I know they are sites of capitalism, but when I go to the mall, I’m there to find things I need to make my own tools of system dismantlement and comforts through the storm. As we re-examine many of these spaces, they will thrive only if we see them as
By Kristen Jeffers
Essay/Kristen's Mind/media/mental health/migration/Money and the City/Moving and Migration/placemaking/planning/Politics of Place/urbanism
Are There Really Too Many Planners in Certain Metro Areas?
Recently, I was made aware of and responded to this series of threads on Twitter, that among my colleagues in the D.C. area, there’s a concern over how many practitioners of place, especially planners, exist in the metro area and how many folks want to be planners by name, versus just
On The Constant State of Motion Through Imperfect Cities
There’s no perfect city. We also can’t expect people to fix cities and not bear the brunt of what it means to be the only person in a city who seems to have all the answers. And I am not that savior. I love helping you fix them, but I
Open Thoughts on the U.S. Election Results
I assume most of you are probably in a state of either shock or fear or a combination of the two. I wanted to write a note here, so you’ll know that someone is listening one and two, that you’re not alone and three, so I can process these things.
What Should Cities Give Us?
What should cities give us? Safety? Diversity? A place to live? A place to work? Places to eat? Places to learn? This is the time of year where across the world, we turn our attention to gifts and what we can give people and what we have been given. While
Place in A Time of Terror and Inequality
This post took so long to write. I wrote about two versions of it. Maybe you’ll see them in the next volume of essays. Maybe they’ll be here. Ultimately, it gets down to how place and motion matter in a time of heightened instances of tragedy, terror and oppressive power
By Kristen Jeffers
Atlanta/Cities/Family and Place/Government/Issues and Ideas/Politics of Place/Raleigh/snow
What Should You Do When Weird Weather Shows Up?
So we’ve had another situation of weather causing bizarre things to happen. Whether it’s snow in Atlanta or a major hurricane in New York, Americans seem to never tire of comparisons to the zombie apocalypse or The Day After Tomorrow. Never mind that in a few weeks we’ll forget this
By Kristen Jeffers
apartment living/Cities/Civic Inferiority Complex/creative placemaking/downtown/Family and Place/Greensboro/Issues and Ideas/Politics of Place/Rural/tips for urbanist living
The Privilege of Urbanism, The Democracy of Placemaking
Thoughts as I put new urbanism and placemaking on the front page of my hometown Sunday paper.
Voting with Your Feet: The Cure for the Civic Inferiority Complex?
Is the ultimate solution for civic dissatisfaction to leave?
Voting Rights, Civic Duty, and Neighborhoods
Why being a good placemaker includes knowing and respecting voting rights and civic duty.
