The English language is a notoriously blunt instrument. It lacks many of the emotive words we find in other languages for complex human feelings and relationships. For example, the Danish hygge (the feeling of coziness from being inside with others), Italian commuovere (having your heart warmed by someone), or Nguni Bantu Ubuntu (being kind to others on account of their…
Those of us who shape the built environment often take pride in our work creating the public living rooms and front porches of civil society. We follow the guiding light of Jane Jacob’s and her seminal 1961 book, Death and Life of Great American Cities, which extols the virtues of vibrant public spaces as an essential component of healthy and…
How do we reverse our troubling slide into tribalism and polarization? How do we create a society where people of different backgrounds and beliefs are tolerant and accepting of one another? How can we convene communities to work together to tackle their shared challenges without devolving into Us vs Them conflict? To find the answers we must dive deep into…
Dog Owners. Park Lovers. Conspiracy Theorists. Community engagement typically involves the participation of many types and groups of people. This is both a wonderful opportunity and a source of potential conflict. To navigate the complex intersection of human behavior and community engagement, it’s helpful to think like a social psychologist. Social psychologists often frame people’s behavior in terms of their…
Way back in the 1970’s, the design and planning professions responded to growing environmental concerns by cross-pollinating with the fields of ecology and biology, birthing the sustainable design movement. Today, those of us who work with communities face a similar moment. The social context of our practice is changing dramatically underneath our feet. Our society is experiencing a seismic shift…
Do you feel you belong where you live? According to a recent study, 60% of Americans strongly agree to feeling belonging in America, but only 35% strongly agree to feeling belonging in their communities. Let me repeat that: Two out of three of us don’t feel like we belong where we live. That’s shocking, but perhaps not that surprising. This…
How do we create social cohesion but still maintain the strength of our diversity? How do we break down the barriers of tribal partisan identity that are dividing our country? What does mass depolarization look like? There are smart people from many disciplines grappling with these questions. Over the past year I’ve been scouring their writings and talks, looking for…
“I am large, I contain multitudes.” said Walt Whitman in his poem, “Song of Myself.” Was Whitman ahead of his time in understanding the extraordinary fact that non-human cells compose more than half the body? More likely, he was giving voice to the complexity of being human and the fluidity of our sense of self. Because within each of us…
Last month I had published an Op-Ed piece in the Seattle Times, “Where’s the Love (and $$) for Seattle’s Neighborhoods,” which focused on the tragic decline of Seattle’s Neighborhood Matching Fund. My Op-Ed instigated a series of conversations with City Council members, aids to City Council members, City department staff, neighborhood community organizers, and more. Here are some insights from…
Once upon a time people designed and made their own places. Cities, towns, and villages were organic manifestations of local culture, knowledge, and materials. Whether the warrens of European streets, the villages of indigenous peoples or the public squares of colonial American towns, such people-built places are now celebrated for their authenticity and charm. Now decisions about the built environment…