I now know what all the fuss is about. Yesterday I rode a dockless (Lime) scooter for the first time. I took in lieu of an Uber in order to get to the Museum of Art, Architecture, and Technology (MAAT) on Lisbon's waterfront. Here's another photo from my ride:
We don't have these scooters in Toronto, but I understand they are imminent. And now that I've used one -- and learned how shockingly fun they are -- I can see why they are proliferating across so many cities. They're a solution to the last mile problem, but they're also fast enough (20 km/h) that they can be a substitute for other forms of urban mobility, as was the case for me yesterday. I can also see myself using one to get to the office when I would rather not sweat through my suit. Of course, there is the much talked about problem of scooters as urban litter. It's a real thing and I am seeing that firsthand here in Lisbon. Because they are dockless, people leave them anywhere and everywhere. At the same time, part of what makes them so convenient is that, well, you can leave them anywhere and everywhere.
I'm confident there's a tidier solution that doesn't involve fixed docking stations. Geofencing, perhaps? Cars are "dockless" and we've sort of figured that out. Many cities are already working on and experimenting with different solutions. Here's an example from Tel Aviv. I have also noticed a natural clustering effect. I'm not sure how good of a business they will prove to be. The barriers to entry seem fairly low right now. You just need some Chinese scooters and an app, which is why I am noticing so many competing companies. But as the market matures, increased regulation could change this. We are going through a period of growing pains and it's not particularly elegant. However, I believe we'll get there. So I am looking forward to riding these scooters when they do finally land in Toronto.
Today we visited the Aga Khan Museum here in Toronto, which is a museum dedicated to the arts of Islamic civilizations. I had been outside the building before but this was my first time inside and my first time seeing some of the collections.
Here is the main entrance:
Here is a photo looking the opposite way over one of the reflection ponds:
The museum was designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki and was completed in 2014.
The site area is approximately 70,000 square meters and the building itself is approximately 11,600 square meters. Maki won the Pritzker Prize in 1993.
Here is the building’s interior courtyard, which was one of my favorite parts:
The glass is patterned with the Islamic eight pointed star. But since the symbol is typically represented by two overlapping squares, the patterning was placed on two different sides of the double pane glass. Or at least that’s my guess as to why they did it that way.
Lastly, here is the Bellerive Room:
It was designed to be a contemplative room that could, on occasion, also host intimate events and performances. Note the shadows being cast by the screens in front of the windows.
If you haven’t yet been to the Aga Khan Museum it is worth a visit, even if you just walk the formal gardens surrounding it.
I now know what all the fuss is about. Yesterday I rode a dockless (Lime) scooter for the first time. I took in lieu of an Uber in order to get to the Museum of Art, Architecture, and Technology (MAAT) on Lisbon's waterfront. Here's another photo from my ride:
We don't have these scooters in Toronto, but I understand they are imminent. And now that I've used one -- and learned how shockingly fun they are -- I can see why they are proliferating across so many cities. They're a solution to the last mile problem, but they're also fast enough (20 km/h) that they can be a substitute for other forms of urban mobility, as was the case for me yesterday. I can also see myself using one to get to the office when I would rather not sweat through my suit. Of course, there is the much talked about problem of scooters as urban litter. It's a real thing and I am seeing that firsthand here in Lisbon. Because they are dockless, people leave them anywhere and everywhere. At the same time, part of what makes them so convenient is that, well, you can leave them anywhere and everywhere.
I'm confident there's a tidier solution that doesn't involve fixed docking stations. Geofencing, perhaps? Cars are "dockless" and we've sort of figured that out. Many cities are already working on and experimenting with different solutions. Here's an example from Tel Aviv. I have also noticed a natural clustering effect. I'm not sure how good of a business they will prove to be. The barriers to entry seem fairly low right now. You just need some Chinese scooters and an app, which is why I am noticing so many competing companies. But as the market matures, increased regulation could change this. We are going through a period of growing pains and it's not particularly elegant. However, I believe we'll get there. So I am looking forward to riding these scooters when they do finally land in Toronto.
Today we visited the Aga Khan Museum here in Toronto, which is a museum dedicated to the arts of Islamic civilizations. I had been outside the building before but this was my first time inside and my first time seeing some of the collections.
Here is the main entrance:
Here is a photo looking the opposite way over one of the reflection ponds:
The museum was designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki and was completed in 2014.
The site area is approximately 70,000 square meters and the building itself is approximately 11,600 square meters. Maki won the Pritzker Prize in 1993.
Here is the building’s interior courtyard, which was one of my favorite parts:
The glass is patterned with the Islamic eight pointed star. But since the symbol is typically represented by two overlapping squares, the patterning was placed on two different sides of the double pane glass. Or at least that’s my guess as to why they did it that way.
Lastly, here is the Bellerive Room:
It was designed to be a contemplative room that could, on occasion, also host intimate events and performances. Note the shadows being cast by the screens in front of the windows.
If you haven’t yet been to the Aga Khan Museum it is worth a visit, even if you just walk the formal gardens surrounding it.
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