Go Cultivate!

Today is a bit of a Thanksgiving grab-bag. Kevin and Jordan discuss: what cities (of any size) can learn from the Amazon HQ2 contest about economic development and “being your best you” [1:10] what the California wildfires should be telling cities about the implications of their development patterns [19:20] whether “criticize then commit” is a philosophy city leaders can employ in citizen engagement [30:20] We also take a few moments at the end [50:00] to let you know about a few cool things we’re working on. You can sign up for our brand-new Cultivate Journal, a monthly roundup of our best podcast episodes, written pieces, things we’ve read, and upcoming live events. Join us on Friday, Nov. 30 [THIS IS A NEW DATE!], for a free live webinar: Dollars and Sense: How to Cultivate (Real) Fiscal Sustainability + Community Engagement In 2019 we’re launching our Go Cultivate! Online Community. If you share our goal of building and managing cities in a more collaborative, fiscally-informed, and people-friendly fashion—and you want to discuss ways to deal with your city's challenges with like-minded peers—then this is your place. Sign up here and we’ll let you know when it’s officially open. This podcast is brought to you by your friends at Verdunity. For more episodes, check out verdunity.com/go-cultivate. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records)

This is the first of a short series on city growth. Are there good ways or bad ways to grow? In this episode, we're asking whether there is such a thing as growing too fast or too slow. Jordan speaks with Verdunity's Felix Landry about both the financial and social/cultural implications of fast growth vs. slow growth. We discuss the ways building standards can help or hurt, what it means to love a place, whether cities have knobs that can speed up growth or slow it down, whether it matters that you build a whole block out at once or over time, why scapegoating renters is off-base, and much more. Have thoughts on this discussion? We want to hear from you. Email us: [email protected]. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.)

Jim Walker is CEO, cofounder, and lead artist at Big Car Collaborative, an Indianapolis-based art and design organization "brings art to people and people to art, sparking creativity in lives to support communities." Jim and Jordan talk about the role of artists in making neighborhoods more loving, vibrant, and homelike—and the ways partnerships are always messy but always necessary in making good things happen. Here’s a further sample of our conversation topics: Why community building is about the personal connections between people Big Car’s role as a “neighbor-to-neighbor” project, as well as its role as a hub for arts, cultural events, making things, and as an example of putting an old place to new use with minimal infrastructure Pop-up testing sites as a way of exposing the City of Indianapolis to new ideas Why and how Big Car Collaborative started out in the bathroom of a (former) nunnery How artists make a neighborhood desirable and often end up getting pushed out—and how Big Car is trying to buck that trend by building a long-term home for artists in the Garfield Park neighborhood of Indianapolis Why “socially-engaged art” is about "making things happen," rather than just “making things" What it means to invest in the people in a neighborhood The Tube Factory – an example of adaptive building re-use that flexes to be what the neighborhood wants it to be Partnering with the City, philanthropic organizations Where the name “Big Car” comes from Why collaboration (both internal and external) is messy but essential to making something happen – and how it leads to unexpected places Why so many partnership difficulties revolve around money Partnerships generally happen between people, rather than entities What it’s like partnering with a City through changes in administration Demonstrating that artists can (and should) be voices at the table in city decision making How to make sure pop-up placemaking turns into “placekeeping” that benefits people in the neihgborhood How Jim thinks you can start something like Big Car in your own community (hint: it should be fun) The importance of working on projects with friends – and the opportunities to find a friend group through community work Jim’s book recommendations! Why a place can be a home instead of just a house How planning and design could be different if we spent lots more time out in the physical places we’re working in Follow Jim on Twitter: @walkerjj Learn more about the seriously kick-ass Big Car Collaborative at bigcar.org. And check out the Tube Factory Artspace at tubefactory.org. (If you are planning to host an event in Indianapolis, this is the place to be!) The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com Find our other episodes and blog posts at GoCultivate.org. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.)

Kevin and Jordan discuss the beginnings of a framework for getting any city in better fiscal shape – all while building trust and collaboration with residents of all neighborhoods. Buckle in! We made Kevin the mayor of a city for this episode. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of VERDUNITY. Learn more at verdunity.com Find our other episodes and blog posts at GoCultivate.org. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.)

We're trying something new here. The Verdunity office is always buzzing with good discussions about what's on our minds that week. So, instead of keeping them all to ourselves, we'll be dropping short, spur-of-the-moment conversations like this one into the feed from time to time. It might be something we've read that day, an interaction we've had with a community leader, or just something we ate (hopefully not). Today, Tim Wright (the brand-newest member of Verdunity!) and Jordan Clark chat about neighborhood identity and community involvement. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of your friends at Verdunity. If you like this addition to the podcast feed, or if you hate it—or if you really want us to riff on a particular subject—let us know: [email protected]. Find us elsewhere in cyberspace: Twitter and Facebook (Music in this episode is from Blank & Kytt)

Kevin sits down with (fellow engineer) Chuck Marohn from Strong Towns to talk about recognizing our delusions, admitting failure, and embracing the "chaos" of bottom-up action at the local level. Here are some highlights from the discussion: When optimism becomes delusion for city administrators. The ways that many engineers and other professionals have built up natural defense mechanisms to avoid acknowledging failure and fallibility. The common myth in Texas and other high growth areas that "fast growth will continue indefinitely and it will solve all our problems"—and the two possible ways it could end. Not learning lessons from major events: droughts and near-bankruptcies. The social and economic results of "slash-and-burn city development." Why city leaders should be more supportive of the short-term "chaos" of bottom-up action—and more wary of the long-term chaos of rigid order. How affluence makes people and cities less adaptive—and how small, early failures can build resilience. Links: Chuck's Strong Towns podcast episode on the peak delusion of the long emergency Kevin's post for Strong Towns last year: How Strong Towns changed the way I view development Reflections on the Strong Towns North Texas Regional Gathering - Ivy Vann The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of VERDUNITY. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find our other episodes and blog posts at GoCultivate.org. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.)

This is the second of a two-part interview with AJ Fawver, director of planning for the City of Lubbock, Texas. (Follow her on Twitter: @planningguru. Read her blog on ELGL here.) In part two, we talk about the world of strengths assessments and communication styles—and how they can be applied to make organizations like city government more effective and empathetic. Then Kevin asks AJ what she as a planner wants people other roles in the city to know. They run through advice and input for elected officials, city management, economic development folks, engineers, and citizens. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of VERDUNITY. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find our other episodes and blog posts at GoCultivate.org. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.)

We thought this would be a quick chat. It wasn't that quick, but we do think it's a good start to a deeper discussion on ways cities can better serve and engage citizens – and build a more sustainable community in the process. In this episode we walk through Kevin's most recent post on the blog. Here's a rundown of the nine lessons Kevin spells out in his post and this discussion: Quality of life is measured at the neighborhood level. (IBM paper discussed in the episode can be found here.) Citizens often have a lot of ideas for things (big and small) that will improve quality of life in their neighborhood. Every citizen has time, talent or treasure they’d like to invest in their neighborhood/community. Small tactical or pop-up projects are more effective when connected to a bigger purpose. Code changes are needed for small developers to thrive. The challenges facing cities are too big for local agencies to address alone. The average citizen does not understand the financial gap many cities are facing or the relationship between development patterns, revenues and service costs, and property tax rates. Communities need a common language and a single metric to frame discussions, inform decisions and prioritize investments. The community engagement process should be an ongoing effort and not limited to public hearings on a project-by-project basis. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of VERDUNITY. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find our other episodes and blog posts at GoCultivate.org. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.)

This is the first of a two-part interview with AJ Fawver, director of planning for the City of Lubbock, Texas. (Follow her on Twitter: @planningguru. Read her blog on ELGL here.) Here's a sampling of what Kevin and AJ get into: The difference between land use planing and zoning—and what they’re good for. And some ways that their application hasn’t been good for cities. Dealing with the common perception (in various cities) that planning departments exist to hinder growth or development The ways that money enters the equation in decision making, for planners, for city administrators, for elected officials, and even for citizens. And the ways that it often doesn’t but should. Why it’s so common for (vocal) residents in cities to oppose things like apartments and assisted living facilities. AJ also addresses the politics of having discussions about development patterns with residents and elected officials. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of VERDUNITY. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find our other episodes and blog posts at GoCultivate.org. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.)

Kevin sits down with Tim Wright, co-founder of Re-Form Shreveport, to talk about about the conversations and actions that incrementally help make a community stronger. Tim gives insight into ways to build momentum and trust, through his roles as both a civil engineer and as a neighbor in a new city. -- 1:00 – Introducing Tim Wright and Re-Form Shreveport 4:50 – Teasing our involvement in the upcoming Strong Towns Regional Gathering (join us for that!) 13:05 – Beginning of Kevin’s discussion with Tim 15:26 – Why Tim (and Kevin) joined the Strong Towns movement 17:45 – Key challenges for an engineer who is concerned about social and fiscal sustainability 21:27 – The soft skills today’s engineer’s need to have 23:35 – On discussing the adverse effects of sprawling development with other engineers and city officials (vs. the benefits of infill) 25:45 – “Do you know what a block of your street costs?” and “Do you think your city has enough money to fix it when it needs to be replaced?” 31:50 – What it means to “Re-form Shreveport” 39:33 – Putting the principles of a people-friendly, fiscally-sustainable approach into action 51:00 – Starting small, by making Shreveport’s Highland Park a true place 54:24 – Harnessing citizens’ ideas for ways their neighborhoods could be better (and then implementing them) 1:00:07 – Advice for someone in a new city who wants to make a difference 1:02:11 – Takeaways from the discussion 1:06:38 – An impromptu discussion on resource shortages and what that means for the wellbeing of cities and citizens -- We'd love to see you at the Strong Towns Regional Gathering in Plano (or the free Curbside Chat in Arlington)! For more on our podcasts and blog, visit GoCultivate.org. This podcast is a project of the nice folks (whose voices you're listening to) at VERDUNITY. (Music from this episode is from Custodian of Records)

VERDUNITY's Felix Landry joins the show to discuss the importance of understanding the fiscal consequences of our development patterns, as well as the ways that cities can use map-based fiscal analysis to make more holistic land use decisions. 3:29 – Beginning of interview 5:00 – How Felix stumbled into looking at the economics of cities 7:00 – Pro formas—why don't city planning departments have them? (And more questions Felix had during his time in a his city's planning department) 12:00 – Confusion on how to go about applying fiscal analysis in planning work 17:53 – Insolvency issues and how fiscal analysis can be a common language for analyzing cities holistically 20:20 – How your city isn't like a hamburger joint 22:30 – What exactly do we mean by fiscal analysis? 25:25 – The backwards way most cities decide what gets built 26:50 – What would fiscal analysis actually look like for cities? 31:56 – How fiscal analysis maps can show us otherwise unseen trends 33:25 – Which development types are loss leaders for cities, and what it means if those areas make up too much of a city 37:32 – The gym analogy: treadmills vs. swimming pools 39:42 – Other analogies Felix likes to use for understanding development types and fiscal consequences: personal heath and grocery stores 50:05 – What happens when citizens insist on both an unproductive development pattern and a lower tax rate? 53:50 – Differences between modern-day suburbs and pre-war suburbs 1:17:00 – How cities can apply fiscal analysis to decision making? We discuss applications to zoning ordinances, comprehensive plans, economic development, and more. 1:20:20 – What Felix is reading these days 1:22:19 – Wrap-up with Kevin and Jordan Show page: https://gocultivate.org/podcast-episode-05/ For more on our podcasts and blog, visit GoCultivate.org. This podcast is a project of the nice folks at VERDUNITY. (This episode features music from Custodian of Records)

Joanna Taft of the Harrison Center discusses the role of the arts, place, and story to humanize, connect, and empower a neighborhood. We talk about how a neighborhood can change and improve in inclusive and equitable ways, and how important it is for people to feel known and loved in their community and their homes. Central to it all is being a neighbor to your neighbors. This is a jam-packed discussion you can't afford to miss! 2:15 – Brief recap of our Cultivating Strong Towns workshop in Shreveport 9:30 – Introducing Joanna Taft & the Harrison Center 14:15 – Beginning of interview: Joanna's role as a neighbor, helping her neighborhood grow stronger through the arts, education, entrepreneurship, youth development and more 15:00 – What "community building" means to Joanna, and how her thinking on the matter has evolved over the years 18:00 – Harrison Center's neighborhood partnerships, and how residents' concerns about being left out of their neighborhood's story and evolution led her organization to try a new approach to storytelling 22:45 – "Preenactment," or reimagining a neighborhood the way it ought to be 28:00 – How Joanna's team collected stories and concerns from the neighborhood 32:00 – Changing behaviors and attitudes, not just the physical makeup of a neighborhood, and how Joanna uses the concept of preenactment in her personal life 38:00 – Preenactment as a response to the question: "How do we revitalize in an inclusive way?" 39:05 – The centrality of art and place in building vibrant, equitable, and human neighborhoods 43:05 – Cultivating a generation of arts patrons at Herron High School 48:10 – Partnerships with the City of Indianapolis 50:15 – Some of the challenges (and unique opportunities) that come from working directly with a city government 52:50 – The role of relationships and how other cities could set themselves up to be welcoming to grassroots community building 54:00 – The Harrison Center's City Gallery: "Could the arts actually help with the abandoned housing issue?" 57:45 – Porching! How the simple act of inviting neighbors onto your front porch can begin to change your neighborhood 1:00:25 – How to start a grassroots community building movement in a neighborhood without much current involvement (We had some audio quality issues on this episode. Sorry about that! Hoping to have those fixed for the next one.) Links: The Harrison Center PreEnact Indy City Gallery Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records and Tours

Many citizens think their local government has enough money to maintain its infrastructure and keep up services, because they pay taxes. The reality is most cities do not, and it can be challenging for city leadership to communicate this to citizens. Today's guests are bucking that trend of silence. We talk to three key leaders (Mayor Connie Schroeder, City Manager Lynda Humble, and Hospitality & Downtown Director Sarah O'Brien) from the City of Bastrop, TX, about what managed growth means to the future of their city. They discuss Bastrop's resource constraints and affordability challenges, why they are openly talking about their infrastructure funding gap when many cities' leaderships are reluctant to do so, and why cities need to be doing the math on the eventual costs of repairing roads and subdivisions. Find out more about their Building Bastrop initiative, which aims "to streamline the development process and create fiscally sustainable standards for future projects." Your city may go by a different name, but it's likely facing many similar challenges to those in Bastrop, and it could certainly learn from this refreshing approach to sustainable development. Follow Bastrop's progress on Twitter (@CityofBastropTX) and facebook.com/bastroptx Show page: https://gocultivate.org/podcast-episode-03/

Kevin sits down with VERDUNITY's summer intern Nadia Whitehouse for a brief chat on the ways the engineering profession is changing, and what it means to bring a resource-conscious, people-first attitude to engineering school. They also get into some of the ways Nadia sees the world differently after a few months with the VERDUNITY crew.

An in-depth discussion with VERDUNITY's Kevin Shepherd, P.E., on the past, present, and future of the civil engineering profession—and the lasting fiscal and social impacts their work has on communities. 1:30 – What does is mean to be considered a "creative engineer”? 5:15 – What the conventional approach to civil engineering misses, and how Kevin’s thought process changed as his career progressed 9:50 – The impact of considering financial implications in the design process, vs. the assumption that “the money’s always going to be there” 15:00 – What is the engineer’s role and responsibility with regard to financial viability? 16:20 – Why Kevin left his big A/E firm to start VERDUNITY, and how he approaches his work with cities 17:55 – Why desperation makes cities more interested in fiscally viable infrastructure decisions 23:20 – How city planners tend to think differently than engineers, and the constraints on how much impact they can have 25:00 – Why a conventional approach to engineering is so prevalent, despite its broad lack of sustainability 27:50 – Why exactly did we start designing and building in such a destructive way to begin with? 32:00 – We can't let the planning profession off the hook, either 33:30 – Why other engineers used to think Kevin was crazy, and now they’re getting curious—and why it’s hard for engineers at big, status-quo-affirming companies to shift their organization’s approach 37:00 – Guiding cities and technical professionals to a more fiscally-informed and people-friendly approach to city-building 39:30 – What does it actually look like to give a city recommendations for a more financially viable infrastructure project? 43:00 – A “plangineer’s” approach to spanning silos and working at different scales 45:50 – Return on investment for infrastructure projects Episode page: gocultivate.org/podcast-episode-02. Learn more about VERDUNITY here. (This episode features music from Custodian of Records and Tours)

In the first episode of Go Cultivate!, we discuss what it means for a city to be financially resilient, resource-conscious, and people-friendly. Then, we talk about 5 key groups of community leaders. 1:03 – Why Go Cultivate? And what's up with the name VERDUNITY? 5:00 – Revisiting the purpose of the podcast: "helping community leaders grow financially resilient, resource-conscious, and people-friendly cities. 5:51 – "Financially resilient" 7:00 – "Resource-conscious" 8:00 – "People-friendly" 11:40 – What is the status quo and what keeps the status quo in place? 16:32 – Community leaders: five broad groups 17:52 – Elected officials 22:21 – City administrators 23:50 – City technical staff 25:28 – Economic development 27:17 – Implementers! 27:50 – The importance of making citizens feel like their contribution is welcome – and what a city might look like when they don't 31:36 – Implementers as allies to official city leaders 35:21 – The connection between working on yourself, your neighborhood, and your community (The music in this episode is by Custodian of Records) https://gocultivate.org/podcast-episode-01