor rides on her gorgeous neighbor's scooter. While this might make sense during the pandemic, in normal times this aversion for public transportation belies an unwillingness to mix with those who don't own a car, or who can't walk to work because high real-estate prices have pushed them to the city outskirts (i.e. most Parisians). I assure you that there is no better place to encounter the daily lived stories that make Paris what it is, than amid the hustle and bustle of the metro.

Keep learning French, and throw in some politics too.

Emily and her colleagues at the marketing firm Savoir discuss the fact that Americans often "live to work," while the French "work to live," enjoying generous lunch breaks, a work day that starts at 10 a.m., and several weeks of paid vacation. When Emily gets "fired" by her boss Sylvie, her co-workers comfort her with reminders of the protections that make it difficult to actually get fired, and the government services that buoy the under- and unemployed.

Yetneither Emily nor her colleagues acknowledge the blood, sweat, and tears (one need only think of the revolutions and uprisings of 1789, 1830, 1832 cue "Do you Hear the People Sing" from "Les Miserables" 1848, the Paris Commune or the protests of May '68), and class solidarity that helped to secure these benefits, along with the right to maternity and paternity leave, state funded health care and paid sick leave, and a relatively robust pension system.

These working conditions, for which the French Left has fought for generations, threaten to be eroded at this very moment as France too succumbs to global neoliberalist policies, exemplified when Emily's American pharmaceutical company buys out Savoir. I would argue that it is not the French who must learn from Emily's online marketing skills, but rather her American viewers who ought to draw inspiration from their French counterparts, and demand the same protections from their own government and employers.

See original here:
Advice for "Emily in Paris" season 2: Drop the Americanized fantasy and get to know the real city - Salon

As Charlotte continues its quest to become a more urban and cosmopolitan city, is it possible that the small towns and former mill villages dotting the land around Charlotte have something to teach us about how to solve some of the biggest and most pressing needs facing our big cities and suburbs today?

Bill Fulton, director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, recently published an essay reflecting on how his hometown of Auburn, New York had shaped his understanding of urban planning and policy. It was in part a story of a small towns decline as a prosperous manufacturing and retail center, and the well-intended but misguided attempts of local officials to reverse its economic slide.

Jeff Michael

But as one of the countrys leading advocates for urbanism, Fulton likely surprised some readers by crediting Auburn some 20 miles from even a mid-sized city like Syracuse for having taught him some of his most valuable lessons about what it takes to create and sustain great urban places. And that got me to thinking about how my own upbringing near a small industrial town east of Charlotte unexpectedly shaped my views about some of the big planning issues facing Charlotte today.

The place where I grew up was actually a rural valley of small farms adjacent to Morrow Mountain State Park, about equal distance between the towns of Albemarle (population 16,100) and Badin (population 1,969). Like Auburn, both were what Fulton would call factory towns Albemarle built on textiles and Badin on aluminum.

Albemarle was the more conventional of the two, first established as a traditional county seat and market town before the railroads brought the mills that would fuel its expansion in the early 20th century. Its central square, two- and three-story commercial buildings, and a classic grid of tree-lined residential streets (later extended to accommodate the mill villages) was an urban form typical of textile communities across the Carolinas.

Badin, on the other hand, was something altogether different. Even as a boy, I could tell that there was something unique about the place, despite its daily rhythms and paternalistic customs common to all company towns.

Geography alone was enough to set it apart. Built on the shores of Badin Lake, which had been created at the Narrows of the Yadkin to provide hydro power for the aluminum smelting plant, Badin was surrounded by the gentle hills of the Uwharries, creating a picturesque setting with few rivals across the Souths industrial landscape.

Badins built environment also suggested something special, which most of us could sense even if we couldnt explain. Its design seemed more deliberate, even artistic, than the standard formula for southern textile towns.

I recall peering out the class windows of the old Badin Elementary School, with its intricate brickwork and cupola-style belfry, and admiring the row of early 20th-century bungalows across the street, built in the French Colonial style (not that I knew what that was at the time). And after school, I would occasionally walk home with friends to one of the many quadruplex apartments, built to house the families of workers in the nearby aluminum plant. Those apartments were strange and alien, in a pleasant way, to a kid more familiar with the single-family, vernacular mill houses common to Albemarle and other nearby towns.

When I would join friends for playdates, wed ride our bikes on Badins winding streets, connected by curious back alleys and lined with open, stone-walled storm drains. These storm drains were spanned by simple concrete footbridges linking homes to sidewalks, lending a quaint European character to the streetscape of this industrial town in rural North Carolina. That was perhaps my first lesson in the old design maxim that form follows function.

And on a nearby hill, watching over this modest residential neighborhood, was a somewhat incongruous structure that, paradoxically, had the effect of harmonizing the whole a stately clubhouse in a grove of tall pines, surrounded by an 18-hole golf course that looked as if it might have been transplanted from the village of Pinehurst, some 50 miles east.

It was years before I understood that this strange collection of urban design features wasnt some happy accident. Badin was in fact a unique planned community, carved from the rugged forests and farmland of eastern Stanly County in the years just prior to the first World War, incorporating many of the progressive ideas that had recently emerged from Europe about using urban design to improve the lives of industrial workers.

I was in graduate school when I first read the report of architectural historians Brent Glass and Pat Dickinson, documenting Badins legacy as an early model company town. Initially laid out by a French aluminum company (hence the French Colonial architecture), Badins construction was completed by Andrew Mellon after the French sold their interests following the outbreak of war. With this new understanding of the towns origins, it was then easy to connect the dots between Badin and an important period in the history of urban planning the Garden City movement.

Suddenly, I saw those familiar quadruplex apartments in a new light, along with the towns eclectic mix of residential, commercial and industrial uses, with a generous supply of open space and cultural amenities sprinkled throughout. All those features were woven together by a network of curvilinear streets that worked with, rather than against, the contours of the land, recalling Frederick Law Olmsteds philosophy of organic design. And I was amused by the planners clever embrace of the newly-imported game of golf to create a facsimile of one of the Garden City movements most notable design features the greenbelt.

Which is not to say that Badin was perfect. Even though its housing and civic structures for African-Americans were lauded at the time for being among the most progressive in the South (Mellon himself came down from Pittsburgh for the dedication of the imposing West Badin School), Badin was still a southern town built in the Jim Crow era, where the races were kept separate and were definitely not treated equal. And accounts of the harsh working conditions in the aluminum smelting plant and the environmental degradation caused by the wastes it generated are well documented.

Seeing Badin afresh through this new historical lens, and considering the timeframe of its founding, I came to realize that the towns planners must have been disciples of Ebenezer Howard, who founded the Garden City movement in England during the first decade of the 20th century. While not formally a garden city in the textbook sense, Badin had many of its salient features, including a unique blend of suburban and urban form, in a village sort of way. As an aspiring planner attracted to both the natural and built environments, I was thrilled to learn that this town that had stirred my earliest interest in urban planning was a legacy of the Garden City movement on this side of the Atlantic.

But then I discovered the works of the great urbanist Jane Jacobs. In addition to her gift for opening our eyes to the merits of strong urban places, and describing in plain and simple terms the intricate ecosystem that makes them possible, she was also an acerbic critic of the suburban style of planning that the Garden City movement had ushered in. Of Ebenezer Howard and his garden cities she said: His aim was the creation of self-sufficient small towns, really very nice towns if you were docile and had no plans of your own and did not mind spending your life among others with no plans of their own.

Ouch! But despite the condescending nature of that remark, I couldnt help but find truth in this additional critique: (I)n each case the plan must anticipate all that is needed and be protected, after it is built, against any but the most minor subsequent changes.

This seemed to me a fair assessment of how the Garden City movement had played out that once the original economic reasons for their existence went away, as inevitably happened when the industries they were dependent on disappeared, the towns that remained were left with one of two choices. They could either morph into something new to survive (many of the original garden cities in England became more affluent bedroom communities for commuters working in nearby urban centers), or they could resort to stasis and eventual decline, fighting the very adaptations that might save them.

Sadly, I watched this gradual decline in Badin after Alcoa shuttered its operations there in 2002. Without adapting and lacking the diverse entrepreneurial ecosystem that Jacobs described as the key to resiliency in more complex urban economies Badin, the celebrated model company town of 1920, seemed to have become just another failed economic model in 2020.

Or had it? Were Badins best days really behind it, or was this merely a temporary lull before the town reinvented itself? And perhaps a more fundamental question: was Badin even worth saving in an economic era that favors urbanity and the concentration of talent in more dense environments? Thats a question facing many small towns in America today, including those not endowed with Badins unique gifts.

Its also a question being asked in suburban neighborhoods in major cities like Charlotte, built decades after Badin but influenced by many of the same design principles of the Garden City philosophy. Today, those close-in neighborhoods are wrestling with the challenge of how to retrofit themselves for continued relevance, while maintaining at least some of the DNA of their original urban form.

And some of that DNA is indeed worth fighting for. Despite the condescension and derision that some urbanists heap on small towns and suburban communities, there are many elements of a less dense form of urbanity that, if designed well, still deserve a place in the planning toolbox. Bill Fulton noted this in his essay on Auburn, NY: (I)ts hard for anybody who grew up in America in the last half-century (to understand) how self-contained how totally complete towns like Auburn were. And not just in the 19th Century or during World War I, but as recently as the 1960s and 70s.

He went on to note the bias of many urbanists today: Many urban planners grow up in big cities and they have a big-city perspective on what urban life should be like. But Auburn endowed me with a deep understanding that the benefits of urban life close proximity to everything you need, the ability to walk and bike everywhere, a rich tapestry of everyday life did not exist only in big cities. They could exist in small towns as well, so long as those towns had jobs as well as people and could hang on to culture, entertainment, sports, and other activities indigenous to the place.

To be completely honest, though, many small towns and much of suburban America never fully developed the complete array of activities Fulton describes, and a further reality is that many of those activities are dependent on a greater density than some of these places were designed to accommodate. More important, too many of these communities were unable to sustain the jobs that were essential to their survival or at least the connections to jobs (through transportation, reliable internet, and other forms of infrastructure) necessary to maintain them as viable places to live.

But instead of completely abandoning their identities, these communities should view these challenges as structural issues to address in adapting for the future, much like shoring up the foundation of an old house to ready it for rehab. In the same way that tear-downs of older houses are decimating the unique character and authenticity of historic neighborhoods, abandoning these places and their intrinsic character altogether for the promise of something new risks unraveling an important thread in our urban fabric.

To be sure, strengthening their foundations will likely involve dramatic change, including selective densification, the building of more affordable housing options, and bringing down barriers of exclusivity by creating stronger connections to surrounding areas. But its also true that the preservation of existing resources, both built and natural, should be part of the equation as well in order to maintain some element of authenticity and the beneficial services that natural resources in these places provide. Not every call to maintain community character should be viewed as just another kneejerk, NIMBY response to change.

Planners today talk eloquently about the concept of the transect, the idea that a healthy urban ecosystem is made up of different forms of density, feathering out from the denser core. Yet I sometimes worry that not enough thought and effort is being dedicated to how to design the village urbanity that I believe is essential to make this feathering work. And in an era of growing concerns about climate change, indiscriminate density without a corresponding concern for preserving open space and the urban tree canopy has the danger of becoming just a denser version of sprawl.

Thats why I believe places like Badin have as much to teach us as planners as the elegant sidewalk ballet that Jane Jacobs described in her beloved Greenwich Village. Both urban forms are essential to a vibrant and healthy urban ecosystem, particularly on a regional scale. And it doesnt seem a coincidence that both lay claim to the term village.

Jeff Michael is Director of the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute. This article originally appeared online atwww.ui.uncc.edu.

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Small towns like Badin have lessons for big cities like Charlotte - The Stanly News & Press - Stanly News & Press

Nov 28, 2020

The recent reopeningof the Iraqi border crossing of Arar with Saudi Arabia in a bid to enhance trade exchange between the two countriescoincided with talks about the Saudi agricultural investment project in Iraq.

However, the border's reopening for the first time in 30 yearsNov. 18also coincided with political pressures frominfluential forces pushing against any openness in relations with Saudi Arabia. Some are promoting the lie of Saudi colonialism, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said that day, describing this as shameful.

Positive economicreturns fromthe Arar crossingcould break the Iraqi reluctance to resuscitate relations with Saudi Arabia. Arar is currently the only crossing along the common border of more than 830 kilometers (515 miles).

Trade movement through the Arar crossing is likely to face attacks that would impede trade and end any Saudi-Iraqi economic cooperation in the future, an Iraqi security source told Al-Monitor, on condition of anonymity. Shiite forces fear Saudi influence in central and southern Iraq. They will not allow it.

The Shiite Asaib Ahl al-Haq (League of the Righteous) led by Qais Khazali, in anOct. 31 statement, accused Riyadh of planning to seize swaths of landwithin four Iraqi provinces.

That same day the State of Law Coalitioncalled for ending the project to grant Saudi Arabia landfor investment in the Badia of Iraq.

However, State of Law Coalition parliament member Abdul Hadi Saadawi told Al-Monitor, The Arar crossing will be economically and commercially beneficial to Iraq, just like crossings with other countries such as Kuwait, Turkey, Syria and Jordan. He warned, The use of the crossing for political purposes will render its useless and will expose it to failure.

Mazhar Mohammad Saleh,an adviser to Kadhimi for economic affairs,told Al-Monitor,The Arar crossing is a gateway to an Iraqi economic project withneighboring Arab countries. Saleh added,Saudi Arabia's inclination to invest and enhance trade with Iraq is a natural tendency aimed to meet the needs of the kingdom and its markets.

Saleh said a commercial project such as the Arar crossingmust be based on studies that ensure the sustainability of investment and trade projects. He called on the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council to adopt a road map for receiving investments and exchanging goods, in a way that equitably serves the two countries.

The enthusiasm of the Iraqi and Saudi sides in proceeding with the opening of the crossing was unhindered by the attempts of those opposing the rapprochement between the two countries. The Saudi Transport Ministrycarried out a series of maintenance works on the road leading to the new Arar crossing and secured the roads leading toand from it.

The director of the Iraqi side of the Arar border crossing, Brig. Habib Kazim, told Al-Monitor, The Iraqi authorities have put in place a complete security, administrative and logistical plan to secure the roads to Arar through Karbala [central region]and Anbar [western region]. Maintenance works have been completed for about 250 kilometers [155 miles] from the highway, starting from Anbar to the far south, where the Iraqi ports are, in Basra.

Kazem added, Iraq has started managing logistical, administrative and security operations and departments in Arar. It also provided the crossing with health services, including veterinary, as well as services required for people and vehicles, with the fruitful cooperation of Saudi Arabia.

The general manager of the General Land Transport Company, Mortada al-Shahmani, is highly optimistic about the crossing. He told Al-Monitor, The start of land transport operations between the two countries will achieve a breakthrough in the goods exchange volume. Saudi Arabia is equipping the crossing in terms of buildings and logistical equipment. The crossing has a modern architectural design that meets the expectations of the bilateral trade movement.

However, parliament member Alia Nassif of the State of Law coalitionwarnedof political goals behind any commercial and economic cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

She said that the Arar crossing should only be used for trade purposes and that Iraq should ensure its security and non-interference in its internal affairs. Trade exchange with a fair trade balance is not the problem, but there are Saudi investments and projects that may open the door to regional strategic projects that the Iraqi people are afraid of, given that by the end of the 50-year investment projects, their ownership may devolve to Saudi Arabia.

An economic expert and adviser to the Iraqi Banking Association, Salam Sumaisem, told Al-Monitor, The Arar crossing opens the horizons for the diversification of Iraq's economic relations with Arab countries, which keeps it away from the economic tensions resulting from the sanctions imposed on neighboring countries. Yetpolitical pressure could impair the full performance of the Arar crossing.

Legal expert and political analystAli al-Tamimialso saw Iraqi benefits from the crossing. He told Al-Monitor, The new approach was taken by Kadhimi [as part of]the openness of Iraq to its Arab and Western surroundings, and his decisive decision to open the Arar crossing will greatly enhance the role of Iraq in the region.

Tamimi added, Competition between Saudi Arabia, Iran and other countries means more options for Iraq. But Iraq should rely on Saudi Arabia more than an Iran crippled by international sanctions.

The mutual desire of the Iraqi and Saudi governments to make the Arar crossing a gateway to wider relations is obvious. Iraqi officials say the crossing constitutes a big step forward in the course of the bilateral relations while Saudi Arabia has already dispatched through the crossing 15 containers of medical supplies and medicines to help the Iraqi people.

There seemslittle doubt that the Iraqi political forces allied with Iran are reluctantly accepting the opening of the Arar crossing. Just as they previously criticizedIraq's opening withEgypt, they now lash out at Saudi investments.

Link:
Will reopening of border crossing drive Saudi investment in Iraq? - Al-Monitor