• Grassroots public art connects people, past and present

    Today, many hundreds of the city’s horse rings are adorned with small horses and the like, placed by countless, random individuals playing their own small role in something larger than themselves.
    There’s nothing new about the subject of today’s post. In fact, that’s kind of the point. It’s an ongoing grassroots public art initiative that simply exists, and has for quite some time. Many have had the pleasure of experiencing it but many others have not. That’s the nature of artistic cultural...Read more

  • The walkable, urban world of Pokemon

    The game celebrates art, architecture, and culture, so businesses near cultural landmarks have a better chance of having PokéStops, which is what you need to be able to place a lure.
    “Mom, I need to walk 10k today,” coming from my 11-year old this morning almost gave me whiplash, as I turned to look at him to ensure an alien wasn’t inhabiting his body. In fact, there was one, if you view Pokémon as other-worldly. The playful new video game, Pokémon GO, is distracting kids and...Read more

  • Cards for urbanity

    It all started as a snarky card game, but now we are discovering that playing cards can be an important tool for urban planning.
    It all started as a snarky card game. It was a hobby project among friends searching for a creative outlet. So, with permission from the original game developers at Cards Against Humanity, we created Cards Against Urbanity , hit our KickStarter funding goals, shipped product to 800 backers, and...Read more

  • Placemaking vs. placeshaking

    Writing about successful neighborhood planning, my friend and colleague Howard Blackson used the term “placeshaker” as a catch-all for the grass roots engagement efforts that empower, but don’t necessarily define, placemaking. That got me thinking. Even though our firm is called PlaceMakers and our...Read more