Tag Archives: community


‘Frames of Feeling,’ Connection, and Absence in a New Landscape


Today’s Substack post continues the theme of  framing in understanding places: Last week, I wrote about the power of literally “framing” provocative landscapes and recalled how we often select and focus on specific scenes to make sense of the larger world. It is a rediscovery of the obvious, as noted […]

Tidbits and Events, Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character


Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character provides a catalog of techniques that emphasize “bottom up,” resident-based input. Such input includes local history, building forms, natural and open spaces, cultural assets and tradition, and related policy, planning, and regulatory examples. Here’s a 27 March update on developments and release events for the book. The […]

Place Parts, Episode 12: Compatible, Affordable, and Misplaced?


Today, in Episode 12, we say goodbye to a busy book launch week with a simple proposition. We may (as is the current case in the United Kingdom) speak regularly about the need for well-designed, quality housing, with a green component to provide for beauty and public health. But as […]

Place Parts, Episode 8: About the Lady Well and a Cure


Today, in Episode 8, I depart from recent episodes built around interviews. Rather, I offer a contemplative walk to a local setting that seems even more powerful in these strange times. This episode continues with themes of context and the embedded history of local places, but I find surprising relevance […]

Place Parts, Episode 6: Authenticity and Deliberative Communities


In this episode of Place Parts, we expand upon the role of “context keys” and authenticity” with Dr. Katherine Loflin, long-time consultant (the City Doctor), researcher, and producer of place-based community theater. Her career has significantly evolved from a principal role in the Knight Foundation’s Soul of the Community project. […]