Our Gratitude for Place(s) in the Midst of 2020...

We’re SO excited and honored to be bringing you the 5th annual installment of our grateful for place post, in which the State of Place family expresses their gratitude for a special place or for places in general. This year, this post has that much more meaning; it’s never been more important to express gratitude, even if it’s for the simple things, perhaps especially so, as the role of place - places - in particular seems that much more important in 2020. We also want to take this time to thank you for allowing State of Place to be a part of your journey in creating more livable, equitable, and sustainable places globally. We also invite you to share your own gratitude for place(s) in the comment section below!

In the meantime, we wish you all a very happy, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving, while acknowledging that in the U.S. (and other countries), these very places we are so ever grateful for exist on stolen land...so today, and always, we #HonorNativeLand.

Mariela, Founder/CEO -
The Exponential Power of Place

I’ve long spoken about the exponential power of place – how it touches so many aspects of our individual lives, our health, well-being, and safety, how it shapes myriad facets of societies, our fiscal outcomes, mobility and access, and environmental impacts. Indeed, as many of you know, I’ve worked not merely to passionately extol the benefits of place, but to actually quantify them, in the hopes that people would listen, learn, heed. But for many years, I felt like I was preaching the power of place to the (relatively few) converted, and that otherwise, presenting my arguments, my rationale, my evidence, even, was in effect, like screaming into the void.  

But then, 2020 arrived. And suddenly place was at the center of nearly every discussion. Suddenly, we could no longer ignore the significance of place in our lives, our health, our safety – mostly because so much of these aspects of quality of life are inextricably intertwined to where we live, and who we are often determines where we live, how we live, how long we live. While pre-Covid, many of us were aware of spatial injustices that ran rampant throughout vulnerable communities, when 3X+ more of our brown, black, and indigenous brothers and sisters are dying of Covid, and when righteous protests demanding we value black lives spread – globally – we can no longer look away, we can no longer go about business as usual, we can no longer deny the exponential power of place, to either build us up, or tear us down. I won’t say that I’m thankful for this moment of revelation, that I’m thankful that it took so much despair, death, and dereliction for the majority of us to understand the importance of place…it’s NOT OK that in the U.S., zip codes spell destiny.  

But I am thankful for the opportunity to help citymakers navigate this brave new world, to put place at its center, to put people first, to strive to provide equitable access to places that make us happier, healthier, and safer, and that fill us with joy, pride, and a sense of dignity. Places can heal us, but places can also entrap us. I’m grateful that I can play a loud and mighty role in ensuring the fate of the most vulnerable around us is the former. And I’m especially honored that the City of Philadelphia in particular has invited us to help them in their journey to help its communities heal via the power of place…and I’m ever grateful for the countless conversations I’ve had with several folks and organizations throughout the City who get it…and are up to do the work with us!

Credit: instagram.com/chrishenry

Credit: http://nataliekeyssar.com/

Candice, Marketing Associate - Freiburg

I am thankful for having had the opportunity to live in Freiburg, Germany, a city that sparked my urban planning journey. In 2018, I spent a semester abroad in this vibrant city - recognized internationally as one of the world’s most livable, sustainable, and child-friendly places. Walking on the paddle stone streets in Freiburg every day, I witnessed how the city focuses on and is committed to the details that ensure - walkability, mobility, and access to green space - from the green “city carpet” paved throughout the pedestrian walkway, to the tram and bicycle networks, to the play streets where no traffic can go faster than a pedestrian. I was stunned by the city’s commitment to sustainability and human-centered design, and after living in Freiburg, I knew I had found my calling in urban planning. I have been involved in sustainable design and public space urban planning ever since, and today, I am working on designing public spaces that will drive human connection.

Julie Bouchot - Miami

The year 2020 has been a whirlwind, to say the least, and it has made me incredibly grateful for my family and the place we now call home - Miami. It took me a while to let go of my northern roots and embrace this city with open arms, and now I’m not sure how I ever lived anywhere where it gets to be below 50 degrees. While its public transport still has a ways to go, Miami partly makes up for it with its amazing art. Over the last decade, Wynwood has completely transformed into an artist’s paradise. You never feel like you’re walking alone when you have Warhol and Basquiat painted on the wall beside you. You never have a sad thought in your head when you have words of affirmation and encouragement branded on the concrete under your feet. The real people of Miami, their struggles, their culture, and their love for life are depicted on these walls and I’m so thankful to be able to share this space with them.

Andy, CTO - Europe

This year, for Thanksgiving, I want to show gratitude for Europe, a place I moved to a couple of years ago and haven't gotten to visit much of, thanks to the last year of travel restrictions. Europe was hit hard by Covid, which forced a messy coalition of nations to simultaneously make sense of the virus and make drastic decisions while respecting the strategies of their neighbors. Closed borders and lockdowns pervaded. But the measures worked by late spring, and most countries were able to open up and enjoy summer before things got bad again in August. As a kid growing up in rather monolithic North America, I fantasized about Europe whenever I read French off of cereal boxes in Canada. I dreamt vividly of touching down on a plane in Europe, which didn't happen until I was 25. Since then, my wonder for Europe has manifested as an authentic urban planning fantasy, where the built environment is practical and beautiful, and even gives glimpses of the fairy tales we grew up with. Living in Norway has further given me access to huge swaths of the natural world I miss from the Western US and Canada. But it's also given me a Norwegian family, plus friends from places like Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, and Portugal, with invitations to visit those delightfully strange places when the virus relents. That state of the world in 2020 makes me especially thankful for this huge privilege, and that much more determined to ensure that more people have equitable access to livable, sustainable places like these.

Charmaine, UI/UX & Research - London

I spent the beginning of this year in London on an exchange program - a time where we were blissfully unaware of the pandemic that was soon to come. I love the experience of getting to know a new city, walking its streets, and issuing myself mini-challenges to find my way around without Google Maps, only relying on landmarks that I could see. As a dancer myself, I got to know the scene in London and uncovered hidden dance floors all over the city. It’s all these little spots - and the story behind that little hill, that small underground club, or that tiny bookstore - that are special places to me. Thinking back to these small places always brings a little smile to my face…I hope they are doing okay.

As the pandemic exploded over Europe, I had to return to my home country, Singapore, where we were facing issues of our own. Within the packed migrant worker dormitories, the COVID-19 outbreak spiraled. I am thankful that I live in a country with a good healthcare system, where there were very few serious COVID cases or deaths. I am also thankful that this crisis started serious conversations about equitable development, particularly improving the living conditions for migrant workers. This year, I started to do social work regularly and was able to see how people from low-income backgrounds are struggling during the lockdowns, specifically with digital literacy, maintaining healthy lifestyles, and keeping social ties intact. However, I am also grateful to see people helping each other more often during these tough times. A friend of mine had made a mobile app that allows people within a neighborhood to post and answer requests for help - it was reassuring to know he saw an increase in downloads during the lockdown. This really cemented my belief in the power of communities - something that can be built through creating loveable, people-centered spaces. The last month or so, it’s been a fun experience of re-discovering the places I love, taking long walks to discover new places and hiking trails in this city. Finally, I am most thankful to my lovely family, partner, and friends. I could not have gone through this year without them.

Stan, Marketing Associate - another vote for London!

I am writing this from one of my favorite cities where I am thankful to have lived for the last four years - London. It was in March when the most exciting neighborhoods: white-collar busy City, hipster favorite Shoreditch, and shopping paradise Covent Garden, got deserted. Those who were lucky to have relatives with six-bedroom houses in Gloucestershire quickly moved and started joining Zoom calls from unnecessarily spacious rooms. And even those who didn’t have such luxuries departed to quieter, suburban areas. That’s when we thought – maybe it’s time for us to swap our little flat for a house with a garden – why do we need this Central London location anyway? The day after the first lockdown was lifted, we went to the National Gallery (ever seen it without tourists?), walked around Soho (which they pedestrianized by introducing outdoor seating right on the streets), and went to one of those parks in East London where people go to watch other people and catch up with fashion trends. It was then that we realized no matter how busy, cramped, or expensive this city is, there’s no way we were moving out. Indeed, 2020 has made me ever so grateful for this place.

Kaustubh, Machine Learning Scientist - Silicon Valley

This year, I am thankful for the streets of the ever-changing Silicon Valley! I remember the first time I entered the bay area; a burst of inspiration rushed through me. Maybe it was the vibe or just a lifelong dream to visit the place where many breakthroughs happen. The residential areas have a calming nature to it. It’s a place where rewarding taco trucks are around almost every corner in the neighborhoods. The cafeterias are always busy on the weekdays with people working remotely or having brainstorming sessions with their favorite cup of tea or coffee; the view itself is stimulating. People are celebrating in the streets of downtown, guarded by the intense high-rise buildings. You will also often witness the adventures of people riding their electric scooters and not so rare glimpses of self-driving cars drifting through the roads cautiously. These small things represent the kind of energy flowing through the streets, and maybe this is the essence of Silicon Valley, which pushes people forward. I look forward to fully encapsulating this energy as the City opens up again - but I also look forward to a more equitable future for the place I call home, made that much more important because of Covid…

Kelliann, Operations & Business Development - The public realm

This year, I am grateful for outdoor dining and public plazas. This special infrastructure is a reminder of how joyful it is to gather, and I look forward to giving these spaces my full appreciation after the pandemic passes. I am also grateful for Nevada, its blue votes in the election, and for our governor's leadership during this intense year. Lastly, I have really appreciated the virtual placemaking community that has emerged during this unusual year. It's wonderful to be a part of such a committed and compassionate field. New ways to connect have meant everything.

We give thanks again for all of you - your belief in us, your commitment to place, your determination to usher in a new normal, in which we can together - all access more livable, equitable, and sustainable places, that embrace us, enthrall us, heal us…