Tim Lampkin is the CEO of Higher Purpose Co., a nonprofit social impact agency, and the Co-Founder of Capway, a financial services company. He is doing some really fascinating work to empower disadvantaged communities in the Mississippi Delta, and beyond. He is a great example of the interdisciplinary approach that communities must take moving forward. His […]

Emily Talen is Professor of Urbanism at the University of Chicago. He career has been devoted to the various elements of urbanism and urban design. Her research has been some of the most influential on modern urbanism that has begun to account for equity. While there is obviously a long way to go, her work is […]

Jamie Bennett is Executive Director of ArtPlace America and a national thought leader regarding what the arts can be. His work with ArtPlace has been nothing short of transformative and continues to push boundaries. They have been able to support some of the most interesting and impactful projects ever conceived. Their radical support continues to […]

Marcela Guerrero Casas is Managing Director and Co-Founder of Open Streets Cape Town. She has brought a wide variety of experiences to bear on this project focused on reclaiming the streets of Cape Town for its people. They have had some very notable successes and continue to push for a better understanding of how our […]

David Lubell is the Founder & Senior Director of Welcoming International, a burgeoning immigrant welcoming movement that is expanding across the globe. He has spent much of his life working to figure out how communities can become more welcoming to all. This can, and should, be taken as a necessity. But, through his work, we can […]

Philippa Hughes is a social placemaker, creative connector & cultural strategist. She has been involved in many of the most interesting placemaking projects in Washington DC. She was instrumental in the Dupont Underground project, founded the Pink Line Project and launched the Van Ness Social Club. Her work is so varied and interesting it is […]

Tim Cerebe is the Vice President of Community Development at Freedom First Credit Union. He is a tireless advocate for a number of community causes. However, his main work is focused on how community development financial institutions can help make communities work better. He has been involved in bringing some really interesting projects to the […]

James Brasuell is the Managing Editor of Planetizen and has been engaged with producing interesting news content about urban planning for quite some time. His platform, Planetizen, plays an important role in collating news from various sources to allow a good overview of what is happening across the world of planning. He has a lot […]

Bruce Katz is the inaugural Centennial Scholar at the Brookings Institution, where he focuses on the challenges and opportunities of global urbanization. He also heads the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Initiative on Innovation and Placemaking, a collaboration with the New York-based Project for Public Spaces focused on cross-disciplinary approaches to city building. He is […]

Ash Blankenship is the founder of Parksify, a project focused on promoting the importance of public spaces that he has been working on since 2013. He now releases regular podcasts with fascinating thinkers focused on how good (or bad) public spaces impact the places we live. This dissemination of knowledge is absolutely crucial as we […]