Jodi Dubyoski

A critical component of the WHY of Placemaking has to do with how space makes people FEEL:

We use the term “stickiness” to describe a place that people return to and linger in.

Stickiness is created by co-locating uses and activities in ways that support each other AND by an environment that supports lingering, like when an entertainment district with restaurants and bars is anchored by a music or sports venue and connected by a high quality public space like a plaza

We also know that low-risk interactions, like the ones you have with your regular barista or the neighbor you always pass on your dog walk not only boost our mood and self esteem, but contribute to our overall well being, physical health, and even extending our lifespans!

Here's a sneak peek from a talk I'm giving in a few weeks about placemaking for local businesses. In this diagram, I'm borrowing the structure from Maslow's hierarchy of needs to talk about the foundational elements of creating stickiness and place attachment.

The other day I was flipping through some old resources and I came across some notes and diagrams illustrating different forms of capital. The Eight Forms of Capital is a framework developed by Ethan C. Roland of AppleSeed Permaculture, building on Bill Mollison's Categories of Assets. Inherently, my instinct is to begin to sort the types of capital into groups based on their respective currencies: People, Places, and Things

The Things category contains Financial and Material Capital: Money and physical assets like buildings and infrastructure

Places includes Material, Living, and Cultural (which doesn't mean much without People, but is often tied to Place)

People includes the remaining four types of capital: Social, Intellectual, Experiential, and Spiritual

Some observations about the groupings:

Kids make great travel buddies.

Train travel with small kids is a delight. They’re funny and insightful, enthralled with the journey—and so, by proximity, are you. On a train with a small child you can share snacks, play games, strike up a conversation with a fellow traveler, or simply watch the world go by together (and point out all of the cows and rivers and airplanes). Perhaps it’s the egalitarian nature of travel by train—we’re all along for the same ride—but I’ve found that kids tend to put their best foot forward. They’re cute and engaging, and they like to be helpful, carrying their own bag, etc. Sure, they can slow down traffic getting on and off the train, which can be stressful when it’s crowded, but on the whole it beats swatting at them blindly from the front seat to break up a fight.