Over the weekend the newswire was packed with interesting news shaping the coming weeks. Volatile economies matched with accelerated technology have the furthest reach, while natural disasters remind us that the only thing to be expected is the unexpected – especially as we enter the summer months. This week’s global brief highlights city solutions in Sao Paulo, Italy’s recent earthquake, Europe’s tangled economic struggles with Greece, Pakistan’s feud with Twitter, and Asia’s vanishing art. Click Read More to view the full report.

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As soon as spring and summer arrive, wonderful installations like the Secret Garden begin to appear. Exhibits like these are great for cities and their visitors because they have the ability to reacquaint people to urban-spaces in new and re-imagined ways. At this year’s Salon del Mobile, Zaha Hadid and Paola Navone created The Secret Garden which served as an ideal model for this concept. The delightful exhibit, located within Milan’s Orto Botanico, boasted brightly colored huts, hanging lamps and other ornate creations to transform the botanical garden into a cozy moment of fantasy with the ultimate goal of engaging visitors. It was a tremendous success and we’d love to see more exhibits like this worldwide. We have a few images posted below. Click Read More to view.

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Georgia (the country) flexes its architectural chops with a new tourism project. Most people think of rest stops as a place to dash in and out of, but Georgia decided to create something more interesting. Partnering with J Mayer H Architects, they commissioned the development of 20 rest stops for a new highway running between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkey. They’ve completed two and a third is almost finished. As the architects describe, “The new rest stops are located on scenic viewpoints along the route and serve as activators for their area and neighboring cities – including not only nearby gas stations and supermarkets, but also a farmers market and a cultural space for local arts and crafts.” It’s a brilliant concept to draw passing-by travelers off the highway and deeper into the surrounding areas. Below we have a few photos of the structures. Click Read More to view.

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Copenhagen is a quiet giant. When it comes to quality of life, the nordic city sits atop international ranking lists time and time again. Monocle Magazine named them the most liveable city. Health journals dubbed them the happiest place on earth. And for the last two years, Noma, the city’s prized eatery won the S. Pellegrino Award for best restaurant in the world. Some may even argue that the restaurant accolades are why they’re the happiest and most liveable city in the world. But in all seriousness Chef René Redzepi doesn’t take his titles lightly. His restaurant, which is situated on the ground floor of an 18th Century warehouse, is constantly working to push the envelope and create new ways to delight their customers. That’s why a regular kitchen wouldn’t suffice. They need a food lab. Located on the second floor, just above the restaurant, Noma’s Food Lab designed by 3XN_GXN is a haven for culinary creatives looking to explore new ways to prepare their imaginative dishes. We have a few images below. No wonder they’re the world’s best. Click Read More to view.

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This week’s Audio Visual takes our readers on a dreamlike tour of London. Sweeping over the city, Jason Hawkes captures London’s structural DNA – the grid & the architecture – as he displays the city’s staggering size and intricacy. It’s a fantastic piece. We’ve been following Jason’s work for a while now. He’s specialized in aerial photography since 1991 and has produced over 40 photographic books for publishers like the BBC, Random House and Harpers Collins. We’ve posted the video and a few screen shots below. Click Read More to watch.

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Williamsburg’s Wythe Hotel joins the ever growing rank of sophisticated accommodations shaping New York neighborhoods. Located in an old Brooklyn factory on the waterfront, the Wythe boasts 72 rooms, an event space and the highly anticipated restaurant, Reynards. It’s a beautiful destination. Its developers wisely utilize pre-exisiting attributes from the 1901 cooperage creating an industrial atmosphere with a bit of nostalgia. You’ll find exposed beams, reclaimed wood and their iconic Hotel sign, which is collaged together from other old signs. They’re also working hard to pull in local artists by developing an onsite movie theater that will host independent films from Brooklyn filmmakers. Sure to be an exciting destination for visitors and locals meeting up with friends, we’re excited for the Wythe to make its mark on Brooklyn. Below you’ll find a few photos of the hotel. Click Read More to view.

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Political change is high on the newswire this week. It’s election season and the world-markets are adjusting to the power shifts. Europe focuses on growth while Russia’s Putin and Medvedev complete their role swap. Also, in today’s brief, our team highlights a few innovations in the travel sector. Amtrak is set to start using iPhones for ticket scanning. Berlin is reducing their airport count from three to one with their new airport nearly complete. And, the Philippines look toward ecofriendly trikes in hopes of reducing pollution. Click Read More to view.

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