Who says that place is all about engineered or built environments? It isn’t, a point I emphasize many times in Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character. If you need more convincing, listen to Trish Hansen in the video below. I spoke to her on March 15, as she embarked upon […]
Is there a predicate to “placemaking” where a place is analyzed and mastered? Is that process of immersion, which I so love to emphasize, part of the placemaking process, or should it be called something else? To many, the question poses a distinction without a difference. Nonetheless, in talking about […]
When Sustaining Place began late last Spring, I wrote several pieces about the emergence phases from the first English lockdown. There are parallels today, as the third lockdown begins to unwind. I wanted to revisit hints of resilience through a video essay on the changes to the commercial fabric of […]
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 […]
As we emerge from the pandemic, why center only on architectural compatibility or placemaking listicles? Why not admit the common adage, that the city–and its places–are a stage? As Futurecity Ltd cultural strategist Sherry Dobbin advises, the stage should be choreographed based on a comprehensive analysis of stakeholders’ fantasies and […]
Today, in Episode 8.5, the featured video is not freestanding. Rather, it points to the well-subscribed Urbanistica Podcast, Episode 173, where I had the honor of telling the back story of Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character and recounting the past few years of affiliation with the Centre for the […]
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. […]
Today, in Place Parts, Episode 5, we follow up on Episode 3, about the importance of distinguishing the storybook from the real, something we also discussed with actor Richard Karn in Episode 4. What are the methods for doing so? The answer: LEARN and “context keys.” In my new book, […]
Welcome back to Place Parts, Episode 3, a short video feature in anticipation of the release of my third book, Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character: Principles and Best Practices, available very shortly in the United States, and eventually, around the world. Today, we follow up Episode 2, which provided a […]
