My plan was always to leave Oklahoma for lovely, liberal Portland. It didn’t work out that way, but I got something much better by hanging around.
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When it’s done well, crowdfunding can build a neighborhood’s civic strength in a way that traditional philanthropy can’t. Here are 6 reasons why.
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Diverse community members use their talents to beautify a vacant lot and fill it with a garden, library, seating and more.
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Jump in on one of these simple, fall-related activities to get to know your community better and build relationships to last all winter long.
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We must build places that enable us to see the lives of others with knowledge, love, and compassion. This means getting our hands dirty in the soil of our community.
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This Fourth of July, I got a glimpse of what my town could be when people take full advantage of natural beauty and community space, when people actively choose to share food and friendship with their neighbors.
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A year ago, I wrote about an old school being converted into a community center. This photo collection shows what has happened since, the results of Strong Citizenship.
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Marian Liou is the founder of We Love BuHi, a social enterprise organization, that helps to showcase local ethnic restaurants and works with restaurant owners to build a better neighborhood.
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Think you have to choose between moving away to an exciting but distant place, or staying put in your mundane hometown? There's a third option.
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Our featured member post this week is a deeply personal piece from Jenn Smith, of Citysmiths. She reflects upon her community work in Rockville and desire to give something back to the place she calls home.
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In a culture that is often focused on short-term gains and instant gratification, faith communities must take the long view when it comes to building better cities.
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When we talk about parks in cities, it helps if we can classify them into two types. Grand Parks are destinations. Neighborhood Parks are the living room of the community.
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I've been holding out on you all summer, but that's not to say that nothing was happening. The catch-up begins now.
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There
I've been lucky to witness the emergence of the Fredericton Makerspace. I say lucky, because if we did not have some relentlessly dedicated volunteers pouring themselves into the project, it would still be one of those great ideas that never happened. But this week, I stood in the Makerspace woodshop and watched people build together.
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I love the call and response of the city. We speak to each other through all these subtle gestures - putting out a dog-bowl on a hot day, painting the front door, installing a free library box. It's a relay passed on from one person to another. We each have our own way of expressing kindness or humour to the people around us, and the city becomes a canvas of all these tiny acts of humanity.
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In this week's field notes I want to share a couple sources of connectedness, kindness, and friendship that have been big for me this year. They seem like very self-serving communities from the outside, but they end up improving the city without necessarily having that mandate. In large part, I think it's because both of these communities are part of a dense web of connected groups and activities coexisting downtown. We all piggy-back off each other's energy to create sense of motion, and that's what pushes the city forward.
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Strong Citizen Challenge: Bring a plate of goodies to your neighbor.
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