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Jane Jacobs  (1916-2006) was an urbanist and activist whose writings championed a fresh, community-based approach to city building. She had no formal training as a planner, and yet her 1961 treatise, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, introduced ground-breaking ideas about how cities function, evolve, and fail. The impact of Jane Jacobs's observation, activism, and writing has led to a "planning blueprint" for generations of architects, planners, politicians and activists to practice. Jacobs saw cities as integrated systems that had their own logic and dynamism which would change over time according to how they were used. With an eye for detail, she wrote eloquently about sidewalks, parks, retail design, and self-organization. She promoted higher density in cities, short blocks, local economies, and mixed uses. Jacobs helped derail the car-centered approach to urban planning in both New York and Toronto, invigorating neighborhood activism by helping stop the expansion of expressways and roads. Follow this link to learn more about Jane Jacobs. Sourced from: International Association for Community Development and The Center for the Living City  

The Kettering Foundation has made available all three of their flagship publications for download as full issues, as well as individual articles. The 2018 issue of Connections focuses on experiments in organizational innovation. Download here. The 2018 edition of the Higher Education Exchange focuses on a research question that has structured much of the foundation’s work during the last year: How can an organization align itself with a democratic citizenry? Download here. Public goods are often seen as the domain of institutions and experts. The Kettering Review is a journal of ideas and activities dedicated to improving the quality of public life in American democracy. Download here.

According to Google, last month people searched on its platform for “medication disposal near me” more than they ever have before. So Google Maps has partnered with authorities in seven states, as well as numerous businesses and organizations such as Walgreens and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (EDA), to make it easier for people to find places where they can dispose of their unwanted drugs. Users can now search for things like “drug disposal near me” on the platform and it will pull up nearby results from more than 3,500 nationwide locations. Follow this link to read more. Sourced from: Government Technology

Reimagining public spaces is not just a matter of investing in upgraded infrastructure or launching new programming - it’s a matter of fundamentally changing the way we design, operate, and manage these spaces. Because research shows that vibrant public spaces are essential to social connection and economic mobility, cities that manage assets as a connected portfolio (rather than treating them as discrete spaces) can create a richer, more vibrant, more participatory public realm. Follow this link to read more. Sourced from: Medium