Sarkozy deserves some credit here; while one never knows whether grand plans like these will ever be realized, it’s rare for the leader of a nation to go even this far in completely re-imagining a city.  His stated goal is for Paris to be the first city to conform to the Kyoto Protocol’s environmental goals.

Now don’t worry: it seems unlikely that Paris’ Haussman-era architecture and old beauty will be torn down to make room for 21st century green buildings.  I mean, these are the French, some of the world’s most steadfast guardians of aesthetics and history.  What will be removed, however, are the dismal housing projects that have grown up steadily around the city’s outskirts.  Many of the ten architecture teams focus on the projects specifically, with schemes such as adding more greenspace, or connecting these neighborhoods to the center of the city with new, efficient public transportation.

Paris, along with Bogota and, very recently, New York, is stepping forward to address the question “What does it mean to be a city in the 21st century?”  An especially important question given that within the next year, more people will live in cities than in rural areas for the first time in human history.  It’s great to hear that Paris, the city of cities, is leading the way.

Hungry for more?  Here’s another NYT article, and one from ABC.

The Atlantic Green Conference brings together experts from a multitude of green building backgrounds: solar energy, jobsite deconstruction, LEED documentation, greening historic buildings, green roofs, and countless others.  The conference is being held, appropriately, at 10 Storehouse Row, in the Navy Yard in North Charleston.  The Navy Yard is a high-density, mixed-use center in the heart of Noisette, North Charleston’s master-planned sustainable city-within-a-city.

North Charleston is well on its way to becoming one of the nation’s most sustainable cities, as projects like Noisette and Mixson testify.  And what better place to host this year’s Atlantic Green Conference?

a desk that turns into a bed from Off the Wall Beds

the Cyril Secretary from Ikea

the Jofran coffee table, a coffee table with two storage ottomans that slide snugly underneath

And this isn’t exactly “small spaces furniture,” but it’s cool just the same:

It’s the Hidden Television – a transparent mirror that you hang over your flat-screen TV.  When the TV is off, all you see is a mirror; when you turn the TV on, the display shines right through.

Did all this whet your appetite?  Try these great sites for more small space design and furniture:

Apartment Therapy

Little Diggs

Furniture for Small Spaces

Contact information is, of course, on their website, but if you just can’t wait to talk to them here’s their phone number and e-mail:

843-284-8272

sales@maidpure.com

Check out the Post and Courier’s article on the honor here.  And to celebrate a little bit, here are a few pictures of the things that make Park Circle really special…

Friday June 5th
North Charleston – The Meeting Space, “Kick Butt Female Vocalists Night”
1077 E. Montague Ave.
Music-Carrie Ann Hearst, Megan Jean, Tue Magic Ghost,

Saturday June 6th
North Charleston – The Meeting Space, “Punk and Rockabilly Night” (don’t miss this one!)
1077 E. Montague Ave.
Music- “Sons of Young”, coming from Columbia , SC , “Steve Hit Mike and “The Defilers”
Featuring The Roller Derby Girls playing Musical Chairs

Stay tuned for pictures!

Photo from Streetsblog.org

For the full schedule of Piccolo events, go here.  For Piccolo Fringe, hosted by Theatre 99 and The Have Nots!, click here – it’s 77 shows in 16 days, and all of them will be FUNNY.  They’ve got national stars like the Upright Citizens Brigade and The Reckoning, as well as all of our amazing local stand-up and improv shows like Mary Kay Has a Posse and A  Complete History of Charleston for Morons.

Hint: to avoid ticket processing and service fees, buy your tickets in person at the Gaillard Auditorium box office.  Thanks to Theatre 99 for that tip!