21 Mar A FEW GOOD THINGS!
KB Advisory Group wants to share a few things we are excited about.
In no particular order, we offer a bit about efforts and organizations for your exploration and consideration. AKA-A FEW GOOD THINGS! We hope they intrigue you too!
THE ATLANTA URBANIST BOOK GROUP
Cliffnotes for Civic Leaders
What are Cliffnotes for Civic Leaders? A guide to ideas about urbanism, defined by the Atlanta Urbainst Book Group as; transportation, land use, housing, public safety, government reform, neighborhoods, social infrastructure, education, economic development, regionalism, diversity, politics, arts and culture, volunteerism, and more! The examples of good urbanism identified are implemented in other cities and could work in Atlanta.
A Better Atlanta, One Book at a Time
What is the Atlanta Urbanist Book Group? Members of the group are volunteers with experience in civic work who are passionate about urban Atlanta. The group began meeting at the end of 2022.
They read recent books about cities and gather to discuss the selections. They identify what ideas would work in Atlanta. The result of those efforts is not a book review. Instead, the Atlanta Urbanist Book Group creates guides to show how the ideas apply to Atlanta today.
The Library currently includes Reports for:
Golden Gates: The Housing Crisis and a Reckoning for the American Dream by Conor Dougherty
Uneasy Peace: The Great Crime Decline, the Renewal of City Life, and the Next War on Violence by Patrick Sharkey
Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life by Eric Klinenberg
Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution by Janette Sadik-Khan and Seth Solomonow
What is the Atlanta Urbanist Book Group reading next, when and where does it meet, and how do I join?
To learn more, visit the Atlanta Urbanist Book Group website – atlurbanist.com.
For the Citybuilders of the South
“Southern Urbanism articulates what good citybuilding looks like and leads specific action to enable it on the local level.”
The Southern Urbanism Quarterly comes from Southern Urbanism. This non-profit organization works with citizens and practitioners throughout the South, led by practicing professionals designing and constructing the built environment. As the name suggests, the focus is on southeastern urban areas.
The mission: Build the citizens who build our cities.
The work: Enable the development of better cities.
The vision: “Bring practical expertise back to the discourse, to inform community leaders and policymakers, and to generate a tidal wave of young new industry professionals.”
The folks at Southern Urbanism offer a voice for citybuilding via data-driven examples and thoughts on various topics on the Blog and intern opportunities for select prospective practitioner students. There are also options to support the quarterly journal and other Southern Urbanism activities. A recent online story is a photo essay on Charlottesville, Virginia. Anyone connected to Cville and UVA is bound to enjoy it.
More at W: southernurbanism.org, T: @SouthernUrb, and IG: @southernurbanism.
JANE’S WALK ATL – May 5 through 7, 2023
During the first weekend in May, worldwide, citizens self-organize and lead walks in honor of author and urbanist Jane Jacobs (1916-2006) to share their knowledge and love of their cities and urban places.
Jane Jacobs wrote The Death and Life of Great American Cities in 1961. Her ideas about the importance of ‘Local Resident’ input in developing neighborhoods, how cities evolve, function, and fail, and other thoughts on the logic of cities, their social issues, and their physical form are as relevant today as they were then. From the NYT Book Review Archives, ‘The Death and Life of Great American Cities,’ by Jane Jacobs
What is a Jane’s Walk?
Annual Jane Jacobs Walks began in Toronto in 2007. The events are always free and volunteer-led. There are principles behind each Jane’s Walk (see Jane Jacobs Walk).
What is happening in Atlanta in 2023?
The Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA), a registered 501c3 non-profit organization, is underwriting the cost of the Jane’s Walk ATL festival May 5-7, 2023. KB is excited that MODA is helping Atlanta urbanists share their enthusiasm for Jane Jacobs and their experiences of Atlanta. To learn about joining or leading a Tour, visit MODA’s Jane’s Walk ATL.
We hope to see you out there this May!