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Earth Hour is an annual international event started in 2007, held on the last Saturday of March, that asks households and businesses to turn off their lights and non-essential electrical appliances for one hour in the evening. The event is promoted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Australia and the Sydney Morning Herald.

During Earth Hour 2008 Melbourne, Australia saved 10.1% of electricity. Sydney, being the city that participated both 2007 and 2008 Earth Hour, cut 8.4% electricity consumption.
Though it started in Australia, cities from all over the world participated in Earth Hour 2008, and perhaps many more will do so in 2009.

The images below are from the world wide participation in Earth Hour 2008. These pictures came from Reuters.

Sydney, Australia

Toronto, Canada

Chicago, USA

Royal Castle - Stockholm, Sweden

Black Google search screen for Earth Hour

The Google homepage in the United States, Canada, Denmark, Ireland and the UK was turned to a black background.

*These images used with permission from Damn Funny Pictures.

**This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Earth Hour.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: cityscape

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Melbourne Then and Now

December 3rd 2007 09:49

The history of Melbourne details the city's growth from a fledging settlement into a thriving colonial capital and finally a modern commercial and financial centre as Australia's second largest city.

Old picture of Flinders St Station Melbourne 1927

Flinders Street Station - 1927

Flinders Street Station - 2007

The area of the Yarra River and Port Phillip that is now Melbourne was first settled by the British in 1835. These settlers came from Launceston, Tasmania (then known as Van Diemen's Land). The area was already inhabited by the indigenous Kulin people. A transaction was negotiated for 600,000 acres (2,400 km²) of land from eight Wurundjeri chiefs; this was later annulled by the New South Wales government (then governing all of eastern mainland Australia), which compensated the settlers.

Old Picture of Elizabeth St Melbourne - 1800s

Elizabeth Street - 1800s

Elizabeth Street - 2007

In 1836, Governor Bourke declared the city the administrative capital of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales, and commissioned the first plan for the Hoddle Grid in 1837. The settlement was named Melbourne in the same year after the British Prime Minister William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, who resided in the village of Melbourne in Derbyshire. Melbourne was declared a city by Queen Victoria on 25 June 1847.

Old picture of Station Pier in Melbourne - 1800s

Station Pier - 1800s

Station Pier Melbourne - Spirit of Tasmania

Station Pier - 2007

The state of Victoria was established as a separate colony in 1851 with Melbourne as its capital. With the discovery of gold in Victoria in the 1850s, leading to the Victorian gold rush, Melbourne grew rapidly, providing the majority of service industries and serving as the major port for the region. The city became a major finance centre, home to several banks and to Australia's first stock exchange (founded in 1861). During the 1880s Melbourne was one of the largest cities in the British Empire, and reputedly the richest city in the world. This period saw the construction of many high-rise Victorian buildings, Coffee Palaces, terrace housing, grand boulevards and gardens throughout the city. Examples of this Victorian architecture still abound in Melbourne. So impressed was journalist George Augustus Henry Sala during his visit in 1885 that he coined the phrase "Marvellous Melbourne" to describe the booming city, a phrase which stuck and is used by its locals and the media to this day.

Melbourne Docklands - 1800s

Melbourne Docklands - 2007

Old pictures of the Yarra River & Southbank - 1800s

Yarra River and Southbank - 1800s

Yarra River and Southbank - 2007

*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses material from the Wikipedia articles Melbourne and History of Melbourne.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: cityscape

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Paris

July 16th 2007 02:24

Paris is the capital city of France. It is situated on the River Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region ("Région parisienne"). Paris has an estimated population of 2,153,600 within its administrative limits. The city's real size is best represented by its Unité urbaine (urban unit), an area of unbroken urban growth that extends well beyond its limits, with a population of 9.93 million. A commuter belt around the same completes the Paris urban area (similar to a metropolitan area) that, with its population of 12 million,[4] is one of the most populated areas of its kind in Europe.

An important settlement for more than two millennia, Paris is today one of the world's leading business and cultural centres, and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities, along with London, New York and Tokyo.

The Paris region (Île-de-France) is France's foremost centre of economic activity. With €478.7 billion (US$595.3 billion), it produced more than a quarter of the gross domestic product (GDP) of France in 2005. With La Défense, the largest purpose-built business district in Europe, it hosts the head offices of almost half of the major French companies, as well as the headquarters of ten of the world's 100 largest companies. Paris also hosts many international organizations such as UNESCO, the OECD, the ICC, or the informal Paris Club.

Paris's location at a crossroads between land and river trade routes in lands of abundant agriculture had made it one of the principal cities of France by the 10th century, rich with royal palaces, wealthy abbeys and a cathedral; by the 12th century Paris had become one of Europe's foremost centres of learning and the arts. Today, Paris has a major worldwide influence. The city serves as an important hub of intercontinental transportation and is home to universities, sport events, opera companies and museums of international renown, making it the most popular tourist destination in the world with over 30 million foreign visitors per year.

Below are some great panoramic pictures to show off the city of love!

Travel to Paris France and see the Eiffel Tower

*These pictures used with permission from Damn Funny Pictures.

**This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Paris.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: cityscape

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London in the 1920s

November 17th 2006 07:12

London's growth accelerated during the 18th century, and it was the world's largest city from about 1831 to 1925. This growth was aided from 1836 by London's first railways which put small countryside towns within easy reach of the city. The rail network expanded very rapidly, and caused these places to grow whilst London itself expanded into surrounding fields, merging with neighbouring settlements such as Kensington. Rising traffic congestion on city centre roads led to the creation of the world's first metro system — the London Underground.
Of course during World War II the Blitz and other bombing by the German Luftwaffe killed over 30,000 Londoners and flattened large tracts of housing and other buildings across London.

So what was London like during the 1920's, after the boom times when it was the world's largest city, but before the great depression and WWII? The photos below may give some clues, more pictures here.

Victoria Station

Old Ford Picture Palace

City

Tower Bridge

*These pictures used with permission from Damn Funny Pictures.

**This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses material from the Wikipedia article London

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Posted By: Ian - Category: cityscape

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Melbourne from the Shrine

May 19th 2006 04:06

Melbourne, the most southerly city in the world with a population of over 1 million, has twiced been named the worlds most liveable city.
Melbourne attracts large numbers of tourists each year. Along St Kilda Road there are many cultural attractions, including the National Gallery of Victoria, and the Shrine of Remembrance.
The photo below was recently taken from the Shrine, and gives a nice panoramic view of the city.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: cityscape

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WTC Twin Towers Lights

May 18th 2006 03:17

On March 11th 2002 two shafts of bright light representing the World Trade Center pierced the night in New York in memory of those who lost their lives in the September 11 attacks.
The banks of 44 searchlights were located about a block from ground zero and remained on from dusk to 11pm for 32 days.

[ Click here to read more ]

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