medium.com/reimagining-... Halloween is special: We stay out after dark, we open our doors, and we invite children to take candy from strangers. The activity spills onto streets, making it one of the few holidays rooted in our shared civic realm. That’s why it feels so transformative.

NEW: Investing with Intention: Environmental Sustainability is now available. Public spaces can be powerful climate infrastructure & help cool overheated cities, absorb stormwater & strengthen social ties critical to resilience. Read the report as we head into #ClimateWeekNYC. tinyurl.com/5vdskjwy

We know that #socialinfrastructure - parks, libraries, and cafes - are critical. Help our panel on this important topic get into @sxsw by voting for it! participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...

Protecting public space is essential for democracy, writes Shawn McCaney in @nextcity.org op-ed. "Our Founding Fathers knew that public space to openly debate the people’s business was critical to self-government and the health of our democracy. Let’s not let them down." More: tinyurl.com/2erfw9fj

Civic Commons cities in the spotlight! @brookings.edu recently featured Akron & Cincinnati's "policy innovation and civic collaboration that local leaders in places of all sizes can learn from to unlock a new era of downtown vitality that advances regional prosperity." Read: tinyurl.com/8zj5e2v3

Small is Beautiful: When it comes to the public realm, a small space doesn’t have to mean small thinking. Read our new article to see how 5 cities are building social connection and trust through pocket parks and beaches, converted lots and multi-functional public spaces: medium.com/reimagining-...

“Reimagining the Civic Commons broke new ground on collecting impact data.” A new @chronphilanthropy.bsky.social article shines a spotlight on our measurement work through Akron Civic Commons's efforts and offers 4 applicable approaches for the field. Read more: www.philanthropy.com/article/how-...

Big foundations behind a multicity project are trying to measure the intangibles of community building. In one Akron, Ohio, neighborhood, the numbers are adding up to something good. #TheCommons phlnthrp.com/3GZsb0w

NEW: After disasters, your community’s investment in social infrastructure - like libraries and parks - can affect how quickly recovery happens. In New Orleans, researchers found that neighborhoods with strong social ties recovered more quickly after Hurricane Katrina. Read more: bit.ly/4n06uxv

The freedom to gather in our public spaces and express free speech has always been essential to America, Shawn McCaney of the William Penn Foundation writes in @thephilacitizen.bsky.social. Read more here: thephiladelphiacitizen.org/protests-as-...

Bridget Marquis - dir. of @civiccommonsus.bsky.social - is in @thephilacitizen.bsky.social piece about Philly's We Walk PHL program that grows social capital, civic engagement & amps up shared identity. Every city could try this model and get more "bang for your buck," Marquis said: bit.ly/43zM07g

Mark your calendars! On 6/10 @civiccommonsus.bsky.social Steering Committee member & eternal champion Alexa Bush joins @penalosag.bsky.social + @880cities.bsky.social for free online presentation & conversation about @cityofdetroit.bsky.social civic commons efforts. Register here: bit.ly/3FDIwr7

Big cheers for Detroit's Live6 Alliance, officially designated a Select Level Michigan Main Street Community by Gov. Whitmer. Building on Detroit's Civic Commons efforts, this designation allocates resources for Live6’s vision of inclusive economic community growth. See more: tinyurl.com/y6usm62w

NEW: Finding Friendship and Connection Through the Public Realm. We explore 6 cities that show how imaginative use of public and nontraditional spaces can bring people together and grow community. Read: medium.com/reimagining-...

"Despite the backlash, we found that Slow Zones double foot traffic and attract people from a wider range of neighborhoods into one particular place." Dr. Arianna Salazar-Miranda 👇 medium.com/reimagining-...

NEW: The way we behave outside is changing - we're not lingering with others in public spaces. Dr. Salazar-Miranda's research says we lose "broader social function of cities" "when people treat sidewalks and paths as primarily just corridors to get from point A to point B.” Read more: bit.ly/4dtJtyI

A leafy pop-up town square by Civic Joy Fund + partners in San Fran has neighbors asking how to make it permanent. We’ve seen through our work that pilots that help residents picture a different future for their communities leads to robust civic commons. Read more @sfgate.com tinyurl.com/2wwmkrx9

NEW: Maintenance matters. Researchers found that ensuring that public spaces are safe and welcoming encourages communal gatherings and reduces social isolation. See how 4 cities are prioritizing the maintenance of public assets to build trust. medium.com/reimagining-...

Thanks to @betterblock.bsky.social and @civiccommonsus.bsky.social for having me out to speak today about Route 66 and the City of Tulsa's neon sign grant, specifically how it's helped develop and engage the community. Enjoy magic hour later!

Kudos to Akron Civic Commons where the Summit Lake NorthShore Park groundbreaking last week was big news! Helmed by a group including convener Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition and @knightfoundation.org, the park is part of $12 mil revitalization of Summit Lake: www.beaconjournal.com/videos/news/...

Getting Our Kids Off Devices and Into Public Spaces: In-person social connections & activities are key to teens' mental health & growth as they figure out who they are, how they fit into the world – and to connect to something bigger. Read about 3 inspiring spaces for them: tinyurl.com/9mrxp2ke

Will you be at Main Street Now in Philly this week? Join @civiccommonsus.bsky.social & partners in session: 🚦 Meet Me on Main: Nurturing + Measuring Social Connection 🚧 Building Community Connections: Exploring Civic Infrastructure Thru Shared Spaces bit.ly/3RBBKEv @mainstreetamerica.bsky.social

Check out @northeasternu.bsky.social boosting Professor @danielaldrich.bsky.social in conversation with Bridget Marquis about robust social infrastructure as tools for recovery from disaster and crises. Read the full article and see the Q&A at medium.com/reimagining-...

Coming soon...a more connected Philly. Bartram's Garden will be linked to @centercityphila.org by end of 2025. Bartram's Mile was part of 1st @civiccommonsus.bsky.social pilot, so we're thrilled to see the Schuylkill River trail finished. bit.ly/3Y7qZNR @knightfoundation.org @phillymag.com

Regular activation and programming of parks and public spaces delivers more for communities and invites people to come together. See how @myphillypark.bsky.social brings that to life this spring with cleanups, trail hikes and stargazing: metrophiladelphia.com/fairmount-pa... Photo: Albert Yee

The results are in: @ppsplacemaking.bsky.social's survey of practitioners shows the need for public spaces to answer to their communities. "95% of respondents said their public spaces were not meeting their community's needs," the survey found. But there is hope: pps.org/state-of-pub...

Watch: Memphis co-convener George Abbott of Hyde Family Foundation shares his story of reimagining the possibilities of the city's waterfront with WKNO's The Spark. video.wkno.org/video/empowe...

How parks, cafes, libraries and religious institutions make robust social infrastructure that can save lives. Sign up for our newsletter at civiccommons.us to learn more from @danielaldrich.bsky.social, in conversation with Bridget Marquis, director of Reimagining the Civic Commons.

Percent for Place — a coalition that advocates for civic infrastructure — is collecting your stories of how federal actions are affecting your public space efforts. Submit your story here: pps1.typeform.com/to/Ga7xhQTC

In times of disaster and crisis, robust social infrastructure with communal spaces like parks and libraries can save lives, says @danielaldrich.bsky.social: "There are more survivors in those (connected) communities, and the recovery process is faster." See more at medium.com/reimagining-...

"Having local residents measuring their own neighborhoods and their own neighbors (for data collection)...It’s a huge trust builder." Hear Bridget Marquis chat with Jeff Wood on the Talking Headways podcast about connecting public assets: bit.ly/4lcSik7

It was such a joy to interview the super smart @danielaldrich.bsky.social for this @civiccommonsus.bsky.social video podcast. Public spaces as social infrastructure are critical for resilience in the face of shocks. #resilience #publicspaces

If you’re better connected and live in communities with more #socialinfrastructure your outcomes are better, so you do better. There are more survivors in those connected communities, and the disaster recovery process is faster. ht @civiccommonsus.bsky.social medium.com/reimagining-...

From an operational security perspective, this is the highest level of fuckup imaginable. These people cannot keep America safe.

“Civic infrastructure is the container that makes participation and relationship formation outside of home and work possible." #civicinfrastructure #policy #government @erikapoethig.bsky.social @cityofdetroit.bsky.social @kresge.org @natlmainstreet.bsky.social medium.com/reimagining-...

"Thinking about streets not just as transportation corridors, but as places for people to connect...I think that’s a huge win if you can bring that angle into the work." Bridget Marquis chats with Jeff Wood on the Talking Headways podcast about connecting public assets: bit.ly/4lcSik7

A headline we love to see: Alexa Bush is back to help make sure Detroit is best positioned to move forward @nickrmanes.bsky.social @crainsdetroit.bsky.social Longtime #CivicCommonsUS champion is @cityofdetroit.bsky.social's new planning director. www.crainsdetroit.com/conversation... #planning

Highway widening projects usually don’t solve congestion, but less expensive toll programs known as congestion pricing can. Here’s why. Perfect timing for this article in @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-... #cities #transportation #planning #research

The quickening pace of corruption - the brazen use of the White House to enrich himself and his friends - is stunning. Soon, before we know it, government will no longer serve us at all. It will just be a mechanism to enrich billionaires loyal to Trump.

A Call to Action: Public space for the common good 5 insights from Philadelphia on how civic space can strengthen democracy, trust and community medium.com/reimagining-... #publicspace #commongood #civicinfrastructure #Philadelphia

I can’t believe it - after years of advocacy, exclusionary zoning has ended in Cambridge. We just passed the single most comprehensive rezoning in the US—legalizing multifamily housing up to 6 stories citywide in a Paris style Here’s the details 🧵

Interested in delivering the common good through the public realm in your city? View + share this resource that distills the Reimagining the Civic Commons model into an easy to read infographic. civiccommons.us/2025/02/the-... #publicspace #commongood @knightfdn.bsky.social @kresgefdn.bsky.social

Love to see it in print! @driggs16dc.bsky.social @washhousing.bsky.social @bridgetmarquis.bsky.social @rwjf.bsky.social #planning #socialinfrastructure #publicspace #placemaking Full article can be read here: medium.com/reimagining-...

Excited to share this article cowritten with @bridgetmarquis.bsky.social! #Gehl #citiesforpeople #socialinfrastructure @rwjf.bsky.social #planning

The Reimagining the Civic Commons model represents a paradigm shift in how cities design, program and manage their public spaces. Need some local inspiration? Here are snapshots from 10 civic commons efforts across the country. medium.com/reimagining-... #innovation #publicspace #cities