In my dream Chicago courtyard block, I get to play euchre with my friends on a balcony while my kids run around with their friends in the courtyard playground.

American car culture is bonkers.

Who knew?

The real problem with social media and the election.

I think having small friendly interactions with strangers is so important for humanity

One of the most obvious things to do if you really want to make cities better for people, and thus more successful, safe and enjoyable, is make our sidewalks bigger and better. This one is worth a read. #CitiesForPeople sociallifeproject.org/double-loaded-…

Considering that humanity is expressed through beauty, art, and architecture and the appreciation of and respect for those things, perhaps it ought to be indeed.

All Americans should live within walking distance of the following four places: - Coffee shop - Convenience store - Bookstore - Grocery store

"I wonder why we have a loneliness epidemic?" Outside:

“The United States, with its enormous highways, sprawling suburbs and neglected public transport systems, is one of the most car-dependent countries in the world. But this arrangement of obligatory driving is making many Americans actively unhappy, new research has found.” Via

Happy Social Life! Team Social Life Project Reflects on Our favorite Articles of the Year sociallifeproject.org/team-picks-fav… by Fred Kent Dr. T. Panova Giselle Sebag Guillermo Bernal Ethan Kent Katherine Peinhardt, Josh Kent, Kathy Madden and Meg Bradley #Placemaking

How I feel when research comes out that states “people don’t like being lonely” or “walking is healthy” to argue for why we need more walkable places.

Don’t believe when they say you need high rises to increase population density. Manhattan has 28000 people per sqkm. Paris has up to 50000 in the inner city. Without any high rises. Except for Tour Montparnasse, which everybody hates. Gentle density is the key

Every American should have one of these in walking distance from their home.

“Let’s go play outside!” But where? In many cities, kids face traffic, fences, and concrete instead of parks or safe streets. When public space disappears, so does childhood. Urban planning must make room for play, movement, and imagination. Kids deserve better 🌳

Imagine thinking a block of on street parking is more important than this?

To spend time in the most beautiful cities ever created and come away with the conclusion that they’re inferior because some restaurants don’t serve ice and some buildings don’t have AC will forever baffle me in the US vs Europe debate…surely these cannot be your priorities…

What we see here isn’t simply a paving over of buildings - it is a complete destruction of layers and layers of history, culture, community, opportunities, relationships, and rich social fabric. We are in the challenged state we are in now because only 60 years ago we hit restart

I truly believe that if everyone was within walking distance of a cafe, our quality of life would be so much better.

Americans are cooked. Now I get why we’re so fat. Just spent almost a full month traveling around Spain with my squad. 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 From big cities (Madrid, and Barcelona), to quaint towns (Sevilla, Valdemossa, Santanyi) to fancy spots (Marbella, Sotogrande, Malaga)… we ate