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City Nestmaking

City Nestmaking

By Beth Sanders

Who do our cities need to be to serve us well? Who do we need to be to serve our cities well? In the City Nestmaking podcast, you'll hear Beth alone and in conversation with citizens, city government, business and community organizations. Always looking for ways to navigate the complexity of city life, so we can better hear each other and make better cities for ourselves as a result. Our cities are as good as we make them, so who do we need to be, alone and together?
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Currently playing episode

E15 The Older Person I Want To Be

City NestmakingMay 07, 2021

00:00
22:18
E47 Speaking From (vs talking about)

E47 Speaking From (vs talking about)

It feels good to fight and argue, but when there’s no pressure to convince others or be convinced, we listen in ways that allow us to improve our communities.

Images for this episode can be found in this blog post.

Reflection

  1. About what subjects do you “talk about” what you know rather than “speak from” your experience?

  2. Under what circumstances do you take center stage—and what reward to you get for taking center stage?

  3. Where do you have space in your life to explore ideas and experiences without pressure to agree?

  4. Where would you like to have space in your life to explore ideas and experiences without pressure to agree?

  5. What might emerge for you with such a space?

  6. What small step can you take to make such a space in your life?

You can leave a comment here.

Feb 13, 202415:27
E46 Housing as Community Social Enterprise

E46 Housing as Community Social Enterprise

Beth Sanders and Yasushi Ohki explore how being a land developer can be good for a community’s well-being, rather than the maligned role many believe.

Yasushi innovates, pilots and demonstrates new housing forms with a dogged entrepreneurial spirit. He believes that building housing can be an opportunity to develop community well-being for individuals and the wider community. For over 22 years, Yasushi has worked in the land development industry, including greenfield development, infill residential construction and project management. He brings to his work a love of urban design and a keen eye for how people interact with architecture, combined with a sensitivity to the realities of building construction and maintenance. He continues his community development work by establishing a trio of sustainability-oriented organizations: the Green Violin Community Development Company, the Rose Cello Affordable Housing Society, and the Prairie Sky Property Management Corporation.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

  • The land development equation

  • How housing and neighbourhood connect

  • The struggles of innovation (read: struggles with city hall)

  • The roles of developers, city hall, community and citizens

  • Work as a calling to try new things

  • City making vs city building vs city caring

Here's what Yasushi says about himself: "A degree in Civil Engineering and a second one in Architecture allowed me to have a career in land development in my home city of Edmonton, where I moved to when I was a young child from Vancouver where I was born to Japanese parents. I am currently advocating, educating, and co-creating housing options for affordable housing in and around Edmonton through my non-profit community development company, Green Violin."


Reflection

  1. Yasushi is looking for language to replace the word "healthy" in the phrase "healthy community." What new language do you suggest?
  2. If your neighbourhood was an old pair of shoes, would you fix or build new, and why?
  3. How could your neighbourhood be improved to better serve you, your neighbours, and future neighbours?
Jan 11, 202401:02:34
E45 It's All in the Cards
Oct 25, 202319:26
E44 Community Learning
Aug 24, 202324:28
E43 Stepping Into Vulnerability
Jul 17, 202308:56
E42 Radical Reflection

E42 Radical Reflection

Receiving a big award made me notice how integrity and values shape my life and work, from the scale of me to the scale of communities, neighbourhoods, and cities.

Images for this episode can be found here.

Jun 06, 202315:57
A1 A Moment of Quiet

A1 A Moment of Quiet

Think about an activation like a guided meditation. You can listen to them in order or in response to your intuition--which one catches your eye?

In listening to the activations, you'll get a few benefits:  Calm. When we spend time connecting ourselves to our place and our work, we cultivate a sense of calm.   Clarity. When we settle into the ground and center ourselves, we create the conditions for clarity to emerge.  Coherence. When layers of clarity take form, we find a sense of coherence, a more clear sense of direction that pulls us forward.

Find a quiet place to sit, stand or lay down where you won't have any interruptions. Follow along with the "instructions" in the activations, and simply relax. That's all you need to do. Listen to the activations at any time. Relax and enjoy!


May 09, 202309:43
E41 Do it Scared
Apr 27, 202310:34
E40 The Inconceivable Inconceivable
Mar 21, 202316:24
E39 Change as a Verb

E39 Change as a Verb

Beth has landed in perimenopause, asking herself the question she asks others everywhere she goes: How do I make my way through this transition with care and compassion? The answer is in thinking not of The Change but of changing. Change as a verb.

Images for this episode can be found here. 


Feb 27, 202315:59
E38 Intersectionality, GBA+ and City Making
Jan 30, 202301:07:08
E37 The Agony of Conversation
Oct 26, 202221:28
E36 Transition-Making is Choosing Changing
Aug 31, 202221:57
E35 Transition Bypassing
Jul 19, 202221:31
E34 Community Bypassing
May 31, 202223:14
E33 Upper Mountain Relationships

E33 Upper Mountain Relationships

An emotional upset and a ski trip helped me unearth two limiting beliefs about relationship skills.

Images created for this episode can be found here. 

Apr 08, 202212:14
E32 Relationship Bypassing
Mar 29, 202224:23
E31 Conversation Bypassing

E31 Conversation Bypassing

Assuming that the expertise in the room is in one or a few people disables and minimizes the resilience of a community. In this episode: 4 symptoms of conversation bypassing and 5 antidotes. 

Images created for this episode can be found here. 

Feb 16, 202219:44
E30 Connection Bypassing
Jan 21, 202214:55
E29 Explicit Agreements
Dec 03, 202115:39
E28 I Said YES to Evolving Professionals
Nov 15, 202125:39
E27 Transition Thinking to Enable Community (Itch #5)

E27 Transition Thinking to Enable Community (Itch #5)

Community has a vital role to play when emergencies arise: to enable transition from what was to what could be.

Images created for this episode can be found here.

This episode is the fifth in a series about the relationship between community and emergency:

  1. E23 Scales of Emergency Response (Itch #1). As the scale of emergency grows, the ability of a community to be proactive, responsive and response-ABLE becomes imperative.
  2. E24 Choices to Enable Our Emergency Response-Ability (Itch #2). 6 ideas and 8 suggestions to be response-ABLE at any scale of emergency.
  3. E25 Rescue is Not Resilience (Itch #3). Rescue embodies resilience only when the rescuer takes action the rescued can't do for themselves (and wants).
  4. E26 Resilience Requires Transition (Itch #4). When busy rescuing others or looking for others to rescue us, we miss the opportunity to renew ourselves.
  5. E27 Transition Thinking Enables Community (Itch #5). Community has a vital role to play when emergencies arise: to enable transition from what was to what could be.
Oct 28, 202124:28
E26 Resilience Requires Transition (Itch #4)

E26 Resilience Requires Transition (Itch #4)

When busy rescuing others or looking for others to rescue us, we miss the opportunity to renew ourselves, to engage and embrace the transition from one way of thinking, making and doing, to another. A healthy relationship with transition is necessary for resilience. 

Images created for this episode can be found here

This episode is the fourth in a series about the relationship between community and emergency:

  1. E23 Scales of Emergency Response (Itch #1). As the scale of emergency grows, the ability of a community to be proactive, responsive and response-ABLE becomes imperative.
  2. E24 Choices to Enable Our Emergency Response-Ability (Itch #2). 6 ideas and 8 suggestions to be response-ABLE at any scale of emergency.
  3. E25 Rescue is Not Resilience (Itch #3). Rescue embodies resilience only when the rescuer takes action the rescued can't do for themselves (and wants).
  4. E26 Resilience Requires Transition (Itch #4). When busy rescuing others or looking for others to rescue us, we miss the opportunity to renew ourselves. 
Oct 19, 202116:15
E25 Rescue is Not Resilience (Itch #3)

E25 Rescue is Not Resilience (Itch #3)

Rescue embodies resilience only when the rescuer takes action the rescued can't do for themselves (and wants). Whatever the scale of emergency (E23), we have choices to make about how to respond (E24)--and the language we use reflects the choices we make, the roles we play, and the actions we take. 

Images created for this episode can be found here

This episode is the third in a series about the relationship between community and emergency: 

  1. E23 Scales of Emergency Response (Itch #1). As the scale of emergency grows, the ability of a community to be proactive, responsive and response-ABLE becomes imperative. 
  2. E24 Choices to Enable Our Emergency Response-Ability (Itch #2). 6 ideas and 8 suggestions to be response-ABLE at any scale of emergency. 
  3. E25 Rescue is Not Resilience (Itch #3). Rescue embodies resilience only when the rescuer takes action the rescued can't do for themselves (and wants).
Oct 04, 202113:34
E24 Choices to Enable Our Emergency Response-Ability (Itch #2)

E24 Choices to Enable Our Emergency Response-Ability (Itch #2)

In this episode, six ideas and eight suggestions to be response-ABLE at any scale of emergency. 

As the scale of emergency grows (E23), the ability of a community to be proactive, responsive and response-ABLE becomes imperative. As the scale of crisis grows from a sprint rescue event to an ultramarathon season, including sprint rescues, it is also imperative to differentiate between the different kinds of work we do to ensure our communities and cities serve us well. It is necessary for citizens to serve our communities well.

Illustrations created for this episode can be found here

This episode is the second in a series about the relationship between community and emergency: 

  1. E23 Scales of Emergency Response (Itch #1). As the scale of emergency grows, the ability of a community to be proactive, responsive and response-ABLE becomes imperative.
  2. E24 Choices to Enable Our Emergency Response-Ability (Itch #2). 6 ideas and 8 suggestions to be response-ABLE at any scale of emergency.
Sep 14, 202118:19
E23 Scales of Emergency Response (Itch #1)
Sep 02, 202115:39
E22 Transportation Infrastructure Privileges People With Power

E22 Transportation Infrastructure Privileges People With Power

Beth Sanders and Luis Patricio discuss bicycles to explore mobility and privilege in cities. With his first realization in Brazil that a bicycle IS a means to move around the city, Luis started advocating for a bike-to-work program at work. Bicycling has become a part of his identity and a full part of his paid and unpaid work to improve cities. Some simple questions to unpack mobility privilege: Who owns cars in our city? Who owns bicycles in our city? And who has access to bicycle infrastructure? 

NOTE to listeners: there’s a bit of “office noise” a few minutes into the episode. It doesn’t last long. (A bit later, there’s some kitchen noise, but it also doesn’t last long. Eeek) 

Luis Patricio believes that our capacity to understand, shape and communicate urban experiences is key to creating the cities we want. Bicycles are one of the most powerful tools to develop that capacity—a capacity he calls Urban Literacy. Luis uses the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for collaboration and connection in his role as project manager for the SDG Cities project at Pillar Nonprofit Network in London, Canada. He is also the board chair of London Cycle Link, a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to create a bike-friendly London through community building, education and advocacy. You can learn more about Luis at luispatricio.ca.  

Here's the article Beth and Luis refer to in their conversation: Who Has A Right to the City? 

RESOURCES 

Here's a list of resources from Luis for further exploration: 

REFLECTION  

  1. Think about the trips you make in your city or community—is movement by car a must or preferred? Is the infrastructure in place to provide you with other options? 
  2. Which areas of your city are primarily centred on movement by car? Who are the people for whom this works well? Who are the people who are disadvantaged by this priority?
Jul 31, 202101:10:22
E21 I Never Imagined You'd Know So Little
Jun 25, 202118:13
E20 Make People Visible to Each Other
Jun 15, 202106:47
E19 Regenerative City Circles
Jun 08, 202115:14
E18 Social Habitat Competencies

E18 Social Habitat Competencies

Let’s release the binary ways we define city planning practice and grow our relationship skills (for the official and unofficial planners out there). Images created for this episode can be found in this article. 

May 28, 202114:59
E17 Cities and Citizens are Perpetually Unfinished
May 21, 202114:24
E16 Fighting in Infectious
May 14, 202116:53
E15 The Older Person I Want To Be
May 07, 202122:18
E14 The City (and Humans) as Nature
Apr 22, 202101:06:01
E13 Eight Ways I Engage in City Life
Apr 19, 202117:53
E12 A Welcoming City has Transportation Choices
Apr 12, 202115:29
E11 Care Out in the Open
Apr 07, 202108:49
E10 Cities: A Practice of Mutual Agency
Apr 05, 202115:22
E9 Identities Shape City Planners

E9 Identities Shape City Planners

Beth Sanders and Jason Syvixay investigate how their locational, gender, sexual orientation, age and racial identities shape their experience of cities, their work as city planners and implications for the planning profession. (Note: you don’t have to be a city planner to enjoy this conversation!)

Jason Syvixay believes that cities need to foster a culture that balances the voices of the loudest and the quietest people in the city. He works as a planner at the City of Edmonton, focusing on infill development, zoning, and equity while working on his Ph.D. in urban and regional planning. Jason prioritizes engagement between builders, developers, architects and impacted residents. And he encourages the city’s decision-makers to dive into urban debate and discussion, not shy away from them.

Through various media platforms, Jason convenes dialogue around pressing urban issues, allowing for a thoughtful exchange of ideas to occur across geography, gender, generational, and racial transects. You will enjoy Jason’s Twitter feed: @DowntownJason

Mar 29, 202159:15
E8 Prescribe and Enable
Mar 25, 202125:06
E7 Stories of the City
Mar 18, 202159:11
E6 Let's Exercise Our Inquiry Muscles
Mar 12, 202117:25
E5 Down the Rabbit Hole #1

E5 Down the Rabbit Hole #1

Beth Sanders and Hilary Van Welter explore Alice in Wonderland's Mad Hatter's Tea Party, only to understand that disruption and clarity co-exist.  Hilary is CEO of the Ascentia Collaborative, a place of exploration, experimentation and enterprise. She believes that the clues to a wonderful future are hidden in plain sight. Hilary thrives at the intersections of disciplines as a designer and leader of city projects, be they outdoor space redesign, public policy or entrepreneurial programs. Her work always involves weaving together different perspectives and knowledge in ways that allow people to find enriching, inventive answers to the significant challenges of our tumultuous world. 

Mar 08, 202145:31
E4 Choose a Direction for the City
Mar 04, 202124:20
E3 Think, Make, Do

E3 Think, Make, Do

Our evolutionary journey—our resilience and adaptability—depends on our ability generate new kinds of work, new ways of thinking, making and doing new things.
Feb 27, 202115:56
E2 Disrupt the Story of the Land
Feb 22, 202115:55
E1 City Making With Women
Feb 19, 202119:18