Category: Experience

I’m a freak magnet. For reasons unknown, the more, err, colorful characters of the public realm seem to find my personal space especially attractive. If I go to a midday matinée and another patron -- let’s say an agitated mumbler in a trench coat with shoes crudely fashioned out of car wash sponges -- joins... Continue Reading

A few months ago, we talked about how a great city can be like a great running buddy, calling us to venture outdoors into more active, satisfying lifestyles. The photo-essay accompanying that conversation was on the urbanity of Wilmington, North Carolina. Last week, we were in another North Carolina town, Fuquay-Varina,... Continue Reading

It wasn’t intentional but a look back at the past few weeks of PlaceShakers reveals that we’ve been working a bit of a theme. It began when I wrote about the failure of planners to ask meaningful questions, and how that not only sets the stage for unmet community expectations, but devalues the art and craft of... Continue Reading

On my last trip to see my aging parents, I was struck again by the loneliness that comes from diminished connections. They are both inspiring people, and in their younger years were notably adept at making connections with and for others. And at helping people see the good in each other, in themselves, and in the communities... Continue Reading

San Diego’s new Mayor, Bob Filner, was elected on a “Neighborhoods First” campaign, as it was apparent that downtown and a select group of out-of-town developers had the past administration’s undivided attention. Today, the older, hip, cool, streetcar neighborhoods are experiencing development pressure for new... Continue Reading

To wish you the happiest of holidays, I'd like to share some recent thoughts about the importance of gathering places both in the public and private realm, particularly as it relates to children, solace, and song. In celebration of the season, those places -- when well planned and cultivated -- become particularly poignant. Take... Continue Reading

In this extended holiday essay, explorer / spelunker / observer John Watts delivers an everyman's take on Chesterton's oft-noted adage: Places don't become loved because they are great; they become great because they are loved. Does your town invite "word-of-mouth walking?" I am always profoundly moved and impacted... Continue Reading

Homelessness is an everyday issue that gets a little additional attention during the holidays. A recent HUD report estimated that, on a single night, 633,782 people are homeless across the United States. What surprised me and others, however, was the fact that, after New York and Los Angeles, it’s San Diego, our 8th... Continue Reading

Ever have trouble going out for a run? Know how much easier that gets when your good friend hits the road with you? Partly because you’re talking, partly because you’re just happy to see each other. This week in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, doing some rezoning work for a community just across the river,... Continue Reading

First off, before I’m assaulted by urban defenders in an all-out flame war, let me clarify that my tongue is planted firmly in cheek here. A little background: I’ve written before on the intersection between traditional / smart growth environments and child-rearing, first at the level of the neighborhood and... Continue Reading