CITY OF NEIGHBORS

Placemaking—shaping public spaces through community action—can make urban neighborhoods friendlier and more fun and inclusive.

In her fourth book in her ThinkCities series, Canadian writer Curtis looks at ways people in cities all over the world—from Mexico City to Tokyo, Addis Ababa to Auckland—have made changes for the better. The ideas are both surprising and inspiring: brightly painted benches, open-air libraries, pianos left out for passersby to play, pop-up parks, and public bathrooms with transparent walls that become opaque when the space is occupied. The text is set against exuberant, creatively intertwined illustrations that depict city dwellers diverse in ethnicity, age, and ability. People can be seen walking, riding bicycles, making art or conversation, playing, and just chilling out. Realistically, there are occasional cars, but the focus is on the people, a true city of neighbors. What might have seemed like a long inventory is enlivened by these images, which depict many of the examples mentioned in the text: a mural memorializing George Floyd in Minneapolis, a Toronto fountain with 27 cast-iron dogs and one cat, a “light ceiling” that makes an alley in Athens a brighter, safer place. The author concludes by inviting readers to get involved, offering an extensive list of suggestions for getting started.

A lively exposition of creative community-building projects.