NEW: Belonging is a basic human need, necessary for health, well-being & social connection. But it doesn't just happen; it has to be built. Rituals can help. Our latest article looks at how ritual shapes belonging, & what this means for the public spaces we design and program: tinyurl.com/y6u488h7

Can Rituals Help Hold Communities Together?

Artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, scholar Ashley Gallegos and author Michael Norton on the science and practice of ritual in public life.

tinyurl.com

Curious how colleges & unis can create engagement, belonging & social connection? Vote for our @sxswedu.com panel "Third Place Design Lab” w/ @civiccommonsus.bsky.social's Bridget Marquis, @joinordiefilm.bsky.social's Rebecca Davis & civic leader Jared Joiner w/ Justin Vaughn: tinyurl.com/5df3bskk

NEW: Crime in America is at its lowest rates since the 1960s — yet public perception of decreased safety remains stubbornly unchanged. That disconnect is where the public realm comes in — yet most public safety strategies never include this lever. Why that should change: medium.com/reimagining-...

The Safety Dividend: The Surprising Impact of Well-Managed Public Spaces

Is your community concerned about public safety? Consider investing in the public realm.

medium.com

NEW: Public spaces are increasingly critical for locally-driven climate resilience in a time of declining federal resources. See how local orgs, residents & civic partners in these 5 cities are turning parks & neighborhoods into living laboratories for environmental stewardship. tinyurl.com/zk5kjcbw

Building Our Future through the Green Commons

How 5 American cities are supercharging environmental stewardship in their civic spaces

medium.com

Tomorrow afternoon @parisenselle.fr will host @civiccommonsus.bsky.social and friends for a bike tour of key bicycle infrastructures in Paris. So very proud to show my city to extraordinary guests from abroad. Poke @knightengale.bsky.social @bridgetmarquis.bsky.social @ekwatanuki.bsky.social

Public spaces make everyday life more affordable. A recent article by @civiccommonsus.bsky.social lays out five concrete ways public spaces lower household costs. 🔗 medium.com/reimagining-...

5 Ways Public Spaces Make Everyday Life More Affordable

How parks, libraries and trails quietly lower your household costs

medium.com

NEW: Running for office? Want a platform that tackles the affordability crisis, improves public safety and delivers votes across party lines? Read how investing in our public spaces makes better quality of life possible for voters — and why that's a message that wins elections. tinyurl.com/47phzrp8

Want to Win Elections? Invest in the Public Realm

Supporting our public spaces makes a better quality of life possible — and can be a successful platform for political candidates.

tinyurl.com

NEW: The cost of living seems higher than ever right now. In our latest Medium article, we look at 5 ways the public realm — our shared parks, libraries and trails — can help lower your household costs: medium.com/reimagining-...

5 Ways Public Spaces Make Everyday Life More Affordable

How parks, libraries and trails quietly lower your household costs

medium.com

Check out @civiccommonsus.bsky.social director Bridget Marquis with Jessica Cherry on the latest episode of the Reimagination Cafe, talking about socioeconomic mixing and how the public realm helps people connect across different backgrounds and income levels. Full episode here: tinyurl.com/dskxk4tw

🔥 Kyle Kutuchief & Alexa Bush in @ssir.org on @civiccommonsus.bsky.social's 10 yrs in public space & democracy — "these investments can turn the tide, in ways that have implications for future philanthropic efforts to promote democratic principles across diverse communities." tinyurl.com/3x7kk7d3

Want to Support a Healthy Democracy? Start Here. (SSIR)

After a decade of transforming public spaces, we are building trust and connection between Americans.

ssir.org

NEW: The pushback against a tech-dominated society is gaining momentum, but the public realm must offer high quality, welcoming spaces that bring people together. 5 signs we're moving away from screens and living IRL — and why high-quality public spaces are essential. medium.com/reimagining-...

5 Ways That We’re Moving Away From Screens and Toward Living IRL

From schools to dance clubs, how intentional public spaces can help our social connection and wellbeing blossom offline

medium.com

NEW: Shared rituals make us feel grounded, connected & part of something larger. But many rituals are now disappearing — and people are losing ways to build trust and belonging, and pathways to awe. Yet a powerful resource remains for awe and rituals: shared public spaces. Read: tinyurl.com/4mj2c3v5

Rituals, Awe and the Public Realm

How intentional public spaces create meaning, connection and joy

tinyurl.com

NEW: Watch our Feb. 4 webinar "Want a Climate-Forward City? Start With Your Public Realm" to learn how public spaces can be crucial climate infrastructure, featuring experts sharing insights from the fields of resilience + disaster recovery, landscape architecture & urban parks. tinyurl.com/2rf5n8bw

Want a Climate-Forward City? Start With Your Public Realm

At a time when the federal government is backing away from meaningful climate action, it’s critical that local communities prioritize and invest in environmental sustainability. Local leadership on cl...

tinyurl.com

NEW: When you say hi to the grocery store checker, you may be unknowingly boosting your health. Research shows the importance of casual interactions to happiness & well-being — and public spaces are a natural place for these everyday interactions. Read our latest Medium article: tinyurl.com/5n8n9kbu

The Science of Small Encounters

Research shows that a diversity of casual interactions can boost our happiness. Public spaces can help them happen.

tinyurl.com

TODAY: Don't miss our free webinar @ 12PM EST to learn how public spaces can advance climate & community resilience, & how to bring these powerful strategies into your practice. Hear from experts in disaster recovery, landscape architecture & urban park systems. Register here: tinyurl.com/h82f2rfm

Join me this Wednesday, Feb. 2 for a virtual panel with Reimagining the Civic Commons and Next City about public spaces and community resilience. Register here: nextcity.org/events/detai...

Want a climate-forward city? Start with your public realm. Join us +@nextcity.org Feb. 4 for a webinar w/ Daniel Aldrich, Diane Jones Allen, Tony Sorrentino & Jazmine da Costa on strategies for investing in public space for resilient communities + strong climate infrastructure: tinyurl.com/h82f2rfm

Want a Climate-Forward City? Start With Your Public Realm

Sponsored webinar: Join Reimagining the Civic Commons to learn how public spaces can advance community resilience — and how you can bring these powerful strategies into your practice.

tinyurl.com

As the feds roll back climate action, local communities must invest in sustainability through public spaces—for civic assets that support ecological systems & social connection. Don't miss our Feb. 4 webinar on how the public realm can serve as powerful climate infrastructure: tinyurl.com/mr34czkw

NEW: @anandian.bsky.social wandered across America to find out why fear and division were increasing. Read our latest article to see how he found fortification of our lives — SUVs, security cameras, even clothing — reflect a deeper cultural anxiety about strangers and belonging: tinyurl.com/24zujewh

Why Americans Fortify Their Lives — And the Public Places That Can Heal the Divide

Dr. Anand Pandian on fear, fortresses and our strongest tools for rebuilding trust

tinyurl.com

New research finds that the power of connecting with strangers can not only boost your mood as you chat with fellow shoppers or commuters, but can actually help build a better, stronger society. greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...

Why Loving Moments With Strangers Carry Lasting Benefits

New research finds that connecting with strangers not only boosts your mood—it helps build a kinder, more cooperative society.

greatergood.berkeley.edu

NEW: In a year of federal upheaval and deepening national divisions, the work of the 10 Reimagining the Civic Commons cities was a beacon of strength and resiliency in their local public realm. Take a look at how these cities across America advanced their work in 2025. Read: tinyurl.com/yc2rk6wv

Through Community Building and Public Space, These 10 American Cities Are Preparing for the Future

How Civic Commons teams are leaning into social infrastructure to weather tumultuous times

tinyurl.com

Philadelphia is number one on the @wsj.com best places to visit in 2026, featuring Fairmount Park and the slate of upcoming celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding. Read more: www.wsj.com/lifestyle/tr... 📷 by Michelle Gustafson

Spend time with people to enliven the new year—including fellow shoppers and staffers at local shops. Clinical psychologist Stephanie Fitzgerald says socializing is esp important in winter, when people crave oxytocin from closeness & physical contact—running errands can help. tinyurl.com/52pff4d2

Worried about winter? 10 ways to thrive – from socialising to Sad lamps to celebrating the new year in April

The temptation is to sit at home and hibernate, but beating the winter blues can be done. Here’s how to embrace the coldest and arguably most beautiful season

theguardian.com

NEW: When nurturing, healing and care happen in public spaces, people benefit and communities become stronger as a more hopeful, connected society. Read our latest Medium article to see how public spaces around the country are supporting our mental and physical well-being. tinyurl.com/yktju72e

How the Public Realm Aids in Healing and Growing

When nurturing and care happen in public spaces, people benefit and communities become stronger

medium.com

NEW: In difficult national times, local efforts can shine. Cincinnati's local orgs are investing in public space for their communities – even as the fed government pulls back from their projects. See 5 takeaways from our Civic Commons Studio #10: Local Power, Lasting Impact: tinyurl.com/22pfrxc4

During Times of National Turmoil, The Power of Leading Through Local

How one city is meeting the moment during a challenging national climate

tinyurl.com

1/ In new @99percentinvisible.bsky.social episode about kids and urbanism, @langealexandra.bsky.social calls out Philly's Anna C. Verna Playground at FDR Park as welcoming to all kids including teens - especially the 20-seat swing set:

Today’s libraries are becoming engines of civic life, drawing and connecting people and communities together. The Memphis library system is going further, turning its branches into creative hubs through its Innovator-in-Residence program. Read our latest article to learn more: tinyurl.com/4cxu33f2

From Library to Launchpad

How Memphis’ Innovator-in-Residence program is evolving public libraries into creative hubs

medium.com

Long white benches with seating for 700 people unfurl and wind through London’s Strand district like snowy serpents – showing how using thoughtful high-quality design in public space provides not only seating, but also creates areas for performance, gathering and art. www.dezeen.com/2025/11/04/u...

Undulating wooden benches provide versatile public seating on London's Strand

Visitors to a recently pedestrianised public space in London can perch on seating installations created for the site by LDA Design and Millimetre.

dezeen.com

@civiccommonsus.bsky.social's Bridget Marquis tells @lisabubert.bsky.social why we need civic spaces: “to serve as literal common ground in our communities to counter both loneliness & socioeconomic segregation” -- including at karaoke bars, bowling alleys and churches. tinyurl.com/mvx8sby2

The Healing Power Of Social Friction | NOEMA

Could the key to bridging societal divides be found inside your local karaoke bar?

tinyurl.com

In Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's 3rd term, he needs to “support a just built environment” with housing, transit and open space, says Paul Bauknight, Civic Commons co-convener for the Twin Cities. “The city’s physical development will show us what we truly value as a society." tinyurl.com/2469pjah

Readers Write: Minneapolis mayor, tariffs, housing, Target’s priorities, eavesdropping

A re-elected Frey should commit to a just built environment.

startribune.com