Through My Lens: A line of blueberry bushes does quiet work in the median. One more reason to get out of your car and explore your city on foot. Does fruit grow anywhere in your city? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Through My Lens: Nature belongs in the city. We need it more and more. Share your favorite pix of unbridled nature in your city.#urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Through My Lens: Commerce often works better when it’s a little messy. The spilling out effect engages people more than if it’s neat and contained. Makes cities much more interesting. Got any similar examples? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Through My Lens: Inside and outside blur when the boundary is open. The talk continues, the street becomes part of the room. Where does this kind of behavior show up in your city? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Through My Lens: Good retailing, shade trees, ample sidewalks, and presto…people arrive. Not always true but getting all the elements right is an art and science. Placemaking bridges the gaps in architecture and landscape architecture.  #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Through My Lens: Shade changes everything. People stop, sit, and stay when the environment does some of the work for them. Does your city emphasize shade or do you find it’s just to hot to enjoy downtown? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #Hemisfair

Through My Lens: Repetition creates rhythm. A simple line of lights and banners turns movement into procession. Does this feel familiar from streets or spaces you know? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife #Canalside

Through My Lens: Give a hot city the cooling features people need. This new spot in San Antonio will soon become the most beloved place in downtown. Does your hot city do enough to allow cooling off? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #Hemisfair

Through My Lens: Play concentrates where water, space, and tolerance overlap. Joy ensues. Where does this happen naturally in your experience, without being planned? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Through My Lens: No sign says this is allowed. The dog doesn’t care. Sometimes the best use of a place is the one nobody planned for. Have you seen people adapt spaces this way near you? #Hemisfair #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Through My Lens: Two kids on scooters stop mid-sidewalk for a quick negotiation. They own their neighborhood. Do the kids in your city feel this kind of ownership? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Play reveals affordances. Improvisation shows what a space actually invites. Where have you seen unscripted joy in your city? 🔗 Full reflection in Field Notes: https://www.philmyrick.com/field-notes/when-play-breaks-the-script/  #Cities #UrbanDesign #UrbanPlanning #Placemaking

Through My Lens: Children love a good Main Street, especially when there are details, nooks, and climbable features. Think about this next time you’re designing a streetscape. Does this feel familiar from streets or spaces you know? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Through My Lens: Kids rush the fountain. Adults claim the steps. Everyone finds their own comfort zone—and that’s what makes it work. Have you noticed moments like this where you live? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife #WashingtonSquare #fountain

Through My Lens: Right at the edge. Close enough to feel the water, far enough to decide whether today is the day to step in. Where have you seen people quietly claim space like this? #urbandesign #Hemisfair #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Through My Lens: Some kids love a stage, and Soho, NY provides a great audience. However the adults are typically blasé, just like New Yorkers are. Does this feel familiar from streets or spaces you know? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Edges outperform centers. They allow leaning, waiting, watching. Life gathers where commitment is optional. Where is your city’s most active threshold? 🔗 Full reflection in Field Notes: https://www.philmyrick.com/field-notes/through-my-lens-life-happens-at-the-edges/ #placemaking #UrbanDesign

Through My Lens: Same wall, same posture—three different worlds. Public space doesn’t demand interaction; it just makes proximity possible. What does this kind of moment look like in your everyday places? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Through My Lens: This guy wasn’t happy that I took his picture, but I like how he appropriates this streetscape nook. People adapt quickly when a place gives them something to work with. Have you seen people adapt spaces this way? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Through My Lens: No reservation required. A storefront edge turns into a living room, the street into shared space, simply because it allows it. Where does this happen naturally, without being planned? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Through My Lens: Curb-sitting is a kind of pause. A moment between moving on and staying put, where the city passes close enough to feel involved. What places invite this kind of pause where you are? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Through My Lens: An open window becomes a front-row seat. Not fully inside, not quite out on the street—just close enough to be part of things without committing. Where does this kind of behavior show up in your city? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Public life begins quietly. People arrive. They watch. They assess. The moment before joining isn’t empty — it’s orientation. Where have you seen that hesitation in your city? 🔗 Full reflection in Field Notes: https://www.philmyrick.com/field-notes/through-my-lens-before-we-join-in/  #citylife

Children are keen observers. Studies find that their likes and dislikes of urban forms often hew very closely to those of adults. Maybe they are future urbanists. Have you noticed moments like this where you live? #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #publicspace #citylife

Ha, this is excellent! Watch this commercial 👇👇👇

Yesterday, i joined other members of the City Parks Alliance board to meet with leaders at the U.S. Dept of Interior, National Park Service, and members of Congress to champion the impact of parks in our communities. Parks are essential infrastructure for thriving, resilient communities.

In Tulum, luxury resorts sell eco-glam while locals get pushed out. The Chillin’ Orange playground flips the script: real placemaking, co-designed with the community. As Guillermo Bernal says, it’s not about branding — it’s about belonging. https://tinyurl.com/437m2zmk #placemaking #urbanplanning

Trump’s new exec order yanks federal offices out of downtowns to “save money.” In reality, it risks urban decline and fuels sprawl.  This move weakens our cities + adds costly infrastructure. Penny wise, pound foolish.

NEW: What makes BLUESKY the new “IT” place for Urbanists? It’s pretty significant that the American Planning Association is putting this out there to its huge membership. I was interviewed for it, as was @mitchellsilver.bsky.social & others. Please share! @bsky.app www.planning.org/planning/202...

Through my Lens: Roosters patrol a brick-paved street in Tampa's vibrant Ybor City nightlife district. Surprises like these add richness and authenticity. Places like this remind us to be more playful in our cities. #UrbanPlanning #UrbanDesign #Placemaking #StreetPhotography

Social Spaces Are the Heart of Innovation.  Innovation districts thrive when they integrate social spaces into their design, creating opportunities for unplanned conversations and serendipitous collaborations. #CollaborationSpaces #InnovationDistricts #Placemaking #UrbanPlanning

Through my Lens: Play features that go beyond the equipment found in catalogs can give kids so much more room for their own creativity. Local artists were heavily involved in the creation of Yanaguana Gardens. #UrbanPlanning #UrbanDesign #Placemaking #StreetPhotography #Hemisfair

Every downtown tells a story. The buildings, public squares, and cultural landmarks reflect layers of history, community, and change. Cities that embrace their identity attract people who connect with their character. #DowntownIdentity #UrbanStorytelling #Placemaking #UrbanPlanning #UrbanDesign

Trump pulled the U.S. from the Paris Agreement (again), and Mike Bloomberg is stepping in (again) to cover the lost UN climate funding, saying America won’t back down.

Now that Donald Trump is back in office, it's up to state and local governments to fund walking, biking and transit projects, according to Fast Company. usa.streetsblog.org/2025/01/30/t...

ICYMI: Founding WNN member @desegregatect.bsky.social is hosting YIMBYtown 2025! See all y’all there in New Haven September 14–16! 🏘️🥳

Through my Lens: Strings of warm lights create an oasis of charm around a simple burger joint under a moody sky. Sometimes the smallest interventions—like good lighting— make the biggest difference in turning a corner into a gathering place. #UrbanDesign #Placemaking #StreetPhotography