August 10th, 2012 by admin
Today is the five year anniversary of the passing of Tony Wilson, the English TV & radio personality who was key figure in creating the Manchester music scene in the late 70’s through the 80’s and beyond. (Check out the 2002 movie “24 Hour Party People” for a semi-autobiographical portrayal of Wilson and the Manchester
July 3rd, 2012 by admin
In May we conducted the Loving the Circle City workshop for the young professional associations of Indianapolis. Over 150 participants came up with many great ideas and insights into their community. Below is the time lapse of the visual recording done by Michelle Royal.
June 10th, 2012 by admin
We had a great time in Muskegon, Michigan in early June. Fantastic to return to a city we visited a year ago and see all the amazing things they have done, including this Love Muskegon campaign. More later!
November 20th, 2011 by admin
In the book I write about how city themed tattoos are the equivalent of “marrying” your city. A tattoo, like a marriage, is a near permanent commitment and whenever I see people with their city etched into their body, I know that person has a special relationship with their place. And perhaps none more so
September 30th, 2011 by admin
In June I wrote a piece called “The Surprising Life in America’s Dying Cities” for Infrastructurist.com. The piece highlighted the amazing things that were happening in the cities designated by Newsweek Magazine in January as the 10 most “dying” places. Needless to say, the cities on that list were not happy with the tag placed
September 1st, 2011 by admin
On August 23, 2011 we conducted the “For the Love of Akron” workshop at the University of Akron. The event was sponsored by the Akron office of the John S. & James L. Knight Foundation and drew over 200 participants. The event also featured Knight Soul of the Community lead consultant Katherine Loflin, the team from The
August 8th, 2011 by admin
In For the Love of Cities I wrote about Katie O’Keefe of Cleveland, Ohio as an example someone in love with their city. Katie’s story of coming back to Cleveland is powerful, but what caught my attention was her commitment to Cleveland exemplified by her magnificent sleeve tattoo of the Cleveland skyline. I noted in
June 17th, 2011 by admin
Here is the piece I wrote for Infrastructurist.com which challenges the way we think about statistics. In cities that Newsweek magazine declared to be “dying” we have seen amazing amounts of life and activity. Recall the recent post that showed New Orleans was the “coolest city for startups”; on Newsweek’s list, New Orleans was the
May 21st, 2011 by admin
The owners of STL Style, Jeff & Randy Vines, whom I profile in the book, have come up with an ingenious idea to spread the love in their hometown. The are sponsoring “Group Hug St. Louis” which invites people from all over the area to take a picture of themselves hugging something they love about
May 10th, 2011 by admin
After I spoke at the Rust Belt to Artist Belt conference in Detroit, a group from Wayne, Michigan decided to start a blog called “For the Love of Wayne.” The blog “lets local people share their personal stories about why they love Wayne.” They write: This blog is a project of the Wayne Ripple Effect,
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