Creating the Streets We Want Rich street life is no frill. It is an expression of the most ancient function of a city—a place for people to come together, all kinds of people, face-to-face. — William "Holly" Whyte
To Revive Social Connection and Local Economies, Turn Places "Inside Out" Thresholds where storefronts and buildings connect with the sidewalk —is the place to reunite communities and jump-start local economies after these long, hard months.
Barcelona La Rambla: Barcelona's Promenade-to-the-Sea is One of the World's Great Social Spaces A torrent of humanity, a river of life, a tumultuous flow of people of every imaginable size, shape, age, gender and flavor.
Coming Out of Minneapolis Tragedy, the Community Creates a Healing Public Space Community turns site of George Floyd's killing into a sacred pedestrian space A mural at the site of George Floyd's killing has become a sacred space For two weeks,
Coming Out of the Pandemic—We Will Have A Greater Appreciation for Social Life Great Places to congregate can heal us in many ways As we ponder what the world will look like coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, one outcome might be something
Italy The Home-Based Work Place— Rediscovering an Old Idea In Italy, the shop downstairs is put to many good uses
Italy Social Distancing, Italian-Style The role that place plays for a country coming out of lockdown
Barcelona Homage to Barcelona Barcelona is most itself in smallish, protected spaces and what makes these spaces memorable is what happens in them.
Public Markets Social Encounters of 4 Kinds: A Field Guide to Markets A big reason we enjoy markets are the plentiful opportunities for conversation
Social Life and COVID-19 10 Ways to Re-Open Our Communities While Keeping Everyone Safe How do we “tip-toe” our way back to a flourishing social life, capitalizing on local knowledge to make sensible choices about how to reopen our communities by involving local people in the decisions.
Social Life and COVID-19 Lockdown In Italy: What I Miss Most In praise of sociability—the active ingredient of everyday life
Italy Passeggiata: An Exuberant Italian Custom We Should All Adopt A regular stroll through town is not just fun—it also boosts our sense of community
Munich Please just a nice place to sit — Victual Market, Munich, Germany A creative approach to seating makes this one of the world's great social places
A Great European Waterfront Few People Know About Otranto— a town of 6000 on the Adriatic Sea—features harborside streets alive with walkers
Brooklyn Greetings from Brooklyn and New York—an Epicenter of the Coronavirus Pandemic We need both physical distancing and social connection
Social Life and COVID-19 How Social Life Endures Amid the Pandemic in Italy Ironically, a lively social life in a community makes physical distancing more effective
Brooklyn Three Iconic Waterfronts—Two of World's Best, and One that Needs a Bigger Vision to Get There What Brooklyn (and everywhere else) can learn from Paris and Porto, Portugal
Paris New York vs. Paris—Which is on the Right Track? Neighborhood life in two great cities that are going opposite directions
Transformative Ideas 9 Ways to Reinvigorate Towns & Cities Everywhere Saving the planet depends on reclaiming our communities—a Social Life Project update
Paris Paris (The City of “Life” and “Light”) is the World Capital of Affection, Comfort & Joy When you see people openly expressing their feelings in public—you know you’re in a safe and appealing place
Streets Starting at the Corner: A New Haven Success Story Reviving a hard-hit neighborhood one block at a time
Transformative Ideas Our Global Catastrophes will be Solved by Local Communities How placemaking can save the world
Paris The Little Bollard That Could—Do a Lot A simple tool that can make any city more walkable and pleasurable
Waterfronts Is Vancouver Losing Its Soul? A wrong turn in the city that once showed us how to do things right
