Love Our Cities operates from a simple idea: come alongside those who want to make a difference in their cities so they can come alongside individuals in their communities to make things better. Founding members of the nonprofit organization Love Our Cities, Jeff Pishney and Eric Jung have seen how a city-wide volunteer day can catalyze community improvement—by engaging individuals with the city they inhabit. Each chapter of Love Our Cities addresses their method behind the madness, why it works, and the practical next steps that anyone can use to kick off city-wide volunteer efforts. Jeff Pishney and Eric Jung understand that the best way to support a community is to meet the specific needs of that area. By using their past experiences investing in Modesto and other cities, they provide a clear, actionable approach to enact city-wide change. Their volunteer days have been uniquely successful in connecting ongoing initiatives, building networks, and growing community buy-in for programs and organizations already on the ground. Their message in Love Our Cities is broken into four parts: Part One depicts their journey from the initial Love Modesto efforts in 2009 to the 100-some cities participating in their Love Our Cities network in 2020 Part Two explains at the elements that are necessary to know prior to any community engagement, in order to create a solid foundation for long-term success Part Three examines the “nuts and bolts” of running a city-wide volunteer day Part Four takes it to the next level—describing how successful city-wide volunteer days have changed the game and outlining what a year-round city movement might look like By shining a spotlight on the cities they’ve partnered with over the years, Jeff Pishney and Eric Jung hope that their community-minded approach in Love Our Cities encourages readers to dream about their own city’s potential—and how they can make a difference.

The mutual love affair between people and their place is one of the most powerful influences in our lives, yet rarely thought of in terms of a relationship. As cities begin thinking of themselves as engaged in a relationship with their citizens, and citizens begin to consider their emotional connections with their places, we open up new possibilities in community, social and economic development by including the most powerful of motivators-the human heart-in our toolkit of city-making.The book explores what makes cities lovable, what motivates ordinary citizens to do extraordinary things for their places and how some cities, such as New Orleans, Detroit, and Cleveland are using that energy to fill in the gaps that "official" city makers have left as resources have disappeared. Meet those amazing people who are truly "in love" with their cities and learn how they are key to the future development of our communities. Praise for the book: What Kageyama has done is to introduce the vital piece into the urban discussion-- the matter of love; the piece without which all city building must fail, for "love" the corner stone of civic citizenship. It takes some bravura and acumen to champion the subject of love in the urban forum that wants to quantify, when only love qualifies and justifies the discussion of cities. Mr. Kageyama goes one step further. He provides precious indicators. Many city thinkers will follow suit, but for the time being, this is the essential book. Pier Giorgio Di Cicco Poet Laureate Emeritus, Toronto, Ontario Author of Municipal Mind: Manifestos for The Creative City For the Love of Cities succeeds in putting an exclamation point on the exceptional value of deepening the relationship that city dwellers feel for their neighborhoods by adding amenities such as parks, outdoor cafes, art galleries, trees, flowers and even sidewalks to create a meaningful sense of place. It also explores the often hidden added value of creative entrepreneurs in creating a sense of place that attracts, nurtures and retains citizens. The book is a love note from Author Peter Kageyama to cities everywhere that will prompt you to more closely examine your own relationship with where you live, work and play. Diane Egner Publisher and Managing Editor, 83 Degrees Media Former Book Editor, The Tampa Tribune For the Love of Cities is a must read for city changemakers. Jeff Slobotski Silicon Prairie News & Founder, Big Omaha Peter has captured something very important... love. When we love a city, we are committed to it, we engage with it, we care for it, we give our best to it. A city that is loved also gives back. It makes those who live there feel enriched. And so you have a virtuous cycle. Charles Landry Author of The Creative City: A Toolkit for Urban Innovators and The Art of City Making

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • "James and Deborah Fallows have always moved to where history is being made.... They have an excellent sense of where world-shaping events are taking place at any moment" —The New York Times • The basis for the HBO documentary streaming on HBO Max For five years, James and Deborah Fallows have travelled across America in a single-engine prop airplane. Visiting dozens of towns, the America they saw is acutely conscious of its problems—from economic dislocation to the opioid scourge—but it is also crafting solutions, with a practical-minded determination at dramatic odds with the bitter paralysis of national politics. At times of dysfunction on a national level, reform possibilities have often arisen from the local level. The Fallowses describe America in the middle of one of these creative waves. Their view of the country is as complex and contradictory as America itself, but it also reflects the energy, the generosity and compassion, the dreams, and the determination of many who are in the midst of making things better. Our Towns is the story of their journey—and an account of a country busy remaking itself.

The Award-Winning Book Returns - Updated, Revised and Expanded! The mutual love affair between people and their place is one of the most powerful influences in our lives, yet rarely thought of in terms of a relationship. As cities come to think of themselves as engaged in a relationship with their residents, and residents begin to consider their emotional connections with their places, we open up new possibilities in community, social and economic development by including the most powerful of motivators - the human heart - in our toolkit of place-making. Here we will explore what makes cities lovable, what motivates ordinary people to do extraordinary things for their places and how some cities are using that energy to fill in the gaps that "official" city makers have left as resources disappeared. Meet the amazing people who are truly in love with their cities and learn how they are the key resource to the future development of our communities. "Peter's book takes the age old notion that love is a powerful, but intangible force and completely turns it on its head by uniquely illustrating the impact human emotion can have on our cities. I strongly recommend For the Love of Cities to all local leaders and anyone who is looking for creative solutions to the challenges facing America's cities." Buddy Dyer, Mayor of Orlando, Florida "When it comes to making places better, there are so many things we can do beyond those conventionally labeled as 'planning.' Most of them involve not the hardware of cities but the software - people. And the best of them are on display in this remarkable book." Jeff Speck, AICP, author of Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America One Step at a Time "In this book, Peter goes 'next level' and shows us HOW and WHY our placemaking process can help residents and visitors fall in love with your city all over again. This book is for activists, engineers, planners and community leaders committed to transforming their communities." Rebecca Ryan, APF - Futurists/Economist, NEXT Generation Consulting "The book is a love note from Author Peter Kageyama to cities everywhere that will prompt you to more closely examine your own relationship with where you live, work and play." Diane Egner Publisher and Managing Editor, 83 Degrees Media Former Book Editor, The Tampa Tribune "What Kageyama has done is to introduce the vital piece into the urban discussion- the matter of love; the piece without which all city building must fail, for "love" the corner stone of civic citizenship. It takes some bravura and acumen to champion the subject of love in the urban forum that wants to quantify, when only love qualifies and justifies the discussion of cities. Mr. Kageyama goes one step further. He provides precious indicators. Many city thinkers will follow suit, but for the time being, this is the essential book." Pier Giorgio Di Cicco Poet Laureate Emeritus, Toronto, Ontario Author of Municipal Mind: Manifestos for The Creative City

In subtle, sensuous prose, the stories in Sara Majka's debut collection explore distance in all its forms: the emotional spaces that open up between family members, friends, and lovers; the gaps that emerge between who we were and who we are; the gulf between our private and public selves. At the center of the collection is a series of stories narrated by a young American woman in the wake of a divorce; wry and shy but never less than open to the world, she recalls the places and people she has been close to, the dreams she has pursued and those she has left unfulfilled. Interspersed with these intimate first-person stories are stand-alone pieces where the tight focus on the narrator's life gives way to closely observed accounts of the lives of others. A book about belonging, and how much of yourself to give up in the pursuit of that, Cities I've Never Lived In offers stories that reveal, with great sadness and great humor, the ways we are most of all citizens of the places where we cannot be. Cities I've Never Lived In is the second book in Graywolf's collaboration with the literary magazine A Public Space.

Earth's environmental problems are far from being resolved. A large part of these are due to ever-growing cities. Despite more efforts made to improve cities, it has been difficult to change cities. One of the fundamental reasons is that people are not motivated to help change their cities. Apathy is now the number one obstacle to positive change. There is hope and Love is the antidote.What you love, you will sustain. Cities of Love aims to urge, persuade and provoke fellow residents of our earth to collectively shape the cities we live in. To achieve this, her residents must again uncover the reasons to love and therefore sustain her cities. To this end, Cities of Love tries to identify the ingredients that could possibly be the reasons for such active love. When a city is filled by the people who love their cities, then can a city have a greater chance of advancing towards a better tomorrow. Love is a mighty force to be reckoned with.

In cities around the world, planning and health experts are beginning to understand the role of social and environmental conditions that lead to trauma. By respecting the lived experience of those who were most impacted by harms, some cities have developed innovative solutions for urban trauma. In Cities for Life, public health expert Jason Corburn shares lessons from three of these cities: Richmond, California; Medellín, Colombia; and Nairobi, Kenya. Corburn draws from his work with citizens, activists, and decision-makers in these cities over a ten-year period, as individuals and communities worked to heal from trauma--including from gun violence, housing and food insecurity, poverty, and other harms. Cities for Life is about a new way forward with urban communities that rebuilds our social institutions, practices, and policies to be more focused on healing and health.

Following the widespread success of For the Love of Cities, this book builds upon the central premise that love of place matters, with more examples from all over the world and practical steps that community leaders, both official and unofficial, might use to kick start the process in their city. This book explores how to build networks of co-creators, how to allay community fears, how to deal with naysayers and bad news, how to find your authentic identity and how little bits of funding can be instrumental in creating big changes.