The Joy Experiments

Reimagining Mid-sized Cities to Heal Our Divided Society

Scott Higgins,Paul Kalbfleisch

• Publisher: Dundurn Press
• Year: 2024
• ISBN:
  9781459754362
• Topic: Architettura
• Subtopic: Pianificazione urbana e paesaggistica

A new perspective on developing shared joy in urban spaces. Our divided society is quickly reaching crisis level. We are no longer able to sustain social and economic prosperity nor ensure democracy. Fuelling this crisis is a growing sense of social isolation caused by the divisive nature of social media and the decline of infrastructure that used to bring communities together. But there is hope for rebuilding our collaborative society, and it is found in our mid-sized urban areas. These towns and cities offer a scale that can tangibly change the quality of our lives and an intimacy that allows us to influence what our communities can become. Changing cities can change the world! In The Joy Experiments, real estate developer Scott Higgins and creative mind Paul Kalbfleisch use their own mid-sized city-building experiences to present a new way for citizens to engage with their city, and an urban planning strategy that prioritizes infrastructure for the human spirit.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Foreword by Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat, Daily tous les jours
• Before You Begin
• Introduction: Because Cities Are Important
• One Under Attack: The Decline of the City Habitat
• Two The Redesign of “We”
• Three Starting the Journey
• Four Bring Your Own City
• Five Cities that Offer Joy Win
• Six The Elevator Pitch of a City
• Seven You Attract What You Celebrate: Learning How to Claim Our Identity
• Eight The Yardstick Is Youth
• Nine Experimental Journeys: Eliminating Old Ideas that Obstruct New Ones
• Ten There Is Nothing Wrong with a Big Idea
• Eleven Fifty Bright Ideas Are Better Than One
• Twelve The Streets Should Be Free
• Thirteen Becoming a Congregation
• Fourteen The 15-Minute City: How Can We Get There from Here?
• Fifteen Community Is the New Faith
• In Closing: Joy Is Practical
• Acknowledgements
• Appendix: The Joy Shift: A New Model for Thinking About, Designing, and Building Cities Differently
• About the Authors and Illustrator