The Bordercross Approach

To understand my approach, it's important to understand what I mean my several terms I keep "throwin' around". These include placemaking, civic networking and social capital.

Placemaking is "not just the act of building or fixing up a space, but a whole process that fosters the creation of vital public destinations: the kind of places where people feel a strong stake in their communities and a commitment to making things better." (Project for Public Spaces)

Civic networking is my term to describe the building of alliances in ways that strengthen community involvement, civic engagement and social trust (social capital). Online social networking is often associated with the goal of making new friends or professional contacts. Civic networking takes place both online and face-to-face, and serves the collective goal of bettering a community.

Social Capital "emphasizes not just warm and cuddly feelings, but a wide variety of quite specific benefits that flow from the trust, reciprocity, information, and cooperation associated with social networks." Bonding social capital develops from "social ties that link people together with others who are primarily like them along some key dimension," and bridging social capital develops from "social ties that link people together with others across a cleavage that typically divides society (like race, or class, or religion)." (The Saguaro Seminar: Civic Engagement in America)

Below are other elements that are integral to my approach to strengthening communities:

• Place & Connection: Online & Face-to-Face
  How do you meet people where they're at? These days all the talk is about social networking, and technology certainly makes it easy to reach people online or via mobile devices. Still, a lot of folks are not part of these networks. My approach is to give equal consideration to the significance of "face-to-face" gathering places and events, including their role in building bonding and bridging social capital. I also look for ways that face-to-face gathering places can complement and enhance online networking strategies, and vice versa.
  
  
  
• Creativity & Culture: At the Grassroots Level
  Is a creative city one that has a great concert hall? Is culture something that we discover in a museum? I feel very strongly about honoring the sometimes unacknowledged creativity and cultural traditions already within urban communities, and in preserving, enhancing and creating opportunities for everyday folks to participate in the arts beyond the level of spectator. We all need opportunities to express the creativity within us, and when we do so, we create a more dynamic, vibrant and democratic community.
  
  
  
• Access & Inclusiveness: Who's at the Table?
  Who are the stakeholders? In whose interests are decisions being made? Issues of access and inclusiveness are of special importance in diverse communities. I help clients find ways for community members to participate in planning processes through dialogue (e.g., World Cafe), inclusive arts activities, placemaking and civic networking. Civic networking should help build "bridging social capital," or the ability for people of different backgrounds (and sectors/neighborhoods) to build trust, connect, and share ideas and resources.
  
  
  
• Health & Sustainability: A Whole System
  Healthy communities are sustainable communities and vice versa: community health and environmental sustainability go hand in hand. Placemaking and civic networking can contribute to both. I also consider the relationship between environmental and economic sustainability, and the ways they can support each other (e.g., local economies). Sometimes we can immerse ourselves in a single sector or an either/or perspective, and not realize the similarity between our end goals and those of others. Cross-sector communication and collaboration is essential.
  
  
  
• Innovation & Social Entrepreneurship
  I will always remember the feeling of teamwork, energy and entrepreneurial spirit I experienced while working at Internet startups in Los Angeles and DC. I'd like to bring more of this spirit to the nonprofit sector. I'm a trendspotter, always scanning for innovations that could be applied to civic networking and placemaking efforts (and not just in the area of technology, which gets the most attention). The benefit of effective placemaking and civic networking is that they open opportunities for people to learn about, become inspired by, and express their own out-of-the-box ideas.
  
  
  
• Spirit & Tradition: Remembering the Roots
  I'm a both a futurist and someone who greatly values tradition. We need balance. I may embrace the Internet in many ways, but I don't think it replaces the value of experiencing a place and a community without the use of headphones, cameras or anything else with batteries or cords. Ancient Romans believed in the genius locii, or spirit of a place. I believe in finding ways to honor and recognize that neighborhoods are filled with places of special meaning to current or former residents, tied to personal and collective memories and identities.